The Derbyshire Hall is a 400-seater venue in The Hayes Conference Centre, located just outside Derby. Owned and operated by The Christian Conference Trust, a registered charity, The Hayes is the Trust's flagship venue for providing quality, affordable conference facilities for Christian organisations.
Having provided AV solutions for two other venues belonging to the Christian Conference Trust, installation specialists Acoustic Arrangements were particularly pleased to win the contract for this Hall. "As this is their premier venue, it demanded the highest specification for the sound system, capable of handling performances by prominent worship bands as well as speech requirements," says AA's Glyn Chapman.
Having selected Electro-Voice's ZX Series to provide the main loudspeakers - ZX3s at the front, and ZX1s as rear-fills two-thirds of the way down the hall - Acoustic Arrangements picked up EV's new DC-One signal processor to control all the loudspeaker and amplifier configurations.
"There are lots of controllers around but the DC-One keeps us in the EV family," says Chapman. "It is very simple to exploit its digital horsepower and high-end audio performance. It can easily be operated via the front panel, and comes with free PC-Editor software so set-up can be done on a laptop using a USB link-up."
With a pair of subs fitted under the stage, this sound reinforcement system is powered by CP1200 and CP2200 amplifiers from the EV range. "The ZX loudspeakers are very well-rated for their size," adds Chapman, "and visually, they work exceptionally well. Because the original AV system in the hall didn't really match the Trust's requirements, this installation and in particular the EV cabinets were under pressure to deliver. And they absolutely did - right on the nail."
Acoustic Arrangements engineers liaised with John Ellis from Shuttlesound in the UK, who welcomed the DC-One in its first permanent installation - "This is such a versatile unit and great value for money, just as relevant for a conference centre as for a touring company on the road. Also nice to see Electro-Voice in The Hayes, which is one of the longest-established conference centres for religious and charity groups."
(Jim Evans)
