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New Nexo for Oldest Convention Centre in Paris
The Nexo GEO S system has been installed in the largest auditorium, the Lavoisier, which has seating capacity for nearly 1000 people over two levels, stalls and balcony. Designed and carried out by the technical team of La Maison de la Chimie in collaboration with staff from Nexo France, the installation of the system took just 15 days.
Arrays left and right of the stage are comprised of 9x S805 compact full-range cabinets, with 1x S830 at the bottom of the hang. For the subs, unusually the system uses Alpha S2 bass cabinets. Olivier Cathelinaud, technical director of La Maison de la Chimie, explains why. "We couldn t use the GEO S system in its classic configuration, which would have the subs flown at the back of the array, because there wasn’t enough room between the back wall and the point where it hangs. Nexo provided the solution with 2x Alpha S2 subs which conveniently substitute for the CD12s without needing to be flown. This allowed us to respect the aesthetics of the venue without compromising on the quality of the system."
The auditorium has its original 1930s décor, so it was a major challenge for the engineers to integrate modern sound reinforcement technology into the classic architecture. "Another issue was the hanging structure," continues Olivier. "Since we were dealing with 10 cabinets per side reaching a height of 2.5 meters and couldn t use the original Nexo flying system, we had to design specific 'gallows' (see picture) in order to maintain the 100° radius coverage and avoid reflections from the side walls.
"Another factor was that we wanted to be able to use just half the system on those occasions when the balcony isn't in use. The solution was to turn off the top five S805 cabinets, which we can do without losing on dynamics or coverage. We were amazed to hear how perfectly the GEO S could deal with both configurations, holding the same accuracy and coherence."
The GEO S system is managed by two NX242 Digital TD controllers, one for the GEO-S cabinets and the other for the Alpha S2 subwoofers, powered by a total of six CAMCO Tecton 38.4 amplifiers delivering 1,900Watts per channel, and controlled from a Soundcraft Venue II 24 channel mixing console at front-of-house.
Olivier praised the advice and support received from Nexo during the project. "The assistance given by Mr Jean-Jacques VIAS from Nexo here has been highly valuable, helping us to resolve all the challenges imposed by such an installation in a really short time."
La Maison de la Chimie, originally La Rochefoucauld d'Estissac Mansion, was built in 1708, the private home of generations of French nobility. In the early 20th century it was converted into a guildhall for chemists, hence the name, intended to encourage contact and exchange between scientific societies and industry. Today, the majority of its functions are held on behalf of the medical and scientific community.
29th September 2004
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