Based around the new Fox Kids Saturday morning television show, Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension, this indoor presentation revolves around four video monitors and a large wall-mounted plasma screen, with a dedicated in-house soundtrack production which interweaves the spoken word with techno music. Program material is fed to the monitors along with the soundtrack. A broadcast quality video camera and switcher generate real-time video of the visiting children in front of a blue screen. This system generates the special effect of the child's arm turning into a Galidor mechanical arm on the large plasma screen.
The venue itself has a very high ceiling, and the sound system had to be flown, out of view, between the ceiling and the upper lighting grid. Jon Bart, president of Quiet Voice Audio, explained his criteria: "Legoland engineers were very specific in their requirements for this project. We needed to install speakers that were self-powered, very compact and which took up a very small 'footprint' in the room. We chose the Mackie Industrial Monitor 4T mid-high frequency response speakers to cover this bandwidth.
"Due to the type of recorded programme material being used and the size of the exhibit, the sonic performance of the low frequency system was critical. The Wharfedale PB-208 provided accurate and even dispersion of sound into the area we had to work with. The tight bass produced by four 8" drivers is impressive. Another serious consideration was the build quality; the Galidor exhibit will be open virtually every day of the year, which represents considerable wear and tear on the gear.
Designed specifically to provide extended low frequencies (from 40Hz to 250Hz), the acoustically-efficient PB-208 subwoofer uses dual 8" long throw drivers to generate solid and controlled sub bass output that smoothly integrates with main sound systems. Bart comments: "Wharfedale is a relatively new name in these parts, but the line of loudspeakers is impressive, put together with an eye for detail and naturally suited to music and spoken word sound reinforcement applications. They offer an excellent bang-for-the-buck and provide some standard features that show they did their design homework."
(Lee Baldock)
