The mid-sized Babs Asper Theatre again features d&b V-Series arrays,
with each five-box left and right column being a combination of V8s
and V12s. The centre cluster in this theatre, though, is comprised of
d&b Y12 line array boxes. It then has two V-Subs ground stacked on
each side. For amplification, the theatre has a total of 19 amplifiers –
five d&b D80 four-channel DSP amplifiers and the remaining 14 be-
ing D20s. A complement of d&b’s compact 8S,
E6, Y10P, and Y7P speakers fills out the room.
“It is a very highly-configurable space
where I’m able to take any audio source and
have it playable in any location,” says Holmes.
“There are a lot of times where, in theatre, there
might be a discrete audio requirement – per-
haps a cell phone or dog barking in the dis-
tance or an airplane that’s going to cross over-
head. We have the ability to make multipoint
channel systems and we’re not limited by this.”
Another feature that makes the theatre
very adaptable is tracks built into the building’s
28 PROFESSIONAL SOUND
The Azrieli Studio is a roughly 100 x 100-ft. black box space that
can be used for anything from corporate presentations to dance,
theatre productions, or more intimate concerts. With flexibility and
adaptability being the central characteristics throughout the NAC’s
revamped performance spaces, it’s not surprising that the studio can
be configured in almost any way.
“It’s your typical black box theatre where everything is abso-
lutely portable and configurable on the day, even the bleachers
and seating. I mean, the stage could be on one end of the theatre
one day and the other end the next day,” notes Radu. “So, in terms
of putting permanent infrastructure in, there are patch points and
everything else to deal with all the different configurations, but aside
from your typical left-right band set up, there’s no real system presets
and stuff like that.”
For the band-style set-up, there is a compact left-right speaker
configuration made up of d&b’s smaller V10P and Y7P boxes with
two ground-stacked E15X subwoofers.
Until 2017, the NAC’s facility-wide networking infrastructure was
mostly copper-based, so a major part of the Architectural Rejuvena-
tion and Production Renewal phases involved a switch to a state-of-
the-art digital fibre optic network provided by Optocore.
In total, 54 Optocore units are deployed across the three net-
For processing in both Southam Hall and the 897-seat Babs
Asper Theatre, Holmes says it’s a unique arrangement in that it is
simultaneously handled in the Meyer Sound Galileo Galaxy 816 AES
8-input/16-output digital processor, as well as in d&b’s R1 remote
control software and ArrayCalc simulation software. “So, the Galaxy
basically handles routing, but there is very little delay or anything in
regards to processing actually happening in the Galaxy. All equaliza-
tion, compression, and time alignment pretty much happens within
R1 and ArrayCalc,” he explains.
Adding to the highly-configurable nature of Southam Hall,
there are two available FOH positions. There is, of course, the ideal
FOH spot in the centre of the room, but for sold-out shows, that cen-
tral FOH position can be filled in with seats and FOH can move to the
back of the room.
To control the new audio systems, the NAC now has a total of
13 Digico SD series consoles, with two in each venue and others that
float around as needed. In Southam Hall, the main console is usually
the flagship SD7; in the Babs Asper Theatre, it’s the SD10, and in the
other spaces, it’s the SD9.
“Because they have multiple venues, we decided it’s important
to have a platform where the knowledge is transferable across the
different sizes of consoles in the various venues,” adds Van Dijk. “So,
once you develop a familiarity and understand how it works, you can
work with whatever console size you happen to have that day, from
a crew point-of-view.”
infrastructure downstage of the wings just in front
of the proscenium. This allows the line arrays to
move around according to line-of-sight require-
ments. “It has the ability on either side to move on
or off stage, roughly 6 ft., and it accommodates
for line-of-sight,” explains Holmes. “So, if it’s in a
rock and roll scenario, the speakers would then sit
quite tight on stage, but there are a lot of times in
theatre where having that line of sight is absolutely
imperative, so moving them to either a mid-posi-
tion or to a fully-offstage position will completely
alleviate any restrictions while not completely re-
BABS ASPER THEATRE moving the directionality of the audio.”
“The theatre is kind of unique in that it’s a very
wide venue and it has a thrust, so it presents some
challenges in terms of gain-before-feedback,” adds Van Dijk. “So, we
also have these custom Polar Focus bumpers that allow us to give
various pan angles to the arrays.”
Additionally, the Babs Asper Theatre’s proscenium opening can
be moved to accommodate different types of shows. When they’re
needed, deck carts can be brought out for front fills with larger V-Se-
ries boxes for concerts and smaller d&b E4s for theatre.
AZRIELI STUDIO