The Kelowna Community Theatre (KCT), an 853-seat theatre in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, has been equipped with a new sound reinforcement system utilizing d&b audiotechnik Y-Series line arrays with proprietary ArrayProcessing joined by V-GSub cardioid subwoofers.
The venue is home to the Kelowna Community Concert Society as well as the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, and it also hosts live performances by a wide range of artists. “Many of our touring acts have been through the room with rider-requested d&b systems, so we’re very familiar with what the room had to offer, what we would have to augment, and so on,” states Robert Nevalainen of British Columbia-based Gearforce, the company that designed and installed the new system.
“d&b was chosen over other systems for a number of reasons,” Nevalainen continues. “Being able to deploy cardioid subs in a small space that can have a lot of low frequency return to the stage is a very important consideration. ArrayProcessing allowed us to address certain areas of the room that may be problematic and deal with them on the more individual basis,” adds Nevalainen. “There isn’t a system available that provides a more even front to back and lateral coverage. We try and use ArrayProcessing whenever possible as it gives the greatest advantage in all situations. A well deployed d&b system sounds very good, but it enters greatness when ArrayProcessing is available.”
ArrayProcessing is a proprietary technology that’s designed optimize tonal balance and level distribution of d&b line arrays over the entire coverage area to provide a consistent listening experience for the entire audience, regardless of where they are seated.
The new system is comprised of a dozen Yi8 array modules (80-degree horizontal dispersion) joined by four Yi12 install-variant modules (120-degree horizontal dispersion) for mains, with six V-GSUB subwoofers reinforcing the low end. Two Y10P point source loudspeakers deliver in fill and six E8 loudspeakers serve as front fills, with all loudspeakers driven by d&bg 30D and 10D power amplifiers
“All of the major manufacturers considered probably fall into the same price range, within a few percent,” Nevalainen states. “Then it becomes a decision of what audio benefits each system provides. I feel that d&b’s common voicing, cardioid sub architecture and complete predictability with ArrayProcessing made it an easy choice. It’s a choice that a building like the KCT can feel great about from an investment perspective for many years to come.”
John Adams, the theatre’s lead audio technician, concludes, “The auditorium was built in 1962, without a whole lot of concern for room acoustics. Sound treatment has been applied to the walls in the back half of the room, which helps to lessen some reflections. The ceiling is about 25 feet high at the front row of seats and at the back, where the mix position is located, it is only 11 feet high, which makes for a challenging sound system design. Dakota Poncilius from Gearforce did an awesome job of tuning in the system for ultimate coverage. One of the characteristics of the d&b system that stands out to me is how great it sounds at all SPL levels.”
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