FEATURES: INSTALLATION
The Siglap South Community Centre is located on Singapore’s Upper East Coast Road
Striking sound
Huimin Koh of Sindo Exports with A/V consultant Robert Adrian Tan
of Creative Elifestyles Pte Ltd
Just as Siglap South Community Centre is visually
striking, so its new audio system is raising eyebrows
in Singapore, writes Richard Lawn
FROM THE OUTSIDE, A LARGE
building on Singapore’s Upper East
Coast Road resembling an indoor
theme park could be described as
loud on account of its bright yellow
facade. However, this Community
Centre at Siglap South, serving
Joo Chiat residents, incorporates
many faculties and a greater access
to the arts in general. Residents,
community groups, professional
and semi-professional arts groups
are drawn together to learn, enjoy
performances and participate in
workshops.
Since opening in 1997, the multifunctional hall has catered for
audiences of up to 400 people. In
2013, the need for a replacement
audio, lighting and projection system
was highlighted. Creative Elifestyles’
Robert Adrian Tan was drafted in by
the Siglap South Community Centre
(SSCC) as a project consultant.
An acoustic test was conducted,
and as the Hall had previously
been acoustically treated, it was
decided that no further treatment
was required. The pillar-less room
with a tiled oor and concrete walls
measures 26m (depth) x 8m (width) x
5.5m (minimum ceiling height).
The demonstrated set-up comprised
L-R hangs suspended from the ceiling
in the top left and right corners,
each comprising KV2’s ES1.0 and
ESD10 speakers plus an ES2.5
subwoofer. Powered by two EPAK
2500R ampli ers, the KV2 Audio
system became a permanent install,
with a conscious effort by Wan Seng
Contractors to hang the subwoofers
KV2 Audio system
as the Club’s management
committee wanted a clean look.
‘Mr Tan knew that the KV2 speakers
were the right system for this
room,’ comments a representative
from Wan Seng. ‘The headroom is
amazing. The KV2 system could be
put in a much bigger hall catering
for over 1,000 people as we are only
using about 20 to 25 per cent of the
total power available.’
Visually the stage is clean but can
host QSC K12 active monitors for
performers when required. An Allen
& Heath GLD-AR2412 audio rack
connects the stage inputs with the
GLD80 digital console in the upstairs
rear control room via Cat-5, for which
the dSnake protocol allows remote
control to the remote preamp. An
AR84 Expander has been rack
mounted in the control room to add a
further eight XLR inputs and four XLR
outputs. Wan Seng Contractors also
102 PRO AUDIO ASIA July–August 2014
installed Belden cabling between the
loudspeaker points, stage and the
control room in the inner ceiling to
ensure a clean outlook overall.
Following evaluations for a new
wireless microphone system, Mr
Tan eventually proposed the AKG
WMS470 system utilising D5 mic
capsules. ‘They were the best in
terms of clarity and battery life, but
the striking feature for me was that
the signal went past the outside door
and only started to fade after the
entrance gate,’ he explains.
An inventory of Shure SM57
instrument and SM58 vocal
microphones together with an
Audio-Technica ES915C gooseneck
model installed on the podium
completes the Community Centre’s
needs. A password-protected Xilica
XP4080 digital processor caters for
all loudspeaker management, while
a Denon DN-D4500 MKII CD player
can be used for audio playback. A
DN-F650R has also been added to
the rack for recording performances.
In addition, an ASL wired intercom
system comprising of a BS-216
2-channel master station, HS-1/D
single muff ear-sets and dual BS17 belt-packs is also available for
productions. The power management
of the entire audio system starts
and nishes with a pair of Furman
CN-3600SE power conditioners
and sequencers. The one switch
operation ensures that the audio
equipment is turned on and off in a
sequence of three delays.
For video presentations, a Da-Lite
240-inch motorised screen can be
The main hall’s Allen & Heath
GLD80 FOH console
lowered into position at the rear of
the stage, receiving DVD Blu-ray
(HDMI) playback and PC (RGBHV)
presentations from a Panasonic
PT-DX810 XGA projector. A Kramer
VP-730 presenter switcher/scaler
has been added to ensure clarity of
image from the various inputs. For
the lighting, a Selecon Performer
follow spot plus a complement of
pars, pro les and fresnels have
bene ted from new lamps plus
full service and repair. However, a
Two QSC Audio ADS-82 speakers
have been installed in the control
room for monitoring
The 8m stage has a clean
appearance with the loudspeaker
hangs suspended to the upper
left and right hand sides
combination of Clair Lighting LED
pars and Stage LED bars are now
controlled by a Clair AVL 1024
lighting control desk.
Dr Uma Rajan, vice chairman of
the Siglap South CC management
committee and the community arts
and culture club chairman for Joo
Chiat, is delighted with the results.
‘The systems are elegant and highly
professional,’ he enthuses. ‘They
add a much needed auditory and
visual excellence for the staging of
performances by artistes of national
and international repute. We are
looking forward to the development
of our SSCC Hall as a much sought
after venue in the east and the
staging of major arts performances
for the community.’
The nal project was completed
within 12 days, allowing a further
ve days for tuning before the nal
handover. The nished result ensures
that while the building’s exterior
speaks volumes, the sound inside is
just as striking.
www.creativeelifestyles.com
www.kv2audio.com