Pro Audio Systems delivers upgrade at Opera North venue

Opera North has worked with Bradford-based audio, lighting and AV supplier Pro Audio Systems (PAS) on an upgrade of facilities at its Howard Assembly Room in Leeds, as part of an £18m overhaul of its estate.

The 300-capacity venue, which was built in 1879 and is next door to Leeds Grand Theatre, stages classical concerts, gigs, film screenings, talks, workshops and art installations.

Over the years, PAS has supplied and installed a variety of equipment for Opera North including a Meyer Sound front-of-house sound system, LG video screens and microphones by Sennheiser and DPA. It is also the go-to for equipment hire for the organisation’s many external events.

Jamie Saye, Howard Assembly Room’s technical manager, wanted to create a cutting-edge, future-proof technical environment that would allow the facility to benefit from the flexibility afforded by being a fully digital space. In addition to an integrated show relay system, Saye’s team was keen to embed the capacity to enable audio and video livestreaming, as well as assisted hearing.
 
As part of creating the technical environment which Saye and the team envisioned, it was important that the backbone infrastructure of the venue could facilitate the level of information that would be sent to different areas. The team wanted to be able to send lighting, audio and video information digitally, sometimes from multiple points within the venue. To ensure ‘the data pipe’ was large enough, PAS worked with Opera North to install a new fibre infrastructure. Ninety-six fibre runs were installed – each with the capacity to transmit up to 40/100G of data ⁠– future-proofing the venue for years.
 
Following the installation of the fibre network by PAS, Opera North added a DiGiCo 225 Dante enabled console, two Netgear AVline switches, a Q-Sys Core 110f processor and a DiGiCo DQ 48 in/24 out rack to its in-house equipment. The new show relay system was based on Cloud loudspeakers and amplifiers, with a mix of surface-mount and ceiling speakers installed in dressing rooms and backstage areas.

“From a digital infrastructure point of view, I was keen to get a Dante network up and running in the space, as I knew about the flexibility and redundancy it would bring to our audio system, as well as the opportunity for an entirely digital end-to-end workflow,” said Saye. “With our Quantum 225 front of house, the two AVLine switches providing primary and secondary networks, and the Q-Sys Core providing system processing, the only time a signal is in the analogue domain is when it enters the mic and leaves the speaker.
 
“The Core allowed us to build in user control interfaces that broadcast through our internal wireless network so, for example, our front-of-house team can play messages and adjust the level of the show relay system using their phones and tablets, without affecting anything we’re doing through the main PA system.”
 
The venue’s existing console had been deemed unfit for purpose some time ago, with the result that a replacement was regularly hired from PAS to meet the technical specifications of visiting artists. As DiGiCo was the most-requested brand, opting for the Quantum 225 was, according to Saye, “a no-brainer”. He added: “It has exactly the right credentials at an attractive price point, with 64-channel Dante functionality at 96Hz via the DMI card – and it sounds fantastic.”

PAS also supplied and installed a background audio system for the venue’s new restaurant, comprising loudspeakers, amplifiers and mixing console by Cloud.
 
While the Howard Assembly Room retains every captivating visual aspect of its 19th-century character, its 21st-century technologies will guarantee the venue’s future as a flexible and versatile multi-purpose space.