Before any entertainer ever sets foot on its stage, Club Regent Event Centre is already equipped to put on an amazing show with its computer-automated flexible seating system, which can adapt in minutes into over a dozen seating configurations for any kind of show: theatrical, concert, meetings and more. Fortunately for patrons of this 1,400-seat venue in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, which is part of the larger Club Regent Casino, the system sounds as amazing as it looks, thanks to a new L-Acoustics K3-based sound system.
"This is a fairly complex sound system for a very flexible environment," explained Martin Van Djik, Senior Consultant and Partner at Toronto-based Engineering Harmonics, which designed the Solotech-integrated system. Indeed it is: it comprises L/R hangs of eight new K3 loudspeaker enclosures each, with six 12 KS21 subs per side, eight arrays of three Kiva II as delays, eight coaxial X8 frontfills, two larger X12 outfills, four A15 Wide deckfills, and one centerfill consisting of one K3 plus four Kara II. Nine LA12X and four LA4X amplified controllers drive the system, which is connected to an audio network using six LS10 AVB network switches.network switches. For control, a DiGiCo Quantum338 console was also part of the new package, installed by integrator AVG.
"We had to design a system that would always provide excellent coverage, whether the room was configured for Broadway show-style theater seating or as a flat, open ballroom-type floor for a trade event or fundraiser," said Djik. "Each configuration has its own specific coverage needs, so we designed a sound system to accommodate all of them." For instance, he says, the rear of the venue can be scrimmed off to create a more intimate space and thus changing the Kiva II delay coverage depending upon the type of event.
Another characteristic of the venue that required special attention is the fact that it has a relatively low ceiling. Thus, the delays are necessary to achieve the throw required to hit the rear seats. "More speakers gave us the ability to cover that distance and not sacrifice any dynamic range or sonic quality while doing so," says Van Djik.
He also notes that the L-Acoustics product universe gave him all of the options he needed to achieve these complex design goals. For instance, K3 is ideal for applications that require long-throw, reinforced low-frequency contour, broad bandwidth, and limited footprint, such as this venue. What's especially remarkable is that Van Djik specified the K3 without ever having heard it first.
"With the pandemic, it's been difficult to experience new products, but based on the K3 specifications and the fact that L-Acoustics products all deliver an excellent sonic experience, I felt confident in recommending it for this project," he says. "They ticked all the boxes, including low weight and high power-to-weight ratio."
The same goes, he adds, for the relatively new A Series loudspeakers, whose A15 Wide versions are used as deckfills. "I just specified A Series speakers on a smaller project in Toronto and was really impressed with the way they sound. And all L-Acoustics systems are rider-friendly, so we know that touring shows will find them attractive."
