The RCF HDL 20-A line array system installed in the Sage Gateshead 1,700-capacity main concert hall in late 2014 has now been followed by a further RCF system in the UK venue’s smaller Sage Two venue.
A flexible, ten-sided auditorium split over three levels, Sage Two holds 430 people theatre style, or 600 for a standing gig. Acting on behalf of installer Nitelites, Andy Magee selected a pair of RCF’s TTL6-A as the centrepiece of the first phase upgrade, with an HDL6-A composite line array to provide the two upper balconies 360° coverage.
‘The previous system did well for us but was starting to develop faults and was lacking in low frequencies and side fill coverage,’ says Sage Gateshead Technical Manager Neil Colebeck confirms. ‘We reviewed the situation in September, as we faced a heavy programme of gigs post summer.’
‘Sage Two’s sound system was falling short,’ agrees Nitelites Director and System Designer, Magee. ‘The room stages many performance genres – from classical, world and jazz music to straight theatre – some of it unamplified. Therefore, the reason for specifying the TTL6-A is because it is not only compact but packs a considerable punch. The first time I heard it I was blown away by the SPL. It seemed the ideal one-box solution.’
The three-way active TTL6-A is loaded with two 12-inch LF woofers, four 6.5-inch midranges and a 3-inch voice coil compression driver, with four channels of digital amplification and digital processing.
The TTL6-As are accompanied by eight Sub 8004-AS 18-inch subwoofers in a reverse cardioid pattern, and recessed under the stage apron. Three ultra-compact TT052-A act as lip fills, directing the audio to the front rows, while a pair of the discreet active TT08-A boxes are set out wide as side out fills, offering a maximum SPL of 128dB.
The design was confirmed with Ease Focus 3 software, which Magee used to model the room. ‘Aside from the massive bandwidth, the TTL6-A has a 90° horizontal, 30° vertical dispersion pattern, with -25°/+5° which is perfect in that room,’ he says.
Budget had also been a concern: ‘But we have received great support from Nitelites and have never experienced any problems with the RCF system in Room One, for which we have received excellent feedback. As for the TTL6-A Nitelites had already been doing a number of gigs with this box, so we were already familiar with it.’
There was also a recognition that the rear SPL rejection now offered by the cardioid subs would improve the lot of the monitor engineer. The system is rounded out by BSS Soundweb DSP and a Midas Pro 2 mixing desk with analogue drive rack.
‘Having now mixed shows through [the TTL6-A] you can hear the difference tenfold,’ Sage Gateshead Lead Audio Technician Graham Orchard reports.
