Montreal – December 19, 2011 – The Olympia is one of the oldest and most renowned theaters in Montreal. Founded in 1925, it has become a multifunctional space thanks to its use as a “cinematic theater,” combining both cinema and live performance. The customer, represented by Olympia's private ownership, needed to update the audio system, as it was longer able to satisfy the technical requirements of today's show business.
The Olympia is situated in a building that also houses lived-in condos. In the interest of keeping external noise at a minimum, the owner contacted several audio companies in order to find an appropriate sound solution. The various proposals were accompanied by practical on-site demonstrations with the systems in operation.
The customer contacted Sennheiser Canada, exclusive Canadian distributor of the K-array product line, who subsequently contacted John Robert, the theater's technical director, to assess the specific needs of the venue. “We were looking for a sound solution that could accommodate all of our needs, which range from corporate events, to theatrical representations, to rock shows,” commented Robert. “Clean sight lines and precise directivity were also of primary importance.”
The project called for a K-array solution, which was configured by Gennaro Vaino, director of the live sound division for Sennheiser Canada. Together with Patrick Marleau, a K-array specialist for Sennheiser Canada, Vaino specified and demonstrated the system at the Olympia Theatre. “For this project, I considered the two most extreme uses of the venue: a high SPL punk concert with the seats removed and a corporate event in which the room set up more like a restaurant with diffused DJ or jazz music,” said Vaino. “The K-array KH4 and KS4 speakers were in a left and right position just outside the proscenium for clean sight lines, while the KH15 line array speakers were used as a central cluster for theatrical applications; the KH15 are also was used for infill applications.”
“Subwoofer positioning was of the utmost important for this project,” continued Vaino. “The left/center/right with cardioid pattern was the perfect solution to address the high SPL demand of the venue, while minimizing sound transfer to the upstairs condos.” The installation, tuning and commissioning of the self-powered K-Array system was a great success.