When doubts were raised about the performance limitations of an existing sound system in the main auditorium, The Mermaid's technical manager, Andy Munro, approached Bose to find out what could be done to upgrade to a state of the art system. Fortunately, Bose had only recently introduced a new range of loudspeakers which bore all the hallmarks of being perfect for the venue.
The venue is a 600 capacity raked seating theatre, and the brief was for a system that could be used for vocal reinforcement for presentations and PA announcements, as well as for recorded music and live music enhancement. The venue is used regularly by the BBC for its Friday night concerts, as well as by ChristChurch London, which holds two weekly Sunday services in the auditorium.
The Bose design team used Modeler software to create a design that could be tested and modified online before offering a demonstration on site to Andy Munro and his colleagues at The Mermaid. As one of the venue's major clients, ChristChurch London were also invited to the on-site demonstration, as it was vital that they were happy with the proposed system.
Once installed, it became clear that the Bose RoomMatch system delivers on all fronts - clarity, projection, even sound coverage and distribution of low frequency throughout the auditorium all add to the enjoyment of all who use the venue, be it for a concert, a Sunday service, or a corporate event.
The Bose system consists of six Bose RoomMatch array modules to form an array to left and to right, with ground stacked bass modules to each side. The system is powered by three Bose PowerMatch amplifiers, and DSP is via a Bose ControlSpace ESP-00, with an AES input card to allow digital input from a separate mixing desk.
According to Andy Munro of The Mermaid, "We selected the Bose system as it is custom built for The Auditorium and offers a great impactful sound for all scenarios, especially when additional bass is required. Sound coverage is excellent, with music and speech reaching every seat in the house, which makes our clients happy. The consistency of coverage and reliability of the system helps to alleviate some of the pressures on the technical team, and with such intuitive controls, we have felt a solid reassurance during all the events where the system has been used."
Mark Brown, MD of Bose Pro Partner, Marquee AV, who were responsible for the installation and set-up of the system, said, "Theatre and multipurpose auditoria are key areas of Marquee's expertise, so working to the Bose design made this a very straightforward installation. Fine tuning to give optimal results were minimal and we very impressed with the excellent sound quality and consistent coverage of the system."
One of the venue's clients, The UK Adult ADHD Network, (UKAAN), held a three-day international conference at The Mermaid Conference Centre for 300 plus people in September 2014, with all technical requirements being delivered by The Mermaid's dedicated technical team. As part of this arrangement they were able to use the newly installed Bose sound system on all three days and were extremely impressed with the quality of the audio that it delivered to their audience.
According to Sue Curtis, administrator for UKAAN, "During the course of the event, we utilised a complex setup with up to 8 lapel microphones at once, as well as podium and top table microphones. Over the course of the 3 days event, the sound system provided a consistently clear vocal intelligibility for all speeches and videos throughout the space. Overall, the experience more than delivered on our expectations."
(Jim Evans)
