Grand Théâtre de Québec
The Grand Théâtre de Québec in Quebec City, Canada, a 2,000-seat venue that hosts a wide range of shows from dance, to rock concerts, to orchestral.
Robert Charbonneau, head of sound at the theatre, assisted by Robert Caux, helped conduct more than two years of testing on various loudspeakers to ensure the new system would cover the diverse needs.
“We had very strict parameters, and wanted to make sure we saw all of our options. Different systems would come in for gain tests, vocal tests and instrumental tests; we would record the results. Then we’d move all around, so we compared the quality of the systems from every seat in the house,” Charbonneau explains.
The final selection following this exhaustive process is d&b audiotechnik J-Series, with elements of the T-Series for fill needs.
Michel Desbiens, technical director at Grand Théâtre de Québec, states, “In order to keep views unobstructed in the balcony and private boxes, we were forced to position the loudspeakers in close proximity to the side walls. We needed a loudspeaker with a narrow angle of horizontal diffusion, to prevent reflections on the side walls and the sound returning to the stage. The 80-degree horizontal pattern of the J8 catered to this perfectly.
“The actual efficiency of a sound system is related to the usable level before feedback,” he continues. “Improving this aspect gave us a bit of versatility for some tricky show setups. The natural sound of the J-Series, and its well-controlled side dispersion, made it a great solution for our needs. We are very pleased with the results and the feedback from visiting artists and sound experts.”
De Grote Post, Oostende, Belgium
The Oostende Post Office, the only public building designed by famed Ghent architect Gaston Eysselinck, was granted status as a protected monument in 1981. When the post office moved out in 1999, the venue was converted to multiple modern theaters and performance spaces inside, resulting in De Grote Post, a unique multi-purpose performing arts center.
The main hall seats 431, and is designed for music, dance or traditional theatre performances. Designed by Marc Lambert of Gent-based theatre design group TTAS, the audio system for De Grote Post marks the first European installation of the new Renkus-Heinz VARIA modular point-source arrays.
Four VARIA VA101 cabinets are hung per side, each array consisting of two VA101-7 7.5-degree cabinets, one VA101-15 15-degree box, and one VA101-22 22.5-degree box. A center cluster of two 22.5-degree cabinets augments coverage, along with a third cabinet ground stacked atop two VA15S subwoofers. Four TRX61 loudspeakers provide front fill for the first few rows.
As Steven Kemland, sales and project manager of Foundation for Audiovisual Commerce and Engineering (FACE), explains, VARIA met the venue’s challenging spaces. “Most of the systems we looked into would have required many more cabinets to provide even coverage across the entire seating area,” he says. “VARIA’s variable coverage patterns enabled us to configure a system with fewer boxes than a traditional line array. It’s very compact and yet it sounds like a much larger system.”