The prestigious Paris Gaite Lyrique Theatre digital arts and modern music centre has completed the installation of Amadeus’ newest array speaker, the Diva M2.
Initially equipped by Amadeus for the theatre’s 2011 re-opening with the company’s EtherSound-enabled speakers, Diva XS and XL Series, among other Amadeus models, La Gaite Lyrique upgraded the FOH system in the facility’s Large Hall and has chosen the newest Amadeus Diva M2 (M Squared) array speakers. Along with 14 Diva M2 loudspeakers, Amadeus has also installed four Diva M2 Subs, paired with Lab.gruppen amplifiers and Lake control.
The Large Hall performance space at the theatre features a 750-capacity (standing, more than 300 seated), an adjustable stage with multiple heights, configurations and surfaces, and 46 independent visual screens spread out over the four sides of the room to create a total immersion experience for the audience. The Large Hall includes telescopic tiers of bleachers for seating, which can be folded away sideways. Projection screens can be mounted at various levels on any of the four walls, and a large variety of audience and stage set-ups can be accommodated.
‘The growing demand from artists, as well as producers for immersive video set-ups, brought us to look for a more discreet sound system,’ explains La Gaite Lyrique Sound Department Manager, Jean-Marc Harel. ‘We wanted speakers placed in a configuration minimising the projected shadows on the visual screens, but without compromising on the power, on the sound pressure level and the clarity and quality of the sound itself. This is why we became interested in the newest Amadeus Diva M2. Both the speaker’s size and harmonious visual aesthetic perfectly matched our equipment needs.
‘The power and size ratio of the new Diva M2 array speakers compared to the older version is really impressive – even compared to the Amadeus Diva XL that we used during the past few years. Its new technologies, including the proprietary waveguide, paired with its coaxial drivers and linear-phase crossover filters – featuring a steep 96dB/octave cut-off slope – help to offer a total linearity throughout the theatre’s listening area.
‘Thanks to these new capabilities, we have been able to rethink the layout of the main FOH clusters by adding two Amadeus Diva M2 Subs in line with the main speakers which are hung on the same bumper. The new subwoofers can be adjusted from 0-10° which really helps control the low frequencies beam.’
‘The ease of adjustment of the new variable curvature rigging system – which is based on a logarithmic structure of inter-element angles – along with its reduced weight, bring a real added value allowing us to quickly implement different configurations for each audience – whether they are standing, sitting, using the telescopic bleachers opened or closed – within the Large Hall concert area,’ says La Gaite Lyrique FOH mix engineer, Pierre Le Cardinal. ‘This new speaker installation perfectly meets our integration constraints for the concert hall, as well as our ambition for a qualitative evolution of the sound – thanks to a higher sound pressure level, more dynamic response, and better coverage definition across the entire audience.’
‘The Amadeus Diva M2 speakers allow us to confidently offer excellent sound reinforcement for every international artist who performs at the theatre and to satisfy the most demanding productions in various music genres including rap, pop or EDM, which are some of the centrepiece styles of our programming,’ Harel adds.
Theatre de la Gaite Lyrique opened to the public in 1862, the same year as Paris’ Theatre de la Ville and Theatre du Chatelet. Nearly 150 years later, the venue reopened after being closed for more than 20 years. Within the modern building there are five levels open to the public, and two private levels that host workspaces reserved for the artists. In total, the theatre has a capacity for 1,400 people.
‘Since its reopening in 2011, the Gaite Lyrique has stood out through its commitment to creation and innovation, while meeting with a high level of acceptance from the public,’ says Bruno Julliard, First Deputy Mayor of Paris.
‘With the conviction that artists should play a part in the emergence of a more fraternal and collaborative society, the Gaite Lyrique will welcome all those who share this ambition, at the crossroads of artistic creation and scientific, technological and social innovation. It is an extraordinary venue for the creation and the promotion of today’s music, whether amplified, DIY, experimental, immersive or international. It is a stepping stone of choice for voices whispered, raging, low-tech, or carried by the most advanced technologies in the field of sound and image.’
