DYNACORD  PA PROVES WORK OF ART FOR SOUTHAMPTON SOLENT UNI
UK – A powerful, portable Dynacord PA system has added a versatile live dimension to Southampton Solent University’s newly completed performing arts space.
The University’s Faculty of Media Arts in Society provides an expanding range of BA courses in media, fine art, animation, film making, television, video production and related specialties. Its new performing arts space is housed in a former 70s-built lecture theatre which, says Jon ‘JB’ Wills, Technical Instructor in Music and Audio Production, had been little used in recent years due to poor acoustics.

Under Chief Operations Manager Michael Gates, Jon Wills and Senior Technician Ian Luxford, a Portfolio Project was initiated with an allocation of building and equipment funds, with the objective of creating a brand new, purpose built performance space for the Faculty.
The end product, which opened this term, is a fully-equipped, four camera high definition TV studio with a new, portable Dynacord Xa2™ PA and monitoring system, supplied by Southampton based EV and Dynacord dealer Fret Music.
The audio system is designed to enable the space to host full live performances, both for educational use and for hire for concerts and corporate productions, linked to full recording and post production facilities in the Faculty’s recording studios and Pro Tools / Final Cut Pro-equipped classrooms.
“The main objective for the PA,” says Wills, “was that it had to sound great, not only in this space but in larger spaces when we use it elsewhere. We also wanted the loudspeakers to look impressive, because that would help add to people’s interest in the space.”
The main left and right Dynacord Xa2 stacks, powered by a pair of Dynacord XA4000 amplifiers, are supplemented with a pair of additional FX12 medium long throw coaxial mid/high frequency cabinets and a Sub115 subwoofer.

Capable of 134dB and equipped with neodymium components, new Constant Q horns and patented planar waveguide bass horns, the Xa2 is designed for high power live music, corporate, multimedia and theatre applications, yet the system is compact enough for two people to rig.

An important consideration, says Gates, was the reliability of the road-proven Xa2 system: “When beyerdynamic UK, the distributors, came in and demoed it for us, the very first thing we asked was, ‘How do you break it?’ – because we know somebody will try!

“The answer was that there are four separate levels of protection including the drive units themselves, the limiter in the Dynacord amplifiers’ loudspeaker controllers, an opto-isolator, and general physically toughness. At the risk of tempting fate, we think blowing it up is going to be pretty difficult. It had to be a system that will last us for many years, and the specifications and construction are fantastic.”

The system is completed by six Dynacord D15-3 multipurpose polycarbonate three-way passive loudspeakers, powered by the company’s LX1600 amplifiers, and a BSS Opal graphic and dbx limiter in the system rack. A mobile digital front of house set-up, with a Yamaha M7CL digital console and Roland RSS Digital Snake, which also links the space to the TV control gallery and recording rooms, brings flexibility in a small footprint, while the Dynacord amplification – to match the modular PA – is housed in a wheeled flight case. “It makes it an incredibly versatile space,” says Gates, “and it works brilliantly.”

“We’re using the D15-3's as stage monitors,” notes Wills. “One serves as a drum fill with a subwoofer. They’re light enough for easy repositioning and everybody loves the sound of them.” An extensive range of wired and wireless microphones is also on hand to cater for everything from the Fender backline to the Yamaha drum kit. Acoustic treatment, meanwhile, has tamed the reverberation time, and facilities are completed by a new 72-channel automated lighting rig using leading brands, along with modular tiered seating and stage decking that allow the space to be reconfigured to suit each individual production.

Wills, who proudly points out that the entire audio, video and lighting system installation was carried out by the University team themselves (“everyone contributed something to the design and the build, even if it was just pulling cables”) adds that “Jon came onboard at exactly the right time, and he brought a lot of live performance experience to the team, which really helped us make the best decisions on what equipment to buy.”
The team’s sights are set as high as its aspirations for the new system – further inspired by the fact that some of the Faculty’s students have been working on video productions at Glastonbury Festival for the past two years. “The great thing is,” enthuses Wills, “you can stage live performances in here and it’s all ready to go for recording and broadcast. So we’re aiming to provide a broad range of crossover activities for everyone – giving students a thorough understanding of how live performances and recordings work in the real world.”

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