NEXO recently installed new audio for a number of theatres, concert venues and performance spaces in the idyllic Norwegian town of Halden, nestled by the Iddefjord on the Swedish border. Halden is a small town of cobblestone streets, independent shops, cosy restaurants and river promenades, but it has become one of Norway’s cultural hotspots.
Located next to Halden Station, Byparken is a former engine shed converted into a venue for concerts, parties and meetings, accommodating 600 people standing or 250 people sitting. The system at Byparken comprises FOH hangs of 4 x NEXO GEO M10 clusters with 2 x LS18 subs left and right.
Asle Skaarslette, from Norwegian NEXO distributor Hove West, said: “It’s a long building with a low roof height, so we installed one sub behind another which also helps with LF directivity. A pair of NEXO ePS6 delays contribute to achieving very good coverage and the system performs well for the various types of events that take place there, from spoken word to rock shows.”
Just a short walk away is Fredrikshald Teater, Norway’s only preserved baroque theatre built in 1838 and sill retaining a sloping stage floor and many old sets.
NEXO ID84 column speakers finished in a custom red paint colour were installed to match the theatre interior. Mounting them directly on top of their partner NEXO IDS312 subs also positions the HF arrays at the right height to achieve excellent coverage.
Skaarslette added: “There are obviously restrictions when installing a modern sound system in an old building and it was important that the speakers should make the smallest visual impact possible in such an historic space.”
Elsewhere in the town, the Brygga Kultursal is a maximum 700-person venue staging a wide variety of performances from drama to live music, equipped with NEXO line arrays of 7 x GEO S12 with 3 x NEXO RS15 subs per side, while its smaller, 250-capacity sister-venue Black Box relies on a NEXO GEO M10/LS18 sound system to stage a similarly diverse range of events.
