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XTA in Full Control at P3
P3 in Purmerend, a growing town in The Netherlands located just north of Amsterdam, is a brand new multi-functional cultural centre that is an initiative by the city designed to put Purmerend on Dutch musical map. To be able to do this, both the city and P3 director Paulus Brugman had high quality audio at the forefront of their requirements. Accordingly they have invested heavily in a TM Audio-supplied system, which features a substantial amount of XTA digital signal processing equipment.
The building comprises a 130-seat theatre, a large main hall and a smaller second hall. Brugman explains: “The city decided there should be a project for its young people and it should centre around music. The idea was first muted in 2001 and in a very short time the decision was made to go ahead with the project.”
Careful acoustic treatment has been given to each separate area and, with the aforementioned sound quality the priority, XTA GQ600 dual 30-band graphics have been employed to ensure perfect EQ throughout the facility, with the main hall’s Martin Audio monitor system also being controlled via XTA DP224 digital signal processors with XTA G2 gates and C2 compressors in both the main and second halls.
But listening to music is not the only use for this starkly modernist piece of architecture. Local orchestras, of which there are five, will also claim it as their new home. “It’s a 100% publicly financed initiative to provide a home for amateur music,” says Brugman. “So there will also be a music school here as well. We have a co-operative arrangement with a local music school at the moment and the idea is to have a ‘pop’ school within the year.
“There are four main functions for this building. The first and main one is pop music. That’s the basis on which we decided on the sound equipment we use. We wanted to supply the best possible quality sound to the audience.”
TM Audio not only supplied the equipment, but became an integral part of the build process, as the company’s Marc Kocks explains: “P3 is a unique project and we have been involved in every part. Lightco and TM [both part of the Ampco Group] have worked together to provide a complete package. We stared here in Oct 2005 and our role was not only to deliver product, but to be part of the construction team.”
“We are going to programme in a very broad spectrum of performance,” continues Brugman. “Local bands will be invited to play in the small hall, but the top Dutch and international bands will be programmed in too. Then the large hall is where we’re hoping to get the bigger international artists.”
This is a venue set to prove that strong investment in a comprehensive sound and lighting system will deliver a dual return on investment to the city; by attracting artists that previously wouldn’t have considered performing there, it will bring both financial rewards and potentially put the Purmerend on the Dutch tourist trail. It will also provide a valuable resource for the musical youth of the local community. And who can put a price on that?
26th July 2006
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