Based an hour north of the city, the installation and production specialists can hardly have taken on a more challenging task, since the concerts take place in the middle of the busy Taronga Park Zoo, with restricted site access. Despite its picturesque setting, with around 1600 people nightly picnicking as the sun sets behind the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, in the past off-site noise has been a real issue.
"Being a Sydney Harbourside location there is a lot of 'old money'," observes Entertainment Installations' MD, Neale Mace. "These are well-to-do residents who you don't want complaining about noise. There is also the issue of the animals themselves, the elephants in particular are sensitive to noise. However, that was before we started using [Martin Audio's] MLA Compact."
Although Neale first introduced the system to his inventory two years ago he has been running the company's front line systems since the end of the last millennium, when he invested in the Wavefront W8C Compact system before moving onto Martin Audio's conventional W8LC line array.
But it was only when he started running Martin Audio's Multi-cellular loudspeaker array technology that the traditional sound escape problems at Taronga Park Zoo all but disappeared. "The ability of MLA to fit the audio to a designated area, with very little audio beyond that space, is a revelation for this event," he says," coupled with the fact that it's a recognised brand and sounds amazing. [The authorities] ask for an 85dB limit at the perimeter - but with MLA Compact we can achieve this and still reach 100dB at the FOH desk."
The 17 weekend concerts are spread over two months and this year featured Rufus Wainwright, Belle and Sebastian and Conor Oberst as well as local Australian artists.
Entertainment Installations rigged eight MLA Compact elements per side in the PA towers on 1-tonne chain blocks. Three DSX subs were stage-stacked each side under the PA hangs. "The PA towers aren't totally weatherproof and this is another reason that the MLA Compact works here - as it is weatherised," Neale Mace continues.
His sound team, which for the most part consisted of Gordon Wood as monitor tech / op, and Murrey Carr as FOH tech have both undertaken MLA training, while local Martin Audio distributor Technical Audio Group has been on hand to provide any assistance.
(Jim Evans)
