In addition to new sound equipment in both performance spaces, The Lyric has also purchased a GeniusPro Strand 520i desk - for use in the Main House, and also replaced the dimmers in the Studio Theatre with digital LD90s. The former was supplied by Stage Electrics and the latter ordered through White Light.
Although Strand’s 500 Series desks had been in the Lyric’s focus for around the past three years, the purchase was still made slightly earlier than expected. "We mounted a production outside, literally, in Lyric Square, with Mac moving lights running alongside conventionals," explained chief LX Clare Tattersall (inset). "It was impractical to move our existing Galaxy outside - and plotting moving lights on a Galaxy is a tedious process - so rather than hire in a board we brought forward the delivery date."
The 520i was supplied with two monitors - one displaying the cue sheets and the other the channel levels. "It’s a 350-channel desk but we expect to expand on that in the future. As we have not been able to afford to replace the Main House dimmers we have had to convert our STM dimmers for digital, but hopefully at some stage in the future we will be able to make the full changeover."
The 120-capacity Studio Theatre has complemented its new seating and sound reinforcement system with five racks of Strand LD90s (one of which contains a block of non-dims), providing 104 channels of theatrical dimming and four channels of house-light dimming.
Marquee Audio have supplied a full complement of audio equipment. This included a new powered Meyer UPM-1P/UMS-1P system for primary sound reinforcement in the 120-seat Studio Theatre - the first time any capital expenditure had been committed to this space for some years. Head of sound Luke Manning (pictured, top) chose a 32-channel Yamaha M2500 mixing desk for use in the 555-seat main theatre.
Currently in rehearsal with a production called The White Devil, which is heavy in sound effects, The Lyric has found that the new Akai S6000 sampler has already come into its own. In addition to these items, Marquee Audio also supplied a Sony 1U minidisc and CD machine as playback sources, as well as a Lexicon MPX1 digital multi effects processor and some Shure, AKG and Crown mics.
The Lyric is both a producing and receiving house, and the new installation has been sensitively carried out to allow visiting productions to plumb in their own equipment. Manning commissioned and installed the system himself - with support from Marquee Audio. "Andy Huffer at Marquee has been very helpful, providing lots of extras, such as cable and multicore, as well as electrical boxes, trunking and everything else necessary to enable us to carry out the installation."
The relationship developed so well that not only have Marquee now negotiated with the Lyric to stage manufacturer showcase presentations of their own at the venue, but have been back to fit an RCF Monitor 8-based system into the Lyric’s Cafe, providing them with the audio headroom to soar above the normal level of background music by turning it into its own performance space and staging special events.
