Specialist music venue company VMS Live appointed technical production specialist Adlib to provide a new audio and lighting design and installation in the 1,900 capacity Eventim Olympia in Liverpool, UK, one of the high-profile live music sites that VMS operates.

The project was led by VMS’s MD Steve Forster and Adlib’s Andy Dockerty who, in turn, enlisted the knowledge and practical expertise of two of Adlib’s most experienced engineers – Ian Nelson (audio) and Stuart Gray (lighting). The goal was to provide tour-grade in-house production options for visiting artists both in terms of practicality and creative scope, so they can avoid the expense and hassle of bringing in their full productions.

The auditorium was designed by theatrical architect Frank Mitcham as a purpose-built indoor circus and variety theatre and constructed in 1905 – and retains many of its original features. It comprises a stalls area in front of the stage and two balcony levels. The middle balcony has a bar to the rear and a thin viewing envelope to the stage. The major audio requirement was to provide a sonic experience to satisfy top level touring artists, offering a viable and attractive alternative to bringing in their own systems. The system design also had to be flexible enough to cater for the many in-the-round scenarios – including sporting and dance events – hosted by the venue.

The audio team’s challenge was to achieve powerful, high quality and even coverage throughout the space, including the middle balcony. To help achieve this, VMS invest heavily in venue infrastructure including the provision of new rigging points enabling substantial audio systems to be flown for the first time. Having mapped and modelled the space using these new flying points, the Adlib team proposed a Coda LA12 system which saw Coda system specialist George Puttock (an Adlib engineer for several years) work on the design, installation and commissioning.

Sixteen Coda LA12 line array speakers make up the two left and right hangs, and cover the main room, the front three rows of the first balcony and the upper balcony positions. For the challenging middle/rear area of the first balcony, four Coda ViRay cabinets, two a-side in delay positions, are located at the rear of an unused royal box.

Eight Coda SC8 cardioid sensor-controlled sub-bass units are positioned to the left and right of the stage, pumping out as much low-end energy as possible into the auditorium. Rigged on a heavy-duty wheel boards, they can be easily redeployed to another location, again giving the flexibility required for any in-the-round sporting events. A pair of Coda ViRay speakers provides in-fill, and the entire system driven by the Coda Linus Con DSP platform and Coda C10 amplifiers.

At front of house, a Soundcraft Vi3000 console was chosen for its audio quality, user-friendliness, familiarity to most engineers and general flexibility. The monitor console is a Soundcraft Vi1. A full complement of touring specification microphones, DIs and stands was an integral part of the Adlib package.

The monitor system is made up from 12 Adlib Audio AA MP5 wedge monitors and an Adlib AA 215 drum sub, all driven by Linea Research 44M amplifiers.

‘We are delighted to see so much commitment and energy being put into a Liverpool venue and are very proud to be a part of the team delivering it,’ says Andy Dockerty. ‘We genuinely believe that this specification rivals most venues in the country with similar capacities, and look forward to some exciting shows’.

‘Having signed a new long-term agreement with Silver Leisure as well as a name in title deal with ticketing company Eventim, it was important that all parties invested heavily in the site to achieve its full potential in the shortest period,’ adds VMS operations director, Richard Maides. ‘With Adlib specifying the system we are confident that we have fulfilled our end of the bargain and have a versatile and high-quality venue production in place. From a VMS perspective, we also have the ability to move equipment between our Liverpool and Wrexham venues as necessary, further boosting flexibility and coverage across our two high-profile North-West sites.

More: www.adlib.co.uk