Adamson tames Deakin Edge theatre

AUSTRALIA: When Fed Square Pty Ltd announced a three-year partnership with Deakin University in 2013, the indoor theatre was renamed the Deakin Edge. Offering views southwards across the Yarra River to the Arts Centre Spire, MCG and Alexandra Gardens, the multi-purpose glass theatre is lined in a wood veneer for small to medium-sized musical and theatrical performances, seminars, public forums, corporate functions, product launches and presentations.  Benches and loose seats can be added to the 269 fixed tiered seats to provide a flexible configuration for up to 450 people should there be a demand.

Following consultation with CMI Music & Audio, the PA system in the Deakin Edge theatre was recently upgraded. Taking pride of place in front of the 3.2m x 2.4m LED screen above the raised 13.5m x 3.5m (w x d) hardwood stage is an Adamson Metrix line array configured in L-R hangs. Each consists of five Metrix W cabinets and two Metrix subs, rigged onto an overhead truss via the proprietary EIR rigging system. Each Metrix W cabinet combines dual 8-inch Kevlar drivers with a 1.4-inch compression driver coupled to a high frequency wave-shaping chamber. The 15-inch trapezoidal cabinet design achieves extreme downward angles at the bottom of an array ensuring optimal 120-degree x 15-degree coverage in the front rows. The 24.2kg cabinets operate within a frequency range of 95Hz to 18 kHz, but with the addition of the dual 15-inch 58.7kg Metrix subs, this has been extended to 40Hz.

‘It’s an extremely tricky venue given the fact that the walls and ceiling of the entire venue are glazed,’ offered Corporate Vision Australia head of production Bryce Moseley. ‘Most of the productions such as choir and jazz only need a gentle reinforcement, but we cater for a wide variety of acts here all the way up to heavy metal. The fact that CMI provided us with the Metrix system for a trial period allowed us to put it through its paces. Suspending the two subs in cardioid mode enabled us to stop the low frequencies from reverberating off the glazed panel behind. Previously we were equalising the subs from the PA, but we couldn’t hear anything from the monitors owing to reverberation and delays. The CMI design, which uses the cardioid mode subs, has well eliminated this problem.’

The five Metrix per side arrays are now covering the balcony area ensuring that delays are not required. An Avid SC48 digital console is located to the rear right of the seating area for all FOH and monitoring mixing. The amplifier racks are located in the roof for which a combination of four Mc2 Audio Ti3500 in bridged mode power the subwoofers whilst four Ti1500 power the low frequency units of the ten Metrix W cabinets and a single Ti3500 powers the high frequency drivers. Digital signal management is provided by a single XTA iCore DC1048 processor, located in the control room below the console.

www.adamsonsystems.com
www.cmi.com.au
www.corporatevisionaustralia.com.au
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