MIDAS PRO2 CONSOLE AT FOH
THE EMPIRE THEATRE’S 700-SEAT AUDITORIUM W/ CINEMA SURROUND SYSTEM
With the traction [Adamson has] been
gaining and since their design, engi-
neering, and manufacturing hub is just
an hour-and-a-half down the road, we
definitely wanted them to come in and
do a demo for us.”
Rashotte recalls that the systems
were all “varying degrees of ‘great’”;
however, “When the Adamson gang
came in, I’ll tell ya – we all looked at
each other and knew this was where we
were going.”
Schroeyens says he never doubted
that the IS-Series solution was the best
one for the venue. “Considering all the
acts they bring in, it’s got to be able to
go loud, but also needs to be very clear
and detailed. It’s all got to be there, and
you’re asking a lot of a PA in a situation
like that. I thought there was only one
manufacturer that would check all of
their boxes – from quality to SPL to bud-
get – and, obviously, that was Adamson.”
He continues: “They’re making
world-class loudspeakers, and with the
28 PROFESSIONAL SOUND
IS-Series specifically, it’s an install-focused
product that’s great for budgets while
delivering that top-tier audio perfor-
mance that’s very rider-friendly.”
The system now anchoring The
Empire Theatre’s auditorium boasts
main arrays of nine Adamson IS10 two-
way, full-range array enclosures beneath
a single IS119 subwoofer per side. An
additional six IS119s are built into the
stage – two each in left, centre, and
right positions – to enhance the bottom
end. Three Adamson Point 8 two-way
enclosures, also built into the stage
above each sub pairing, handle front fill.
Driving the PA is a complement
of five Lab.gruppen amplifiers with on-
board Lake processing: four D 120:4Ls
with a single D 200:4L pushing a total of
70,000 W.
“The Adamson out-performed
everything and made our decision an
easy one,” says Wayne McFaul, Kull’s pre-
decessor as TD and still the lead audio
engineer for the venue. “I don’t openly
say the words, but these days, I’m always wanting to tell
engineers to go for it and try to overdrive it. You can’t.”
He elaborates: “Not only is it powerful, but it deliv-
ers extremely accurate and clean sound that’s consis-
tent from the front row to the very back of the theatre.
Without prompting, everyone that uses it says that it’s
a real treat to mix on and that they love the room.”
To control their new system, The Empire Theatre
sourced a Midas PRO2 live audio mixing system from
The PA Shop’s rental inventory.
“One of the things that sold us was the warmth
of that console, and how it sounded with the rest of
the system,” offers Kull. “You can get AES cards for any
touring console out there these days, but having that
Midas sound plus the ability to keep everything 100
per cent digital at 96 kHz with near-zero latency as
soon as the microphone signal leaves the stage is awe-
some for us.”
As a veteran of the road in the pre-digital days,
Rashotte was also familiar with Midas and gave the
PRO2 his stamp of approval.
“It’s those preamps and converters – that classic
Midas tone,” Schroeyens puts in. “It sounds incredible,
which was the number one mandate, but also fit the
price point while letting us stay at 96 kHz throughout
the chain.”
He jokes that his team at The PA Shop was sad
to see it leave their inventory, noting: “I’ve almost had
to call Brandon a few times to rent it back from him
[laughs].”
Of course, it’s McFaul whose hands are most
frequently on those faders, and he has certainly been
enjoying the experience. “It ranks right up there with
all of the top consoles on the market,” he asserts.
There was a steep learning curve, he admits, but
now that he knows his way around its interface and
operation, he’s a big fan, saying: “I’m constantly learn-
ing just how incredible and powerful this console is.”
The integration and tuning process for the new system
began in early September 2018 and included the team
at The Empire Theatre along with Schroeyens and Ad-
amson Application Engineer Jeremiah Karni. Between
the hard completion deadline and busy schedules across
the board, Schroeyens says they had a small window but
everything came together as required.
“I don’t remember exactly when we started –
maybe 10 or 11 a.m. – and we went into the early
hours of the morning with tuning and everything, but
still, it was all done in one day,” says Schroeyens. He
credits both the install-catered rigging hardware on
the IS-Series cabinets and effectiveness of Adamson’s
Blueprint AV design and simulation software as being
key to hitting their deadline. The latter was particularly
effective in addressing the room’s unique 1930s movie
house-style rake design.
“We also had a really good starting point,” he
adds. “Because it’s also a cinema, the acoustics inside
the theatre are really good – it’s a very dampened
room. You can put in the world’s greatest loudspeaker,