Full knew that in order to put a new twist on an old standard, he would have to adjust the show's signature sound. "The director (Michael Grandage), music department, and I agreed that, since the musical is so well-known, we should approach this tour as a new piece of theatre," says Full. "This had a noticeable effect on the score, as we ended up with a very modern sound, but still retained the underpinnings of a classic big band. So, to reproduce the frequency range and SPL required, we needed a cabinet that could deal with a huge dynamic range."
Full and Jardine's design utilises a collection of Meyer Sound loudspeaker models that are all classics in theatrical sound design. The system puts eight legacy, unpowered MSL-2A reinforcement loudspeakers around the proscenium, and up to nine UPA-2P compact narrow coverage loudspeakers for down-fill in both the proscenium and FOH areas.
Six UPM-1P ultra-compact wide coverage loudspeakers provide front-fill and reinforcement for the orchestra area. Very-low frequencies in the proscenium area are handled by four USW-1P compact subwoofers, with two UPJ-1P compact VariO loudspeakers and four MM-4 miniature wide-range loudspeakers directed at different zones of the stage to help the performers stay in sync with the orchestra. As many as 26 UPM-1P loudspeakers provide delayed coverage for the rear sections of the larger houses, while sound effects playback is bolstered by three additional UPM-1P units that are placed according to the shape and properties of each individual hall.
Logistics also played a lead role in determining the loudspeaker design, "One of the major challenges of bringing this show on tour was addressing the extreme variations in auditoria we have in Britain," says Full. "We see everything from concert platforms, to multipurpose venues that can seat well over 3,000, to very old theatres that invariably have little proscenium space for speakers. We needed a reasonably sized cabinet to fit all of those difficult proscenium positions. Having worked with the MSL-2As many times, I knew it was the most obvious choice for the job."
(Jim Evans)
