The Albert Dumouchel Theatre—the main auditorium for Valspec, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the enrichment of the community through multidisciplinary cultural activities located in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, Canada—was in need of a serious audio upgrade more than two decades in the making. With the help of Quebec-based integrator Go Multimedia and AV installer LSM, a new d&b audiotechnik Y-Series loudspeaker system was recently installed to address many sonic challenges.
This main auditorium, located at Valleyfield College—built in 1896—turned into a professional venue in 1988 (Phase 1) and Phase 2 was completed in 2002. The theater was named for a renowned multi-talented arts professor in Quebec who was a printmaker, painter, photographer, and gifted musician. The 850-seat theater was ready for an upgrade after the previous non-d&b system—installed in 2002—had reached its age from an electronics perspective.
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After receiving multiple manufacturers’ designs followed by weekly demonstrations using systems for various events, d&b became the ideal option. The design was seven Y8/12 (ArrayProcessed) per side, two B22 subwoofers one per side along with four 44S ultra-compact loudspeakers for front fills, two Y10P point sources for delay, one Y10P center array for film activities; five 40D amplifiers are used for the line arrays and subs and one 10D for front fills and delay. The system can be used in multiple configurations to meet the needs of the event.
“The installation went very well, following the clear and precise instructions of the consultant design for the integration of the equipment,” explained François Jomphe, sales and integration specialist, LSM. “No problem and/or unforeseen event compromised the delivery, installation, implementation and tuning of the complete system according to the defined schedule. Our team are very proud to have been able to participate in this great project with d&b products”.
“The venue has a shape that can be reminiscent of a bowling alley; not very wide but very deep,” added Simon Lemieux, director of technology, Go Multimedia, Montreal. “Depending on the type of event being held there, the room can be divided approximately at two-thirds using a velvet curtain. It was, therefore, important that the sound system could provide consistent level distribution and tonality for all seats in the reduced configuration of the room as well as in the fully open configuration. It is this performance of the d&b system, thanks to ArrayProcessing, which won over the staff during their demo sessions.”
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Go Multimedia was mandated to help produce the tender documents to acquire the sound system and, in collaboration with the theater’s TD and head of sound, planned all the new infrastructure required to implement the d&b equipment.
“Array Processing works wonders by transmitting a constant sound level for all seats,” Lemieux said. “Even walking along the aisles toward the front of the stage, no difference in sound is perceptible, something that happens too often with a line array sound system and is an indicator that a sound-quality inconsistency may exist between different seats, but not presently with the d&b system in Albert-Dumouchel.”
“We are impressed by the consistency that ArrayProcesssing brings to our venue,” said Martin Primeau, technical director at the theater. “The system is flexible, and we can adjust it to the needs of every production. We are also impressed by the small 44S loudspeaker which are surprisingly powerful.”
