Adrenaline Rush
Another interesting application of the JM-1P loudspeakers came with the system for the 1,458-seat Maisonneuve Theatre, which can be likened to a modern-day rendition of a classical Italian theatre, with a main floor of seating followed by two expansive balconies. Andrew Hope took a hands-on role with this design.
“This room features an ideal geometry to demonstrate what the JM-1P can do, because we were able to cover it, top to bottom, with two little clusters of four boxes,” Hope explains. “To do that with a line arrays, it would likely be four to five times the size and weight, and pull much more electricity.”
“The benefits of line arrays – or more accurately line sources – are obvious when you have to throw a long distance without having to go vertical. Just like your typical outdoor event,” he adds.
“But when you get into a soft-seat theater like the Maisonneuve, with a relatively short throw distance and quite a need for vertical coverage, line arrays don’t do that as well. Plus, there’s no natural sense of imaging as you move around the room.
“No one will believe you until they hear it for themselves, however. Remember, in this past 14t years of line array development, there’s a whole generation of sound engineers who haven’t used conventional loudspeakers, so they haven’t experienced a proper image.”
Again, the loudspeakers were joined by 700-HP subs, two per side on the stage, and processed with Galileo 616. A Yamaha PM5D console served house mix engineers while a Yamaha M7CL48 console was used to deliver mixes to a dozen EAW SM200 stage monitors.
The lessons learned at this latest iteration are already helping to drive plans for next year’s event, with further challenges to be identified and conquered for what is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest jazz festival.
“It’s not every day that we get to do festivals like this one,” concludes Bob Snelgrove. “It takes a huge amount of work. You wake up in the morning with this adrenaline rush where you want to see and do it all. We’re not here because we’re paid to be here, we’re here because we want to be.”
Writer/photographer Jeff MacKay is a former Managing Editor for Live Sound International.