Latest News
& Press Releases
User stories, installs, product news and more from DiGiCo
DiGiCo Holds The Torch For Welsh Theatre
DiGiCo Yn Dal y Dorch i'r Theatr Gymraeg
Wales is globally renowned for its choirs, but the country also enjoys a wide variety of other live entertainment. That variety is continually growing and audio systems in smaller venues now have a desire to match the quality and flexibility to those of their bigger brethren. In two recent cases, the DiGiCo SD9 has been the solution.
Milford Haven’s Torch Theatre is one such example. A multi-function venue that combines main and studio theatres, an art gallery and café, it caters for plays, films, live music, dance, conferences and much more.
The Torch has also joined a growing trend in regional theatre of showing live and recorded transmissions of high profile stage shows, such as those by the National Theatre and New York’s Metropolitan Opera. This brings in a valuable extra revenue stream, with the advantage of High Definition (HD) video broadcast over the internet allowing audiences to feel as if they are virtually in the same venue as the performance. However, it also places demands on the audio system, as the loudspeakers and mixing console have to cope with equally high quality sound.
For today’s regional venues, a 16 or 32 channel analogue console is no longer a viable option. With 40 Flexi Channels, 16 Flexi Busses, an 8 x 8 output matrix, 24 touch-sensitive faders and all the advantages of DiGiCo’s Stealth Digital Processing™, this SD9 delivers everything that the theatre needs for the 300-capacity main house and the soon to be Supercharged version can deliver even more.
Supplied by Stage Electrics, it has transformed the theatre’s experience with digital audio, which began on a less than auspicious note.
“The SD9 isn’t our first digital console,” says the theatre’s technical manager Andrew Sturley. “Previously we had a 24 channel digital desk from another manufacturer and went through four in a year, so it wasn’t a great start. We ended up without any console at all for a while so, when we were looking for a new one, we needed much greater reliability and to be certain that we were getting a quality product for the money.
“We looked at many digital mixing consoles and were unanimous that the multi-functionality, processing quality and size made the SD9 the right desk for us. The Flexi Channels have added a lot of versatility and it has transformed our audio system from being mediocre to excellent, simply by just plugging it in. Some incoming productions are now using our system instead of their own, which they never did before.”
As well as the main house, Torch has a studio theatre, featuring 102 retractable seats. It is unlikely to be long before it has its own DiGiCo console. “The SD9 has become an integral part of our system and we are very happy with it,” says Andrew. “As soon as we can, we will be buying a second one for the studio theatre.
“The SD9 has transformed things since the initial, very disappointing start to our use of digital audio. I would recommend it to anyone.”
An SD9 enjoying a more nomadic life is that owned by Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru (ThGC), the Carmarthen-based, National Welsh language touring company, which stages Welsh language productions throughout the country and beyond. Supplied by Wigwam, the SD9 is the company’s first ‘permanent’ digital mixing console.
“We were able to secure some Lottery funding to purchase equipment and a high quality, digital console was high on our list of priorities. Our productions vary in scale and the audio system needs to cope with everything from a full blown musical to an intimate performance in a village hall. So the SD9 was the logical choice for us,” says Wyn Jones, ThGC’s technical and operations manager.
“We rely a lot on freelance sound engineers and their views were also a consideration. The SD9 is very user-friendly and many of them expressed a preference for DiGiCo. The sound designer on our last tour absolutely loved it and DiGiCo’s support has been great. Buying it was a very wise decision.”
Press Contacts:
David Webster at DiGiCo
Tel: +44 1372 845600
Email:webby@digiconsoles.com
Web: www.digico.org
Sarah James at Gasoline Media
Tel: +44 1372 471472
IMAGE 1: Mariam Dalziel (South Hook LNG), Andrew Sturley (Torch Theatre Technical Manager), Jane James (Chevron UK), Wendy Goldsworthy (Dragon LNG), Peter Doran (Torch Theatre Artistic Director)
Discuss This News Story
Register for eNews
Sign up now to receive regular updates about DiGiCo products, news and events
