Dear JV,
I do a lot of work in a small community theater which is the middle unit of a strip mall. The room is basically one big open space, approximately 69' wide and 48' deep, of which about 16' of depth is the stage (raised 18"). There is a partition wall to form the main lobby on one side (10' off the width), and a curtained-off tech/changing area (another 8' off the width) on the other side, so the audience area is around 50' by 32'.
There are 99 cinema-style seats in five rows all on the floor (no risers). The roof is gabled, about 12' at the sides, and 20' down the center line of the stage/seats, and is paneled wood. There is a small mezzanine level at the back, around 10' above ground level, which goes back about another 10' (in addition to the 48'). There are plywood walls to form the wings, although these are also only 10' high (not to the roof). The rear wall (below the mezzanine) has a raised booth (not enclosed) and a double-door to the restroom lobby but is otherwise flat. The first row of seats is only about 3' back from the stage edge (at least, in the middle).
The current PA is a pair of FBT Maxx2a 300W plastic 10"+horn self-powered boxes, which actually have a really nice sound, and have been fine for sound effects and even multiple wireless vocal and light band reinforcement for some recent musicals. I took some time to position them properly a couple of years ago (thank you, Nathan Lively and Bob McCarthy... speakers are wall-mounted 9' up, tilted down, and aimed at the middle of the middle of each side) and the system is generally well-behaved, even though the room often seems quite live and reflective, especially when the seats are empty.
We have never used mics for plays, but usually do for musicals, due to a remaining proportion of non-pro actors with limited projection abilities, and "analog" bands with a minimum volume, and because of how the room seems to swallow sound (although I'm not sure how that gels with it also seeming live and reflective... I guess it's a complex impulse-response thing that's messing with the intelligibility).
We have a couple of shows coming up, however, which need to be louder and rely more on the PA for band sound, most notably HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL (e-drums, electric guitar, electric bass, keyboards, one each trumpet, clarinet, and violin, all in one of the wings, all DI'd or close-mic'd and on headphones).
The FBTs don't have the bass, and probably not the headroom, for that plus 20 belting actors on wireless, so I am pondering a better system, either to buy as an investment upgrade, or to rent, or perhaps a mixture (buy new mains, rent matching sub or subs just for the shows).
My question is basically how big a rig should I be aiming for in that room? We're not looking to blow out the windows or fry any eardrums, but we would like it to be "Broadway loud", and I agree with the idea that a bigger system that's not stressed is better than a small one that is.
Would something like 12s over 18s be too much? I'm thinking QSC K, Yamaha DSR, Turbosound iQ, JBL PRX sort of level.
As the room is quite wide, I'm worried about a bass hole in the middle. Maybe one sub would be enough, but then where to put it that wouldn't cause time-alignment problems. Also, worried that subs at the side might overpower those sat in the front side seats (maybe 7-8' from where the subs would be).
Obviously I would be tuning the room as best I could once installed (I have access to a SMAART system).
With more sound coming out from the stage, I am worried about slap-back from the back wall. I have asked the production team to look into getting some thick curtains or blankets to try to dampen out the back wall, although I suspect anything less than proper tech for that might not really do much other than at HF.
Or, maybe I'm underestimating the FBTs, and with even more careful positioning and tuning, maybe *just* adding a (rented) sub or subs will be enough?
Thoughts, please. Thanks in advance.
Simon Eves
Novato Theater Company
Novato, California, USA
I do a lot of work in a small community theater which is the middle unit of a strip mall. The room is basically one big open space, approximately 69' wide and 48' deep, of which about 16' of depth is the stage (raised 18"). There is a partition wall to form the main lobby on one side (10' off the width), and a curtained-off tech/changing area (another 8' off the width) on the other side, so the audience area is around 50' by 32'.
There are 99 cinema-style seats in five rows all on the floor (no risers). The roof is gabled, about 12' at the sides, and 20' down the center line of the stage/seats, and is paneled wood. There is a small mezzanine level at the back, around 10' above ground level, which goes back about another 10' (in addition to the 48'). There are plywood walls to form the wings, although these are also only 10' high (not to the roof). The rear wall (below the mezzanine) has a raised booth (not enclosed) and a double-door to the restroom lobby but is otherwise flat. The first row of seats is only about 3' back from the stage edge (at least, in the middle).
The current PA is a pair of FBT Maxx2a 300W plastic 10"+horn self-powered boxes, which actually have a really nice sound, and have been fine for sound effects and even multiple wireless vocal and light band reinforcement for some recent musicals. I took some time to position them properly a couple of years ago (thank you, Nathan Lively and Bob McCarthy... speakers are wall-mounted 9' up, tilted down, and aimed at the middle of the middle of each side) and the system is generally well-behaved, even though the room often seems quite live and reflective, especially when the seats are empty.
We have never used mics for plays, but usually do for musicals, due to a remaining proportion of non-pro actors with limited projection abilities, and "analog" bands with a minimum volume, and because of how the room seems to swallow sound (although I'm not sure how that gels with it also seeming live and reflective... I guess it's a complex impulse-response thing that's messing with the intelligibility).
We have a couple of shows coming up, however, which need to be louder and rely more on the PA for band sound, most notably HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL (e-drums, electric guitar, electric bass, keyboards, one each trumpet, clarinet, and violin, all in one of the wings, all DI'd or close-mic'd and on headphones).
The FBTs don't have the bass, and probably not the headroom, for that plus 20 belting actors on wireless, so I am pondering a better system, either to buy as an investment upgrade, or to rent, or perhaps a mixture (buy new mains, rent matching sub or subs just for the shows).
My question is basically how big a rig should I be aiming for in that room? We're not looking to blow out the windows or fry any eardrums, but we would like it to be "Broadway loud", and I agree with the idea that a bigger system that's not stressed is better than a small one that is.
Would something like 12s over 18s be too much? I'm thinking QSC K, Yamaha DSR, Turbosound iQ, JBL PRX sort of level.
As the room is quite wide, I'm worried about a bass hole in the middle. Maybe one sub would be enough, but then where to put it that wouldn't cause time-alignment problems. Also, worried that subs at the side might overpower those sat in the front side seats (maybe 7-8' from where the subs would be).
Obviously I would be tuning the room as best I could once installed (I have access to a SMAART system).
With more sound coming out from the stage, I am worried about slap-back from the back wall. I have asked the production team to look into getting some thick curtains or blankets to try to dampen out the back wall, although I suspect anything less than proper tech for that might not really do much other than at HF.
Or, maybe I'm underestimating the FBTs, and with even more careful positioning and tuning, maybe *just* adding a (rented) sub or subs will be enough?
Thoughts, please. Thanks in advance.
Simon Eves
Novato Theater Company
Novato, California, USA
