[ATTACH=CONFIG]194492.vB5-legacyid=1258[/ATTACH]Located in New York’s Broadway Theater district, the New Victory Theater has installed a Midas PRO3 live audio system. New York’s oldest working theater, The New Victory was built in 1900 by Oscar Hammerstein and seats 499 patrons in a traditional proscenium style layout. Reopened in 1995 after a period of non-activity by the New 42nd Street Inc. non-profit, the New Victory Theater is the city’s first and only full-time performing arts theater for kids and their families.
“After 15 years, it was time for us to update our systems and enter the 21st century,” states David Jensen, Director of Production for New 42nd Street Inc. “Part of our mission was to build an audience for the future, and we want New Victory Theater productions to be as technically advanced as any of the other shows – just aimed at a younger audience. The PRO3 console is a perfect fit.”
Anthony Nittoli, design principal at Connecticut-based Akustiks LLC, was engaged to upgrade the sound system at the New Victory Theater, and one of the more difficult pieces of the puzzle was finding the right mixing console. “When I found out about the Midas PRO Series at the InfoComm show last June,” Nittoli recalls, “I knew right away it was a perfect match for the specification. Midas sound quality in a small package met our needs in terms of features and price.”
The installation contract was awarded to Masque Sound, stalwarts of the New York theater scene for nearly 75 years. Project manager Matt Peskie was charged with the task of integrating the console, which meant learning to operate it. “This was my first experience with Midas digital,” he notes. “Our lead time on this project was pretty tight, since the New Victory is only dark for about eight weeks over the summer. To get familiar, I worked with the Midas offline editor, which was great, because it looks exactly the same as what you see on the actual console screen.”
Since its installation, Peskie reports nothing but smooth sailing for the PRO3. “I went down and mixed the show for their gala opening and the sound was great, like an H3000 or an XL4. Having both the digital and analog gain structure is great. You can hit the analog gain hard, then back it off some digitally. Those preamps give you that warm Midas sound.”
“Along with great sound, one thing that has always set Midas apart from other console manufacturers is factory support,” says Anthony Nittoli. “Midas was totally on top of it, and had people both on the phone and on site to help with configuration to make sure the installation was right. As a system designer, it’s all about getting it right for the client, especially on high tech gear like a digital console. That’s paramount for us. It really justified our faith in Midas.”
Peskie sees the PRO3 as a perfect fit for the New Victory Theater. “The mixing is straightforward; you just use your normal workflow,” he explains. “You still go from gain to EQ, from there to the aux sends, to compression, gate etc. But the things that are great for theater are the scene changes, the snapshot automation and group assignments. The automation lets you go as deep as you want, with gain changes, effects changes, levels and mutes. A big key for the New Victory is that shows often come back, so they can build a library of every show and have everything stored for the next time. That’s a tremendous advantage.”
Jensen seconds that notion. “About half of the shows staged here bring their own engineers,” he notes. “Some are very comfortable in the digital realm, but some need a little more support from our staff. One of the things that we love about this desk in particular is that it has a very analog feel, so people can get their heads around it pretty quickly, usually within 30 minutes. That’s certainly not true for every digital console. But it still has all the digital capabilities we could ask for, and of course the sound is simply gorgeous.”
Nittoli points out that accommodating visiting engineers was another reason he felt confident in specifying the PRO3. “One of the biggest requirements was to find a console that was not only user-friendly, but also rider-friendly,” he states. “Midas has always been a console that’s well accepted. No matter what’s on a rider, when you tell them you have a Midas, you’re pretty much good to go.”
For David Jensen and New Victory Theater, the Midas upgrade will be a huge contributor to the continuing growth of this unique venue and its mission. “When we opened in 1995, no one knew if a theater dedicated to kids programming could work,” he notes. “Since then, we’ve seen over a million patrons come through our doors, including over 300,000 school kids who see the show for two dollars a ticket – which is unheard of.”
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[B]LINKS[/B]
Akustiks LLC – [url]http://www.akustiks.net/[/url]
New Victory Theaer – [url]http://www.newvictory.org/[/url]
