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FEATURE
North Queensland’s New Performing Arts Epicentre Cairns CPAC a FNQ cultural epicentre. Text:/ John O’Brien
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fter a long and protracted genesis, the Cairns Performing Arts Centre (CPAC) opened to the public on 15th December 2018. Two decades in planning and two years in construction, it replaced the ageing Cairns Civic Centre with a state-of-the-art facility to support local, regional and touring performances. CPAC features a 941seat proscenium auditorium with full fly system (the only one in far north Queensland) and a reconfigurable 400-seat performance space, rehearsal and warm-up area. As part of the upgrade, these rooms received brand new audio gear, matching the quality of the new venue. Some of this equipment is also used at the adjoining amphitheatre in Munro Martin Parklands. Theatre consultants Schuler Shook conducted a feasibility study and ended up completing full planning and design for the technical elements of this project. Its sound system specification outline required SPL levels, room coverage and some specific equipment but left the brief open enough to cater for quality non-conforming tender responses. For consistency and continuity, one tender covered both performance spaces. Graeme Hicks at Entertainment Production Services (EPS) pitched a proposal based on a range of d&b loudspeakers with Midas front ends. Principal contractor FKG accepted the bid without a conventional speaker shootout, primarily because the 3D modelling and industry standard specified coverage and levels were easily met. Besides, they did not yet have a building to test any gear in! VIRTUAL REALITY
d&b’s ArrayCalc simulation software modelled the spaces and derived the ideal combination of products from the projected dB/SPL overlays onto the virtual rooms. A mix of loudspeakers are deployed to ensure sound quality is consistent throughout all seating positions in each room. So how does this convert from paper and screen to real life? According to CPAC Technical Manager, Jon Driver: “It translates very realistically. I was expecting serious industry standard gear and certainly got it.” The main theatre system consists of left and right arrays of 6 x V8, 4 x V12, and 3 x V-SUB per side. 2 x V10P speakers are used for room
infill and 6 x E6 boxes cover the balcony. 15 x 4S speakers enable multiple fill configurations around the stage and pit lips. This flexibility is enhanced with 6 x T10s for portable fill and a V-GSUB for extra stage oomph. Onstage foldback is catered for with 8 x M4 monitor wedges. Driving all these speakers is a combination of d&b 30D and 10D amplifiers. With its automated flooring system, the smaller but more versatile Studio space has a rig of 2 x Y7P and 1 x Y-SUB flown per side, 4 x E6 and 16 x 8S handling fill duties and a pair of M4s for foldback. D20, 30D, and 10D amps power these speakers. Both rooms feature Midas PRO-X desks fixed in place out front. The venue has a third PRO-X, used for monitor mixing on stage in the Theatre or as an alternative FOH position in the Studio. JD: “Using PRO-X is a really good option, because the nearby Tanks Arts Centre also uses
PRO-X, so local operators already understand the PRO series platform, allowing a consistency of training between venues. Plus, it’s also a really nice product.” Toowoomba’s Empire theatre also has PRO desks — another continuity plus for the locals. THE INS & OUTS
Handfuls of DL231 IOs send 96kHz AES50 digital audio to the amps and d&b R1 remote software and native digitally enabled amplifiers take over from there. As the d&b supplier, NAS provided considerable technical assistance. NAS’s Doug Pringle and Dave Jacques were onsite helping to commission the systems, time aligning delays for fills, setting up snapshots of common configurations for different room layouts and storing simple base configurations. These start with basic L/R and sub level control
