In order to stay ahead, the focal point of this leading performance complex has upgraded its installed PA system with the latest sound reinforcement technology.
Le Cap, the flagship venue within the La Sirène performance complex in La Rochelle, has been fitted with an upgraded installed PA system with high performance loudspeakers from Nexo.
Using new equipment budgets from last summer, the technical team led by technical director Christian Parrot selected new technologies in sound reinforcement to produce a range of musical styles and DJ performances at the venue.
La Sirène, opened in 2011, is located in the west of France and is one of the country’s leading art and performance complexes. The architecturally distinctive centre is dedicated to contemporary pop music, and the creative space includes five rehearsal studios as well as performance facilities that include a 400-seat nightclub and 1,300-capacity auditorium.
Since opening, La Sirène has had a close relationship with manufacturer Nexo, reinforced by an equally durable relationship with installation/rental company Melpomen.
Parrot and his engineers decided to replace the existing Nexo GEO D tangent line array system from Le Cap with Nexo’s next generation of loudspeaker designs viewed at the manufacturer’s Paris HQ.
“We were very satisfied with the GEO D system performance,” says Christian Parrot, “but we wanted to stay poised at the cutting edge of new technology so we went to evaluate the new STM Series of modular line array. Nexo had just introduced the smallest module in that high-performance series, the M28, which is a 2x 8in compact with an inter-cabinet angle of 15°, and great SPL output.”
With a Nexo GEO S12 line array in its nightclub, and Nexo PS Series full-range cabinets in all its rehearsal studios, La Sirène was already familiar with technicalities of Nexo’s equipment. After several demos of the new STM technology, the technicians were comfortable with the modular approach which has the M28 handling 60Hz-20kHz and additional bass response of 63-200Hz provided by a number of B112 bass cabinets, flown at the top of the array. STM S118 subs complete the system.
The Melpomen team, led by Thierry Tranchant, undertook a thorough installation and optimisation of the system, which resulted in an elegant system configuration of six M28 plus three B112s per side, with six S118 subs on the floor.
“We quickly noticed the extreme finesse and presence of the new cabinets,” says Christian Parrot. “For the audience, it delivers sound quality that is comfortable to listen to; the bands and engineers are satisfied with its output and operational performance, and our technicians are impressed with its efficiency.”
“This is really the high end in terms of sound reinforcement,” explains Jean Jacques Vias, Nexo’s sales director for France. “La Sirène is one of the first SMACs in Europe to use STM M28 for a fixed installation, but it’s the ideal choice for a venue with such a diversity of artists and material.”
Picture courtesy of Julien Branco
