Since part of the curriculum will be teaching audio and media students, a high-grade playback and recording suite infrastructure was required. While the South Birmingham College was installing Digidesign ProTools suites on the one-hand, locally-based SSE Hire were successfully tendering for the auditorium fit-out.
"We were fortunate to get involved in the project when it was still at the pre-cast concrete stage. Therefore we were able to be involved in the specification and supply a complete turnkey package," says SSE's sales manager, Dave Phillips. "In the end we had to meet extremely tight deadlines." This was achieved by some sterling work by new installations manager Mark Bromfield, who joined the company in January.
Aware of the multi-purpose nature of the 450-seat auditorium, he recommended a Nexo GEO-S system, specifying a 10-box hang of the S-805 Tangent Array system either side of the stage, supported by an S-830. Floor-mounted (with dance events in mind) are Nexo Alpha S2 bass bins. The entire system is managed by the powerful dedicated NX241 system controller and powered by Camco Vortex 4 amplifiers. Further Nexo enclosures can be found on the stage - where ten PS15 wedge monitors provide performers' foldback - along with PS15s and LS500s (for drum fills) and Alpha E for the side fills. Five Vortex 4s again provide the amplification. In the Refectory, a second system, comprising eight PS8s and four LS 400 subs, accommodates the playback.
Phillips continued: "The Nexo Geo-S system was a fantastic solution to avoid obscuring sightlines. It will distribute audio evenly throughout the auditorium - and since the room often needs to be reconfigured quickly, the arrays can be tilted with 100% accuracy to achieve the simulated results for the new room shape, as predicted by Nexo GeoSoft software."
Distributor Fuzion plc distributes all Nexo, Camco and Kelsey components in the UK.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
