When Fiddler on the Roof moved from Regents Park Open Air Theatre to its new, indoor home, the Barbican Theatre, sound designer Nick Lidster knew a line array was the preferred solution. Sound supplier Autograph offered d&b’s CCL (Compact Cardioid Line Array) system as the optimal choice.
[An Immersive, Ghost-Busting Adventure]
Lidster was happy with the prospect, having had positive experience of the XSL. “I had used the XSL cardioid system in the States and had enjoyed the extra headroom on the radio mic system before feedback,” he explained. “They also sounded good. So, when Autograph offered the new CCL for the Fiddler on the Roof run at the Barbican, I was happy to try them.”
CCL provides directivity control and low-frequency cardioid performance characterized by the SL-Series, but in a more compact, lightweight and efficient system, suited to a wider range of smaller, more intimate applications. Lidster was confident that this new system would deliver the control he needed to ensure the sound coverage was clear and consistent throughout the auditorium.
“With the CCL system I would be able to use one D40 amplifier channel to drive two boxes,” he said, “which is far more efficient for a theatre PA system.”
This efficiency meant the two main hangs, each of 16 CCL, were powered by just two of d&b’s 4-channel D40 amplifiers per side, one channel per pair of cabinets. As an experienced, long-term customer of d&b, the Autograph team required little support from the manufacturer, reaching out only to obtain a 3D CAD file of the Barbican Theatre via d&b’s ArrayCalc software. Thanks to the intuitive nature of the d&b workflow, this gave Lidster everything he needed.
The two main arrays, each with 12 CCL8 cabinets (80-degree dispersion) above four CCL12s (120-degree dispersion), were complemented by an additional centre cluster of four CCL12s for down-fill, with LF reinforcement from six CCL Subs. Finally, a selection of d&b Y7P and the wider dispersion Y10P point source cabinets serve the gallery truss system and side-fills, completing the desired consistency for the audience.
The system’s promised cardioid performance delivered real benefits. For this show, Lidster is employing a mix of miniature boom and lavalier microphones for the 27 cast members. “The rear rejection from the PA certainly helps to even out the difference between them," he said. "The level and clarity differences between the two types of microphone systems is, to an extent, equalized.”
The CCL also offers the practical advantages of d&b’s ‘system reality’ approach – including flying and mounting accessories, and carts. “The production sound engineer, Larry Golland, said the CCLs were nice and easy to rig and fly,” said Lidster. “They also looked very neat and the right scale in this venue.”