Twin Towns installs Australia’s first K3 system
- Details
For decades, the 1,000-capacity Showroom’s location has made it a mainstay in the region’s live scene for vacationers from around Australia who come to enjoy the climate and the nightlife. The club’s entertainment programme in a typical week may include a stand-up comic, an annual general meeting, a tribute band, or a heavy metal show.
When the pandemic hit, Twin Towns’ operations and production manager, Lachlan Donaldson harnessed the club’s downtime to upgrade its audio technology. With a reduced promotional and marketing budget after cancelling all the club's entertainment and rebooking the acts for later dates, Donaldson believed they could allocate funds towards acquiring a new front-of-house PA system.
The system would need to be rider-friendly and solve the coverage issues for the 1,000-capacity venue. Additionally, it would need to be flexible enough to address the venue's changing seating options, which include a large flat-floor, standing-only configuration, or an alternative that includes both raised and raked seating. This versatile PA would also need to meet the demanding programme requirements of the various acts that frequent the venue.
Sydney and Brisbane-based audio-visual company Norwest, part of the NW Group, was invited by Donaldson to submit a loudspeaker design for The Showroom. NW Group CFO, Graeme Whitehouse, explains that they submitted two L-Acoustics system designs, and the one that The Showroom retained was based on the newly released K3.
Donaldson worked with the venue’s board to calculate the advantages of a K3 system. “If a venue were wondering if they could afford a model like the K3, I would say, break it down: work out the cost of the PA per show over a minimum 10-year period. Work out how much you’re saving by not hiring gear every week. Work out how much you can hire the new system for certain shows or corporate events. You quickly realise that the capital cost becomes very bearable,” Donaldson explains.
Donaldson considers the project a long-term investment. “The K3 will become the new standard, and we wanted to be at the forefront of that. We want to be breaking boundaries,” he continues. Donaldson then worked with Norwest to ensure the club’s investment translated to excellent technical quality that harnessed the power of K3.
The installation consists of an array of six L-Acoustics K3 on either side of the club’s stage. Under the stage, four KS28 subwoofers provide low-end rumble. Out-fill and side-fill are handled by L-Acoustics A10i boxes that also utilise Panflex technology to match dispersion to the room's geometry. Two A10i provide centre-fill, while a single A10i on each side compliments coverage for far left and right seats.
Two arrays of two A10i each cover the small rear seating area at the back of the venue, allowing it to be disabled when not in use. Stage front-fill uses the low-profile L-Acoustics 5XT coaxial point source speakers and provides complimentary coverage for the front rows of the audience. LA12X and LA4X amplified controllers drive the whole system.
