The people of Bristol have been enjoying music at Colston Hall for almost 140 years. One of the largest performance venues in SW England, this concert hall venue caters for a variety of different concerts and entertainment by major names in pop and rock music, classical music, stand-up comedy and light entertainment, as well as local choirs, orchestras and schools. The venue has spent over £20m on improvements, most recently installing a new Nexo PA system in its main auditorium where audiences of just over 2000 will be able to hear the improvements.
Investment from new operators Bristol Music Trust has allowed the historic venue to buy a Nexo S12 line array system for Hall 1, which will vastly improve the sound quality of many shows. Specified and installed by Evans Audio, the project includes Nexo PS10 and PS8 full-range compact cabinets in the main hall, as well as PS10s and PS15s for the foyer and Hall 2.
The main system features discreetly positioned left/right arrays, each comprising four Geo S1210 + two Geo S1230 cabinets, trimmed high out of sight. PS10-R2s and 4x PS8 high-output compact speakers handle fill at the front of the stage. The system is run off Nexo NXAMPs, using a KT DN9848E system controller with five system presets, so it can be used for different applications.
For the Christmas production of Coram Boy by the Bristol Old Vic company, the Colston Hall team brought in additional Nexo S8 and S12 line-array cabinets, flying additional arrays above the stage, as well as supplementary subbass in the shape of Nexo RS15 cabinets.
Andy Collins, technical manager at Colston Hall said, "The new Nexo system is up-to-date and will improve sound quality and coverage to all areas of the main auditorium. Whilst the touring shows may bring in their own equipment, the new PA will be perfect for bands, comedy acts and conferences."
Nexo UK sales manager Gareth Collyer adds, "Paul Goold and his team specialise in high-quality sound reinforcement solutions and technical support for large-scale projects in theatre, corporate, broadcast and live music. Their skilled designers and engineers will greatly add to the Nexo resource in the UK."
(Jim Evans)
