AN EQUILIBRIUM OF ART & TECHNOLOGY
Founded in 1940, Patna Women’s College was the first higher education facility of its kind to be opened in India’s Bihar state. The college recently invested in best-in-class audio, video and lighting systems for its newly completed 2,500-seat Veronica Auditorium.Following the successful completion of another project for Patna Women’s College, Punjab-based Soundxperts won the contract to supply a complete turnkey solution for the auditorium, including audio, video, lighting, control, acoustics, seating, and flooring.Soundxperts worked closely with professional audio distributor, Sun Infonet, which was able to supply leading brands for the crucial audio component of this prestigious project. According to Soundxperts owner, Amninder Warraich, “Having the complete audio solution under one roof from renowned brands like Shure, Allen & Heath, Audiofocus, Quest Engineering and Meyer Sound, Sun Infonet is known for its commitment, timely delivery, technical support and after sales service”.
The Veronica Auditorium’s vast stage accommodates more than 350 performers and can be
used for the full spectrum of live band performances, theatre shows, cultural events, video
conferencing and cinema screenings. The main screen Samsung P4 active LED screen is the
biggest of its kind, with switching provided by AMX. Four networked cameras and 14 smaller
Samsung display screens were installed alongside the main screen and in the green room,
VIP room, control room and main hall.
For the main PA system, Soundxperts installed eight Audiofocus ARES 8a line array elements
and three B 18a LF extensions on each side of the stage, plus a further cluster of four ARES
8a cabinets as centre fills. With the potential for large numbers of artists onstage, eight
Audiofocus CM 15a low profile monitor speakers were provided, together with four MTSub
218a twin 18” subwoofers.
Belgium-based Audiofocus has always focused on transparent tonality that needs minimal
equalisation,” comments Sun Infonet Senior Application Engineer, Kallol Nath. “Audiofocus
being the main PA system gives the user ease of operation. As all cabinets are equipped
with internal Wi-Fi, the user can check and alter any parameter of any loudspeaker
whenever needed. This brings a lot of flexibility to the entire system."
In addition to live events, the PA system is capable of delivering full 7.1 Dolby cinema sound
for screenings. Eighteen Quest HPI 110 loudspeakers were installed to achieve this surround
sound capability, with a further 13 HPI25 cabinets employed as front fills under the stage
and balcony and 2 QM4 as side fills, plus a pair of QM18SA speakers on each side of stage.
Four Quest QSA200i active speakers have been positioned in the main and stage control
rooms. Quest QX2280 amplifiers were installed to power speakers in the main control room
and entrance foyer.
A pair of Allen & Heath Avantis mixing consoles console was supplied for both FoH and monitor mixing duties. The main PA and surround systems are controlled by an Allen & Heath AHM-32 matrix processor, supported by DX168 and DX012 I/O expanders connected over S-Link. Presets transforming the entire auditorium from a live venue to a cinema can be recalled from the AHM-32’s front panel.
“Allen & Heath’s AHM DSP is built for scenarios where we have multiple sources and zones,” comments Amninder Warraich. “The ability to link AHM-32 to external input and output modules expands its horizons and allows you to control the entire system with surrounds, green rooms, control rooms and more. AHM is a very versatile, powerful DSP and it is readily available on the market.”
In Amninder’s words “Today’s auditoriums go above and beyond to provide high-impact entertainment, from video, to music, to live performances, delivering an awe-inspiring experience. Our high-end range of audio products delivers full fidelity, full bandwidth sound, from the deepest lows to crystal clear highs, over a range of programming, from announcements to music”. He adds, “We installed India’s largest P4 Samsung active LED screen at the Veronica Auditorium, with a super wide viewing angle. It adds another star to the venue and allows multiple pieces of content to be shown at once.”