News & Event
  • Enhanced Flexibility Cements Box Office Appeal Inside MRC

    2016-12-13 13:29:56
  • When the Melbourne Recital Centre (MRC) opened in 2009, the venue’s management realised that it had to offer something special in a city already blessed with more than its fair share of great places to hear music. Therefore, the aim of the MRC was to provide a suitable acoustic performance space for instrumental music such as typically small classical ensembles. A PA system was deemed appropriate for such a venue, having acknowledged that the acoustics were paramount above everything else. However, in its quest to attract more bookings than the current 500 yearly events the MRC currently offers, and thanks to Creative Victoria funding, the PA system was recently enhanced.

     

     

    Owned by the Victorian Government, the MRC is an architectural spectacle set in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, the site of a number of theatres and arts centres, as well as The Australian Ballet, the ABC Centre  (including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s administration and rehearsal space) and the Chunky Move contemporary dance company. The Recital Centre was two years in construction with 500 workers on site at the peak of activity. Since opening in February 2009, it has taken four of the Australian Institute of Architects’ highest honours at the Victorian Architecture Awards.

     

     

    Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, the venue’s major performance space, is named after noted Victorian philanthropist and patron of the arts, the late Dame Elisabeth Murdoch. Collaboratively designed by Ashton Raggatt McDougall (architect) and Arup (theatre design), the hall uses the traditional ‘shoe box’ shape, seating 1,000 people on two levels, complete with theatre-style boxes. Downstairs, the 135-capacity Salon is a flexible space for 'intimate'  concert performances, recordings, talks, receptions and dining. The tessellated timber-lined walls feature an inscription of a section of graphic score by Australian composer Percy Grainger, representing the links between writing, music and ornament that the room’s uses exemplify. In addition, there are foyers on both ground and upper levels, two VIP rooms and a boardroom.

     

    The 135 sq-m stage in the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall – with its 51 sq-m temporary extension – can accommodate up to 45 musicians,reflecting its focus on chamber music rather than full orchestra. Inside, it's difficult to envisage that nearby Southbank Boulevard actually exists. Surrounded by 250mm of concrete, the Hall is mounted on 54 steel springs, which acoustically isolates and separates the structure from external vibration and traffic nosic. The interior is lined with Hoop Pine plywood, which is at the heart of the room’s acoustic character providing acoustic diffusion. The hall also has a stepped ceiling surrounding the stage platform, which is shaped to provide strong acoustic reflections and helps the musicians to hear themselves more clearly,creating a greater feeling of musical ensemble.

     

    Characterised by its wood finish, the balcony and boxes in the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall

     

    The acoustic design was validated at Arup’s SoundLab facility, where the architect’s 3D computer models were transformed into 3D acoustic models, allowing the client, user groups and the acousticians to listen to auralisations of the sound of the hall before it was built. This allowed both the geometry and diffusion characteristics to be refined to creat a performance space that is expected to set an international benchmark for future acoustic design. It also allowed a very accurate assessment of the optimum loudspeaker configuration ahead of the room being built.

     

    The timber panels that cover the walls and ceilings of the MRC are required to diffuse rather than absorb sound. Additional dense wood with grooves and routing minimises further loss of bass in the auditorium as the low frequencies have generally already been absorbed. The 9m black acoustic drapes can be deployed to the side and rear walls for lowering the reverberation times during more amplified performances.

     

    A large part of the project’s technical infrastructure fell to Jands, which placed all of the audio, video and stage comms with Rutledge Engineering. The original design was based on a d&b audiotechnik amplified system whose pattern control could not only fulfil the varied performance criteria, but also bring out details and subtleties in varying performances to every seat in the house.The original four-box d&b audiotechnik C-series system installed by Rutledge Engineering in 2009 was stored until required and configured to suit the performances. The original stereo configuration consisted of one C4 Top, one C7 Top and two C4 subwoofers in each array, whilst a further eight  E0 loudspeakers were installed for the front-fills. Powered by five D12 and two D6 amplifiers,the built-in DSP allowed the system to be monitored and configured via a Rope 70 interface. Designed for speech applications, a central cluster consisted of one d&b Qi7, one Qi10 and two E0 loudspeakers.

     

    Rear red drapes can be drawn

     

    Previously employed at London’s Barbican Theatre, Jasja van Andel was recruited as the MRC’s technical manager in 2012. ‘The venue attracts more contemporary performances these days such as Suzanne Vega, Chick Corea and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, so the PA had to be adjusted accordingly,’ Mr van Andel explains. As such, two options can be employed according to the performance. d&b audiotechnik distributor National Audio Systems (NAS) recently supplied the upgraded system, for which the flown L-C-R arrays now consist of d&b audiotechnik T10 speakers. The L-R arrays consist of seven pre-side T10s, whilst the central cluster incorporates an extra eight of the same model and additional L-R T10 speakers are added as balcony-fills.

     

    L-R arrays consist of seven perside T-10s, whilst the central cluster incorporates eight

     

    For option A, six of the original E0 speakers are used as front-fills, whilst a temporary L-R stage mounted rig is deployed consisting of dual T10speakers in point source mode on a single B4 subwoofer. In a bid toentice performers requiring higher SPLs, the temporary L-R arrays have been upgraded in option B.Powered by D80 amplifiers, each L-R V-series system combines two V8 and single V12 cabinets with a single J-Sub. Additional Meyer Sound UPJ-1P cabinets provide L-R in-fills.The time alignment, EQ and routing for the varied set-ups are managed by two Meyer Sound Galileo 616AES processors, whose settings can be configured remotely at FOH,stalls and at the stage left monitor position. 'Galileo processing is relatively simple to use, but it’s extremely powerful and as such it’s more than we'll ever need ,'admits Mr van Andel.

     

     

    'We often hold piano recitals and school concerts that require minimal amplification,' furthers Mr van Andel.‘In those situations, you need to bringthe PA closer to the audience and that is when we deploy the ground stacks and turn off the lower three T10 speakers in each flying array above.'

     

    In addition to the audience, careful consideration has been given to the musicians and performers. Eight d&b audiotechnik M4 monitors powered by D12 amplifiers are at the disposal of Mr van Andel's crew. A large pool of Meyer Sound self-powered monitors are also on the inventory now including eight UPJ-1P and eight UPM-1P monitors together with four UPJ-1P subwoofers.

     

    Stage mounted V8 and V12 cabinets can be added to with J-Subs when performances require a boost

     

    For more basic applications, a Yamaha LS-9 16-channel console located in the Prompt Side wing is used for the venue’s mixing needs. The original linked pair of DiGiCo SD8 and D5 live consoles were specified to provide gain control, allowing them to share the same digital inputs while retaining independent control of both mix and gain, using an automatic gain tracking system. In operation, this allowed either console to have its input gain changed without affecting the mix at the other console. Having operated at FOH, the D5 has been replaced with the latest SD5 console, which incorporates Stealth Core2 technology, significantly increasing the processing power with full dynamic EQ on every channel and bus. Also supplied by Group Technologies, a pair of rack mountable DiGiGo SD11 mixers have been supplied for use as sidecars and for added redundancy at both positions.

     

    In terms of microphones, the Melbourne Recital Theatre caters for all the riders

     

    Two studios have also been provided within the facility to allow the local ABC and 3MBS broadcasters to record and transmit live performances from both of the performance areas, extending its profile from local performance to the international stage. One of these is the permanent recording and broadcast suite adjacent to the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, which has viewing ports through to the hall itself. The other is a large control room that allows the Salon to be used as a recording space. A DiGiCo DS-00 desk with EX-00 sidecar allows operators to take recording feeds from the SD8 and SD5 mixes in the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall suite.

     

    The marriage of architecture and acoustic design, together with the application of computer modelling and a sound reinforcement system made in the course of the hall’s design and construction, has produced a visually and aurally stunning venue. The high level of musical intimacy and untroubled sightlines offered to the entire audience also help make the Melbourne Recital Centre a landmark project for everyone involved. But the MRC is taking nothing for granted and is determined to retain its music loving patrons. As such, the appeal of this venue has not only been brought up to date, but it has been further extended with this sensitively reconfigured and flexible audio upgrade.

     

     *Source from Pro Audio Asia Magazine Issue 2016 Nov-Dec

     

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