Adlib has specified an L-Acoustics KIVA loudspeaker system for the RSNO centre, the new home of the Royal Scottish National Symphony Orchestra. The RSNO centre forms part of the Royal Concert Hall complex in the centre of Glasgow.
The new auditorium was developed by Glasgow City Council’s in-house design team, led by architect Kerr Robertson. It is adjacent to the main Concert Hall (home of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra), which opened in 1990 as part of the city’s year as European Capital of Culture.
The overall complex features a 600-seat auditorium, a rehearsal space and learning centre, a recital hall and performance space that will be also used for classical and choral recording as well as for folk and other amplified music events.
Adlib selected the KIVA system following a detailed site survey and acoustics modelling of the room. The loudspeaker system is complemented by SB15m and SB18i low end speakers, with additional L-Acoustics XT Series speakers as infills where additional sound coverage is required. After winning the tender, Adlib liaised with the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall’s in-house technical managers and also with ARUP.
The space is flexible with automated retractable seating, so the KIVA system was chosen as a lightweight modular line source solution offering acoustic performance and clarity. Another benefit of using KIVA is that it can also have inter-cabinet angles altered to suit current and future tiered seating arrangements.
The flown system features 11x KIVA speakers a side with two SB18i flown subs a side, plus two SB15M ultra-compact bass extensions sitting at the top of each KIVA array.
For stage and lip fills, four 8XTs can be deployed and two 12XTs were specified for covering the ‘platform’ area which can include additional seats in the choir stalls position behind the stage, or they can be used as general left and right stage fills.
The KIVA system is driven by a combination of LA8 and LA4X amplifiers all featuring on-board signal processing. A DiGiCo SD8/24 console is an integral part of the package along with D2 DiGiCo stage boxes. This choice of control surface is perfect for the job in hand and also maintains brand continuity with other DiGiCo consoles used in the main GRCH venues. The SD8/24’s relatively low cost coupled with its versatility ticked all necessary boxes for this application.
The system was completed with the addition of a BSS London Architect network, which includes a BLU-160 signal processor and all necessary cabling, power distribution racks and packaging, plus a small analogue Allen & Heath MixWizard desk.
The recital hall has a flexible acoustic response due to a series of fully automated acoustic dampening and reflectors that can be deployed to suit each event.
This production infrastructure was designed by ARUP, and all acoustic dampening and rigging solutions were supplied and installed by Centre Stage Engineering.
Adlib worked closely with Graeme Ironside and Nick Milnes from Glasgow Life, the organisation that manages all the council’s cultural and sporting related activities, and directly with Iain Stirton of Carillion Plc, the building’s appointed Construction Company.
“Working with Adlib was a pleasure,” stated Milnes. “Everything was organised and efficient on site and the resulting sound system design is fantastic and is being enjoyed by all using it and listening to it”.
