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Dundee Uni go all the way with Nexo and Sound Control
The Union building at Dundee University has been fitted out from the ground up with Nexo sound reinforcement as part of an overall refurbishment costing £4.8m.
The phased development over five floors has culminated in four stacks of Alpha E being specified for the main performance space, MONO, which is firmly established on the band touring circuit. Already artists such as The Thrills, Groove Armada and Edith Bowman & Tim Westwood have appeared.
The Students Union’s new sound and AV technician, Barclay Dakers, designed the systems for each of the performance areas — which have a combined capacity of 2,300 — in conjunction with Mick Butler of Fuzion plc, the Nexo distributors. Also involved in specifying the respective systems was Ralph Teviotdale, assistant manager of Sound Control, Dundee, who supplied all the equipment.
As a result the Union will be able to function continuously between midday and 2.30am in all areas, and be able to stage major events, such as its annual Grand Ball, which is now back in house in time for the 05/06 academic year.
Barclay said that Nexo had been recommended by local companies who had been regularly hiring PA to the university. “The previous manager here picked up on Nexo and everyone agreed it was the best brand for us. When we need to boost the sound in any of the areas it will be easy to hire in.”
The decision to use Alpha E in Mono became axiomatic, as Barclay explained, “I have used it many times when I have been crewing and always been comfortable with both the size and the sound of Alpha E. Being horn-loaded it is a directional system, and clearly the best choice for us.”
Each of the stacks comprises four AL.B1 subs, sandwiching a pair of AL.M3 mid-highs — mounted just above the concrete base on either side of the stage, and acting as a point source. It operates under the control of an NX242 dedicated processor.
“The beauty of this — and the reason for favouring the Alpha E system in this instance — is that we needed downward dispersion, with the sound focused onto the dance floor. This allows anyone who wants to sit and talk in the peripheral areas to do so.”
But there is a further advantage. For Mono, with its solid concrete floor and stage, was originally designed as a swimming pool, and the directionality of the Alpha E’s prevents the sound from travelling up past the sailcloth — which creates a false ceiling — to the top of the roof void.
“This is a box within a box — but when we tested the sound level after the Alpha E’s had gone in, we measured 125dB(a) in the lighting booth — and discovered that the cable trays need to be tied down more!”
To satisfy the other areas, the Students Union has dipped extensively into the Nexo catalogue, in consultation with Ralph Teviotdale, and the solutions were to be found uniquely in the PS range of enclosures and dedicated processors.
In the top floor Air Bar, which is used for acoustic and open-mic sessions, as well as karaoke, four removable PS8’s are driven from their own dedicated PS8 AMP three-channel amplifier.
There is a sound reason why these have been moved to the top of the house as Barclay explains. “Originally we installed these on the ground floor but we had to move them because they were just so loud and we were getting complaints from neighbours. At the same time, we needed compact, powerful high quality speakers, distributed in the Air Bar and adjacent areas — so it was perfect.”
Elsewhere in the faux industrialism of the Floor Five Bar, indie music from a DJ booth is pumped out through four PS15’s and pair of LS1200’s (processed through a PS15TD controller) on the dancefloor, with a further four PS8’s (with PS8 AMP) infilling the bar. This is also an ‘arts area’, with moving head lighting and striking graphic projections, encouraged from the visual arts students of Duncan of Jordanston Arts College, a faculty of the University.
Further down the building, The Union’s main bar, The Liar, is based around refectory tables and bench seating, and here eight further Nexo PS8’s are driven by dedicated PS8 AMP’s. Four 37in LCD screens offer a choice of terrestrial and satellite TV, and Barclay is now looking to zone the sound and matrix switch the signal sources (including a juke box feed).
During the 18 years Dundee University has been dealing with Sound Control, student tastes have radically changed, says Barclay. “There was a time when the main night club was simply called ‘The Main Hall’.
“Now we are in a different league. And thanks to the Alpha E we will be able to put on live bands without them needing to carry their own production — other than backline and monitors.
31st March 2005
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