EAW for Lincoln SU

Engine Shed interior shot

TECHNOLOGY NEWS

EAW chosen for Lincoln university’s engine shed

TECHNOLOGY, NEWS, NOVEMBER 2006, COMMENTS

Lincoln University’s brand new multipurpose venue, the £5 million Engine Shed (so called because that’s precisely what it once used to be) opened to great acclaim on 18th September with an inaugural performance from UK Indie band Embrace. The Engine Shed is the newest and biggest music venue in the East Midlands, and required a high quality professional audio system with Stage Electrics installing a comprehensive EAW loudspeaker system throughout.

According to EAW systems application specialist Steve Badham, the key criterion for the audio installation was flexibility. Comprising three bars and two performance spaces of 750 capacity as well as shops and cafés, there were a number of areas to be taken into consideration. The main FoH system is a powerful KF850 rig comprising two KF850zF cabinets and two SB850zR subs per side with an LA215 stage monitoring system. The secondary system, which may act as a stand-alone rig if the room is being used separately, or as a delay to the main system if the whole space is required, comprises two EAW AX344 three-way full range loudspeakers with an additional SB850zR sub per side.

“We understood from the outset that high quality and high power went without saying,” explained Badham. “When you’ve got a line-up that consists of bands like Embrace, The Zutons, The Charlatans, Cooper Temple Clause and The Beautiful South in the next three months alone, you’re talking straight away about a full professional live system, which explains our decision to go for the industry-standard KF850 as the primary rig. It provides a real live feel to the music.”

“However, we also had to bear in mind that this system had to be flexible both in terms of configuration and purpose,” continued Badham “We therefore decided on the EAW AX Series for the secondary system. AX is specifically designed to deliver high-fidelity audio for both live music, as well as playback - a DJ, for instance. Using a combination of KF850 and the AX Series allowed us to offer the best of both worlds, either separately or in conjunction with one another.”

Engine Shed also features a mezzanine bar with a capacity of 250 that required an audio system that could be incorporated into the main system on a delay, or act independently. Here Stage Electrics opted to install a UB52, two MK5394 cabinets and a SB250zR bass speaker per side. “The MK5394 is ideally suited for this sort of work,” commented Stage Electrics’ Davie Bell. “It’s a compact installation loudspeaker that is designed to act as the main PA for smaller venues, or for distribution or fill purposes in larger venues, so perfect for what we wanted.”

Processing throughout the venue is handled by a total of four EAW MX8750 digital processors with a Soundweb for matrixing.

From: November 2006 Issue

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