Adlib has designed and installed the first Coda Audio ViRay loudspeaker system to go into use the UK. The installation is in the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.

Home of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and one of the UK’s premier arts and entertainment venues, this is the latest project in a string of high-profile live music installations by Adlib. Following a competitive tendering process, Adlib’s Installation department was appointed to complete the specification; the supply and installation of a new sound system.

Adlib Installation Director Roger Kirby and MD Andy Dockerty worked with Coda Audio UK Application Engineer, Edgar Krueger, while the installation and system commissioning was co-ordinated by Adlib’s System Technician George Puttock working alongside Gilbert-Ash Limited, the main contractor for the ongoing £13.8m refurbishment of the venue, which commenced in May 2014 and is set for completion in autumn 2015.

‘Multi-functionalality had to be the essence of any new system design for Liverpool Philharmonic Hall,’ says Kirby. ‘Flexibility was also crucial, together with the provision of top quality audio with an infrastructure capable of dovetailing with current touring sound rigs. Coda’s ViRay ticked all the boxes as a three-way symmetrical line array module specifically designed for applications like this that need extremely good and solid sound with outstanding intelligibility. ViRay is impressively coherent, has a high output and looks elegant, which is essential in a building with beautiful, original art deco style architectural features.’

The venue’s technical team have been trained on the new sound system, and were supported by Adlib’s systems engineers for the first run of events when the venue reopened in November 2014, mid-way through its refurbishment programme. A series of high-profile artists have also used the new system, including John Grant, David Gray, Nils Lofgren and Jacqui Dankworth. They, and anyone else playing Liverpool Philharmonic Hall ,can now do so using the venue’s own sound rig without any augmentation.

‘Once appointed for this project, Adlib’s Andy Dockerty, Roger Kirby and George Puttock worked swiftly, and the installation was completed within a tight window in our major refurbishment programme,’ says Richard Curtis, Liverpool Philharmonic Acting Technical Manager. ‘Visiting engineers and audiences have commented positively about the quality of the new sound, and havin gsmaller system components onstage has eradicated sightline issues while still providing an excellent sonic experience for our audiences.’

The main PA hangs comprise 14 flown Coda ViRay per side, supported by three Coda SC2-F bass units flown immediately behind the main arrays. Three Coda SCP subs (with dual 18-inch drivers) are ground-stacked each side of the stage and sensor controlled for improved accuracy. Both the flown SC2-F bass extensions and the SCP subs feature Coda’s Sensor Controlled technology, which combines a closed loop feedback control with large, low-noise laminar flow ports, enabling the speakers to offer increased output and a controlled response.

The package includes a series of four Coda TiRay full-range front fills which can be deployed across the stage lip to cover the front row of the stalls due to the curvature of the stage. Eight Coda G308s are also an integral part of the installation used as choir fill monitors, located just upstage of the pros arch, and used to deliver audio coverage to the stage and the upstage choir stalls.

The ViRay elements are powered by 14 Coda Linus 10 DSP dual-channel networkable amplifiers with DSP comparator, offering sensor control and delivering 10kW from a lightweight 2U-high package.

A dedicated returns multicore is used to connect the Soundcraft FOH console to the Linus 10 amp racks at side stage, and additional signal processing and control for day-to-day peripherals is managed by BSS Soundweb Blu160 processors. This was picked for its flexible switching and its routing of balanced signals for the SCP subs, in fill and choir fill.

Adlib specified a 96-channel Soundcraft Vi3000 console for the FOH. With four touchscreens, the Vi3000 is the only console in its class that can be programmed and used simultaneously by two or more engineers.

As part of the sound package, Adlib also provided on-site training for the Philharmonic house crew, who started with learning the fundamentals and philosophies of the system so they can optimise the new equipment, including Adlib’s patch and tie-line systems and the ViRay. Additional instruction was given on rigging and speaker system operation and maintenance.

More: www.adlib.co.uk
More: www.soundcraft.com
More: www.bss.co.uk