MAG Audio Loudspeakers Deployed in the Netherlands’ 100-year-old Theater Podium Zuidhaege
Podium Zuidhaege is a popular multi-purpose venue for art and culture activities in Assen (The Netherlands).This building is a former church, dating from 1913, but now it's operating as the venue for theater plays, concert and dance performances, conferences, presentations etc.
Podium Zuidhaege was in great need of a new audio equipment, ”one with better coverage, better gain before feedback, better intelligibility”, as stated by Robert Witt, sound technician at Podium Zuidhaege. So at the end of last year, they decided to renew the sound system and they opted for MAG Audio acoustic systems.
“MAG Audio is solid in its quality and the craftsmanship of its products, which are, by the way, fully made in Ukraine. They use their own-produced components so as to achieve best possible compatibility between separate components and the entire cabinet design”, explains Mark Molema, owner of MMconcept — the company which has performed installation.
Podium Zuidhaege consists of various different locations such as dancing and concert rooms, theater cafe and meeting rooms, but the main location remains Theater de Schalm. A former church chapel, this room has a seating capacity of about 200 seats, and this is where the fixed setup of MAG Audio loudspeakers is deployed.
Installation in Theater de Schalm
The acoustic properties of the former chapel are quite challenging when it comes to electronically amplified sound due to the hexagonal shape of the room, hard walls, wooden floor and high ceilings.
To cope with these technical challenges, the technicians focused on two important principles. For starters, they applied the less-is-more philosophy. The less sound energy you put in a room, the less there’s unwanted side effects, such as reflections. That’s why instead of a line array, they opted for a full-range top speaker MAG NX 12, and placed per one top on each side of the stage, left and right, and at the center.
“With the help of MAG NX12, we’ve got a top loudspeaker which not only has more than enough power, but also is capable of providing even and smooth sound coverage over large areas that need to be covered,” says Mark Molema.
As for the subwoofers, they decided on the cardioid setup which helped to achieve optimal speech intelligibility and eliminate howling. This also helped to direct the sound exactly where it’s needed, namely the spectator seating. The subwoofer setup consists of 2x MAG Sub 18 on each side of the stage.
Mobile set
Podium Zuidhaege has also other rooms, used for different rental activities such as conferences and presentations. For these purposes, the technicians at the theater use the portable set which consists of six MAG Z 320-8 tops.They can be used as main PA, completed with the two subs in cardioid setup, or/and as separate monitors.
Amplification at Podium Zuidhaege provided by Powersoft Amplifiers Ottocanali 8K4 DSP + D.
25/05/2020
