"I decided to go with the Martin speakers because I’m very familiar with their sound quality," says Boot. "The Wavefront response, particularly in the crucial vocal range, is just incredible. They are never harsh sounding, but always warm and natural. They do a great job in here." Tom Ware echoes Boot's sentiments. "The Martin is a great cabinet, very warm and full and with excellent detail. Although it's a permanent installation, the set-up allows for great flexibility."
Following Boot's specifications, Delicate Productions supplied a complete new system for the Playhouse, including a Midas Heritage 2000 console, 15 Crest amplifiers, and BSS Omnidrive and Varicurve units for system control and equalization. Dynamics control and effects units come from Lexicon, tc electronic, Drawmer and Yamaha, while source playback units were supplied by Akai and Tascam. Other Delicate-supplied equipment included ten Shure microphones, a Telex intercom and a video monitoring system based largely on Panasonic products.
The Martin Wavefront system was not part of the theatre's original plan for technical renovations. Another firm had been contracted many months before to supply a different system, but when they demurred at meeting the installation deadline, Tom Ware called on Rick Boot to see if he could do better on a much tighter schedule. "The other company had already been working on it for six months," says Boot, "but we had less than two and a half months to get everything designed, supplied and installed. Lori at Delicate did a great job of co-ordinating with suppliers, and Martin Audio was particularly helpful in getting the custom-painted cabinets to us very quickly."
The first show, a vintage Sondheim-Rogers musical, entitled Do I Hear A Waltz, was enthusiastically received by audiences and critics alike.
