With an 1871 opening double bill of She Stoops to Conquer and the burlesque tunes of La Belle Sauvage, the Gaiety Theatre is Dublin’s longest theatre in continuous operation. In more recent times, it hosted the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest, and continues to offer musical shows, opera, ballet, dance and drama. Since the millennium, the owners have invested more €7m in its refurbishment and improvement.

In 2013, d&b audiotechnik partner Mosco installed Q-Series and E-Series loudspeakers in the venue, a system that worked particularly with its Riverdance production. Most recently, Mosco returned to update the Q system with a Y-Series solution and E-Series delays.

‘We have a vast range of productions here at the Gaiety, from straight dramatic plays through to full musicals and artists such as Riverdance,’ Director of Technical Operations, Matthew Cregan, confirms. ‘The d&b audiotechnik system handles everything we can throw at it – the quality of vocal reproduction is second to none, whatever the genre. So when it came to upgrade, we had no hesitation in calling Mick O’Gorman at Mosco.

‘For me, quality and value for money is key. The team at Mosco deliver a top-quality product while keeping it affordable. Working with Kevin McGing and Mick O’Gorman, we designed a system that was sympathetic to our beautiful auditorium, placing the PA cabinets in key areas where they worked for sound reinforcement but blended into the architecture of the auditorium. Y may be a small box but there is absolutely no compromise on sound.’

The parterre and grand circle levels are covered by Y8 and Y12 line array loudspeakers for the main LR system, with low frequency support from Q-Subs and an additional B2-Sub for infra effects, and E5s for delays. The dress circle now has a Y-Series Y7P point source system with the E5s used again as delays. For the upper circle the Q7s remain as before. The loudspeakers are driven by d&b D12 and D6 amplifiers, all controlled via the d&b R1 Remote control software V2.

At the request of Cregan and the Gaiety Technical Manager Dan Egan, Oran Burns (from the d&b GB EAS team) and McGing spent a day optimising the system: ‘The goal was to integrate all system elements in tonality, level and time, with an emphasis on coherency and intelligibility,’ Burns says. ‘Tuning-Capture measurement software was used to tune and align the elements. Tuning-Capture’s MultiWin feature and the clear display of impulse response information made this process very smooth. The final result gives both house and visiting engineers a very good starting point for their show.’

‘This upgrade from the Q to the Y-Series is proof positive that d&b just keep delivering,’ Cregan reports. ‘We are very happy with the relationship we have built with both Mosco and d&b audiotechnik and look forward to many projects in the future with them.’