Several JBL Control 25 compact loudspeakers handle front fill and under balcony needs, and Harada specified an additional four Meyer Sound UPJunior compact self-powered loudspeakers for the orchestra.
Two Meyer Sound Galileo 616 loudspeaker management systems have also been brought in and inserted in the system signal path.
The orchestra is mic’d with the venue’s package of premium microphones, including models from AKG, Neumann, Sennheiser and Shure.
Performers are served by 44 Sennheiser SK 5212 UHF wireless microphone bodypack transmitters with EM 1046 receivers.
Countryman B6 minature omnidirectional lavalier mics are the choice for most of the actors, although a couple of the male actors are better served by Sennheiser MKE 1 miniature lavalier mics.
“I didn’t want the actor microphones to be visible, and the B6s and MKE1s are the best options available,” adds Harada. (All supplemental gear with the exception of the Stagetec system was supplied by PRG.)
Versatile Package
Harada first began working with Stagetec system elements about two years ago for a traveling production of Wicked, where the goal was to cut the overall footprint of the system.
The key was Stagetec Nexus base devices that provide all input/output, routing, mic preamps, and much more in an extremely versatile package that is modular, portable, and reliable.
After that initial positive experience, it’s now become a staple of his designs, including Zorro in Moscow and Hinterm Horizont in Berlin.
The Stagetec complement for Follies is extensive, with four Nexus base devices working in tandem with a 48-channel Aurus mix/control surface.
The Nexus devices take 48 mic inputs from the orchestra, another 44 inputs from the actors wireless systems, as well as a variety of other digital and analog inputs, including 10 channels (via MADI) of QLab pre-programmed effects from a Macintosh computer.
Outputs of the foldback and surround systems are equalized in the Aurus realm, while outputs to the vocal and orchestra systems are directed to the two Galileo loudspeaker management systems that provide critical final tailoring capability.
All inputs and outputs can easily be routed everywhere and anywhere desired via the Stagetec system interface.
“Stagetec Aurus and Nexus are such a powerful, flexible package, and each time out, I discover further ways to take advantage of that flexibility,” Harada states. “There’s really nothing else like it that sounds as good and is also such a customizable solution to meet any technical or creative need that might arise.”