NORTHCOTE THEATRE
Balancing Act – Northcote Theatre
By Richard Lawn, Pro AVL-Asia.
Richard Lawn visits a heritage venue in Melbourne that has been given an acoustic makeover and a d&b installation with Q-SYS control.
Upon completing the acquisition of Melbourne’s Regal Ballroom in March 2020, new co-owner Andrew Mansfield was aware of the challenges he faced in transforming the Baroque-style wedding chapel into a multipurpose venue. Covid restrictions in one of the most locked-down cities in the world was not one of those. Three years on, and with a little help from commissioned experts, the venue is hosting live music performances for up to 1,500 patrons under the new name of Northcote Theatre.
d&b's new XSLi installation line array speakers form the main L-R system
The original facade and interior of the 1912 heritage-listed building, including a high vaulted ceiling decorated with ornate plasterwork, remain largely intact. In addition to a ground floor Italian trattoria and wine bar, a previously boarded up mezzanine area overlooking the auditorium has been transformed into a cocktail bar. Works conducted during the pandemic included extensive room acoustic improvements and the installation of a d&b audiotechnik XSLi loudspeaker system.
“Essentially, it’s a venue that’s capable of hosting a high level rock and roll show without annoying the neighbours some 15m behind that wall,” explains Dave Jacques, audio designer at NAS. “The client initially contacted us to demonstrate an all-in-one loudspeaker system that all acts would want to use. Initial conversations regarding the size and scale of what Northcote wanted to achieve led to the infrastructure requirements for installing a touring-size loudspeaker system into what is a heritage listed building.”
L to R Front of House Productions Jesse Mahoney with NAS Solutions' Dave Jacques
Having initially opted for a d&b audiotechnik KSL loudspeaker system, the imminent launch of XSLi installation specific line array module designed for small-to-medium-scale sound reinforcement served as a punctuation mark in the proceedings. NAS convinced Mansfield that the XSLi would be the right solution for their needs but had to prove that this new loudspeaker would contain noise pollution while also providing even coverage within the venue. The successful demonstration led to Front of House Productions being commissioned to integrate a L-R line array system into the venue.
“The building was built during an era when acoustic reinforcement was king, allowing a performer on stage to project their voice to the entire venue without a microphone,” explains Front of House Productions head of audio, Jesse Mahoney, a recent recruit to the full-service production company which focuses on large-scale audio and lighting productions. Mahoney previously worked for 12 years on concert tours for JPJ and knows what it takes to ensure the show must go on. “You’re thinking on your feet all the time when you are touring, and you must make things work within a limited timeframe. The Northcote project was my first permanent install and, in hindsight, I didn’t have to do anything different from what I would do during a concert production.”
Four Yi7P speakers and two 27S-SUB subwoofers cover the balcony
The actual installation was conducted towards the end of the Covid lockdowns. “Only a handful of people were allowed in the venue at the time because of the restrictions in place,” says Jacques. “When Front of House Productions were appointed, NAS knew they would improve the system performances as they came from a production background. The wedding hall reception architecture appeared very dated when I first arrived on site.”
Jacques conducted data room measurements and modelling including the planned building works to the balconies. “d&b’s ArrayProcessing technology allowed me to minimise the level loss over distance and improve the focus of the coverage by avoiding the balcony edges and ceilings. With a bar at the rear of the balcony, I could taper the SPL level accordingly from the front to the back to enhance intelligibility in that area, allowing guests to order drinks while enjoying the show. ArrayProcessing steers the audio coverage and vastly reduces the reverberation returning from that zone. By accurately focusing the audio, we have enhanced the space to the benefit of the bar staff and customers.”
The roof weight capacity would ultimately limit the size of the desired speaker system. “We initially considered installing larger loudspeaker systems,” comments Mahoney. “However, it became clearer that the XSLi system would better suit Northcote because we could hang it from the roof, and it would offer improved coverage across the listening area.”
d&b audiotechnik E8 speakers provide front fill
The main speaker system incorporates L-R ceiling suspended arrays consisting of six d&b audiotechnik XSLi8 cabinets with two larger XSLi12 downfills powered by 40D amplifiers. “For a compact box, the XSLi provides sufficient low-end punch, and you can hang sufficient elements to provide coverage from the back of the balcony to the front of the stage without having to rely on any additional fill systems,” he continues. “A larger system would have required more infills and intrusive speakers on stage. With this configuration, we simply needed to add four d&b audiotechnik E8 and two Yi10P enclosures. It is exactly what I would have done for a large-scale concert venue on tour.”
Delay systems for the balcony combine four flown d&b audiotechnik Yi7P enclosures with two 27S-SUB subwoofers together with two floor-mounted 18S-SUB subwoofers.
Upon completing the acquisition of Melbourne’s Regal Ballroom in March 2020, new co-owner Andrew Mansfield was aware of the challenges he faced in transforming the Baroque-style wedding chapel into a multipurpose venue. Covid restrictions in one of the most locked-down cities in the world was not one of those. Three years on, and with a little help from commissioned experts, the venue is hosting live music performances for up to 1,500 patrons under the new name of Northcote Theatre.
Prior to acoustic treatment, the natural reverb time measured approximately seven seconds. “Having a conversation was almost impossible because the reverberance in the space ruined intelligibility,” explains Mahoney. “If you wanted to play a track like Led Zeppelin’s When the Levee Breaks, the untreated venue was great but, for anything else, it was hard work. We hosted seven or eight gigs without any treatment in here at all and it was rough.”
Front of House Productions discovered an acoustic treatment called Megasorber FM that uses a membrane on either side of a specially engineered open cellophane. The venue applied the Megasorber FM between gigs to the bulk of the reflective surfaces behind black wall panels. “In terms of bang for the buck acoustic treatment, it’s excellent as the reverberation time was reduced from around seven to two seconds,” adds Mahoney.
With its controlled directivity, the XSLi system proved to be a great solution. “With the Array Calc software, d&b offers a natural workflow in venue design from setting up the array angles, auditioning the coverage for the proposed configurations and creating a control system from the data for deployment into the venue. It ensured that the surfaces were not excited,” he continues.
Having attained desired sound quality, the venue was mindful of noise pollution emitting into the surrounding neighbourhood. Enhancing the lower frequencies, six d&b audiotechnik KSLi-GSUB subwoofers located under the stage had to be tamed. The under stage subwoofers are configured in a typical cardioid configuration and, to reduce the low frequency emissions to the residents at the rear of the venue, an enclosure with a cavity packed with 150mm of hard-packed building sand has been created. As a result, the low frequencies are contained within the double brick wall. In addition, the exterior doors are fully sealed with no air gaps and the interior doors are also equipped with an outer airlock, so if anybody needs to go outside during performances, the venue remains permanently lock tight.
Operating revenue streams in Australian venues ensure the door takings and the merchandise goes to the artist and manager, while the venue relies on bar sales. Because of this, Mansfield prefers the thirsty country and western crowds to younger K-pop fans. Creating a desirable upstairs bar for operating outside performances would greatly increase the venue’s incoming revenue streams. As such, Mansfield requested Front of House Productions to add new modes of operation that would effectively extend Northcote Theatre’s hours of operation beyond concert performances. Distinguished by its large stained-glass window, the upstairs balcony area was cited to play zoned music when there are no live performances. Ease-of-use operation was required that would allow the venue staff to operate it outside show hours. “Most venues that have been set up for bands have a good sound system but cannot stream the main console mix to back of house or other zones in a manageable way,” explains Mahoney. “From a touch panel, the ability to switch the live sound system to a separately zoned upstairs bar venue would achieve this by programming multiple sources of background music without touring operators having to configure the amplifier settings.”
Further information on the full range of d&b audiotechnik products can be found here.
fohp.com.au
NORTHCOTE THEATRE
216 High Street, Northcote, VIC
www.northcotetheatre.com
MORE CASE STUDIES
NORTHCOTE THEATRE
Balancing Act – Northcote Theatre
By Richard Lawn, Pro AVL-Asia.
Richard Lawn visits a heritage venue in Melbourne that has been given an acoustic makeover and a d&b installation with Q-SYS control.
Upon completing the acquisition of Melbourne’s Regal Ballroom in March 2020, new co-owner Andrew Mansfield was aware of the challenges he faced in transforming the Baroque-style wedding chapel into a multipurpose venue. Covid restrictions in one of the most locked-down cities in the world was not one of those. Three years on, and with a little help from commissioned experts, the venue is hosting live music performances for up to 1,500 patrons under the new name of Northcote Theatre.
The original facade and interior of the 1912 heritage-listed building, including a high vaulted ceiling decorated with ornate plasterwork, remain largely intact. In addition to a ground floor Italian trattoria and wine bar, a previously boarded up mezzanine area overlooking the auditorium has been transformed into a cocktail bar. Works conducted during the pandemic included extensive room acoustic improvements and the installation of a d&b audiotechnik XSLi loudspeaker system.
“Essentially, it’s a venue that’s capable of hosting a high level rock and roll show without annoying the neighbours some 15m behind that wall,” explains Dave Jacques, audio designer at NAS. “The client initially contacted us to demonstrate an all-in-one loudspeaker system that all acts would want to use. Initial conversations regarding the size and scale of what Northcote wanted to achieve led to the infrastructure requirements for installing a touring-size loudspeaker system into what is a heritage listed building.”
Having initially opted for a d&b audiotechnik KSL loudspeaker system, the imminent launch of XSLi installation specific line array module designed for small-to-medium-scale sound reinforcement served as a punctuation mark in the proceedings. NAS convinced Mansfield that the XSLi would be the right solution for their needs but had to prove that this new loudspeaker would contain noise pollution while also providing even coverage within the venue. The successful demonstration led to Front of House Productions being commissioned to integrate a L-R line array system into the venue.
“The building was built during an era when acoustic reinforcement was king, allowing a performer on stage to project their voice to the entire venue without a microphone,” explains Front of House Productions head of audio, Jesse Mahoney, a recent recruit to the full-service production company which focuses on large-scale audio and lighting productions. Mahoney previously worked for 12 years on concert tours for JPJ and knows what it takes to ensure the show must go on. “You’re thinking on your feet all the time when you are touring, and you must make things work within a limited timeframe. The Northcote project was my first permanent install and, in hindsight, I didn’t have to do anything different from what I would do during a concert production.”
The actual installation was conducted towards the end of the Covid lockdowns. “Only a handful of people were allowed in the venue at the time because of the restrictions in place,” says Jacques. “When Front of House Productions were appointed, NAS knew they would improve the system performances as they came from a production background. The wedding hall reception architecture appeared very dated when I first arrived on site.”
Jacques conducted data room measurements and modelling including the planned building works to the balconies. “d&b’s ArrayProcessing technology allowed me to minimise the level loss over distance and improve the focus of the coverage by avoiding the balcony edges and ceilings. With a bar at the rear of the balcony, I could taper the SPL level accordingly from the front to the back to enhance intelligibility in that area, allowing guests to order drinks while enjoying the show. ArrayProcessing steers the audio coverage and vastly reduces the reverberation returning from that zone. By accurately focusing the audio, we have enhanced the space to the benefit of the bar staff and customers.”
The roof weight capacity would ultimately limit the size of the desired speaker system. “We initially considered installing larger loudspeaker systems,” comments Mahoney. “However, it became clearer that the XSLi system would better suit Northcote because we could hang it from the roof, and it would offer improved coverage across the listening area.”
The main speaker system incorporates L-R ceiling suspended arrays consisting of six d&b audiotechnik XSLi8 cabinets with two larger XSLi12 downfills powered by 40D amplifiers. “For a compact box, the XSLi provides sufficient low-end punch, and you can hang sufficient elements to provide coverage from the back of the balcony to the front of the stage without having to rely on any additional fill systems,” he continues. “A larger system would have required more infills and intrusive speakers on stage. With this configuration, we simply needed to add four d&b audiotechnik E8 and two Yi10P enclosures. It is exactly what I would have done for a large-scale concert venue on tour.”
Delay systems for the balcony combine four flown d&b audiotechnik Yi7P enclosures with two 27S-SUB subwoofers together with two floor-mounted 18S-SUB subwoofers.
Upon completing the acquisition of Melbourne’s Regal Ballroom in March 2020, new co-owner Andrew Mansfield was aware of the challenges he faced in transforming the Baroque-style wedding chapel into a multipurpose venue. Covid restrictions in one of the most locked-down cities in the world was not one of those. Three years on, and with a little help from commissioned experts, the venue is hosting live music performances for up to 1,500 patrons under the new name of Northcote Theatre.
Prior to acoustic treatment, the natural reverb time measured approximately seven seconds. “Having a conversation was almost impossible because the reverberance in the space ruined intelligibility,” explains Mahoney. “If you wanted to play a track like Led Zeppelin’s When the Levee Breaks, the untreated venue was great but, for anything else, it was hard work. We hosted seven or eight gigs without any treatment in here at all and it was rough.”
Front of House Productions discovered an acoustic treatment called Megasorber FM that uses a membrane on either side of a specially engineered open cellophane. The venue applied the Megasorber FM between gigs to the bulk of the reflective surfaces behind black wall panels. “In terms of bang for the buck acoustic treatment, it’s excellent as the reverberation time was reduced from around seven to two seconds,” adds Mahoney.
With its controlled directivity, the XSLi system proved to be a great solution. “With the Array Calc software, d&b offers a natural workflow in venue design from setting up the array angles, auditioning the coverage for the proposed configurations and creating a control system from the data for deployment into the venue. It ensured that the surfaces were not excited,” he continues.
Having attained desired sound quality, the venue was mindful of noise pollution emitting into the surrounding neighbourhood. Enhancing the lower frequencies, six d&b audiotechnik KSLi-GSUB subwoofers located under the stage had to be tamed. The under stage subwoofers are configured in a typical cardioid configuration and, to reduce the low frequency emissions to the residents at the rear of the venue, an enclosure with a cavity packed with 150mm of hard-packed building sand has been created. As a result, the low frequencies are contained within the double brick wall. In addition, the exterior doors are fully sealed with no air gaps and the interior doors are also equipped with an outer airlock, so if anybody needs to go outside during performances, the venue remains permanently lock tight.
Operating revenue streams in Australian venues ensure the door takings and the merchandise goes to the artist and manager, while the venue relies on bar sales. Because of this, Mansfield prefers the thirsty country and western crowds to younger K-pop fans. Creating a desirable upstairs bar for operating outside performances would greatly increase the venue’s incoming revenue streams. As such, Mansfield requested Front of House Productions to add new modes of operation that would effectively extend Northcote Theatre’s hours of operation beyond concert performances. Distinguished by its large stained-glass window, the upstairs balcony area was cited to play zoned music when there are no live performances. Ease-of-use operation was required that would allow the venue staff to operate it outside show hours. “Most venues that have been set up for bands have a good sound system but cannot stream the main console mix to back of house or other zones in a manageable way,” explains Mahoney. “From a touch panel, the ability to switch the live sound system to a separately zoned upstairs bar venue would achieve this by programming multiple sources of background music without touring operators having to configure the amplifier settings.”