Originally constructed in 1911 and then renovated in the 1930s and late 1990s, the Empire was previously the first theatre in Australia to install a Midas Heritage 2000. The upgrade to Midas’s latest live system is in line with the desire of the theatre’s audio department to switch to a digital console capable of providing more features and greater versatility.
“The PRO6 was by far the most flexible and expandable system that I’d come across, as well as being the best-sounding,” said the Empire’s head of audio, Ralph Atkinson, pictured here between colleagues Shane Howarth-Crewdson and Tim Panitz.
In addition to purchasing a standard PRO6 system with a DL 351 I/O box, the theatre has also purchased a Klark Teknik DN9331 Rapide motorised fader remote control for graphic EQs, and a trio of DL451 boxes.
Last month Osmond Electronics became the first Australian purchaser of a PRO6. The Adelaide-based company specified its PRO6 with the DL431 input splitter and DL451 I/O box usually supplied with the XL8.
Regarding the impressive worldwide performance of the PRO6 thus far, sales and marketing director David Cooper admitted that while Midas was aware that it had a winning product on its hands, “the overwhelmingly positive response from both owners and users has surpassed our wildest dreams. With other manufacturers focusing on the low-end, we’re confident [that] we are very well-placed to meet the rigorous demands of national and international touring riders, as well as those performance audio installations where good enough just isn’t good enough.”
