Empire Theatre upgrades with Midas PRO6
The Empire Theatre in the Queensland city of Toowoomba has upgraded to a Midas PRO6, becoming the first performing arts centre in Australia to install the new digital system.
Originally built in 1911 as a silent movie house, the theatre was extensively renovated following a fire in the 1930s, and is a stunning example of art deco architecture both inside and out. The Empire underwent another major renovation in the late 1990s, becoming the first theatre in Australia to install a Midas Heritage 2000 in its ongoing desire to provide optimum performance.
In recent years the theatre’s audio department has expressed a desire to upgrade to a digital console to provide more features and greater flexibility. Head of audio Ralph Atkinson evaluated many consoles in his search, concluding that none came close to the sonic performance of the theatre’s existing console.
That was until the launch of the Midas PRO6 live audio system. Atkinson realised the PRO6 offered a number of advantages over other platforms. One important feature for the theatre was its ability via the Dt451 I/O box to locate audio inputs and outputs throughout the theatre running just a Cat 5e cable. Inputs and outputs can be located close to the source or destination, significantly reducing the amount of copper cable in the system. And finally, according to Atkinson, “The PRO6 was by far the most flexible and expandable system that I’d come across, as well as being the best sounding.”
As well as purchasing a standard PRO6 system that includes a DL 351 I/O box, the theatre also bought a Klark Teknik DN9331 Rapide motorised fader remote control for graphic EQs, and three DL451 boxes loaded with combinations of input and out modules to facilitate maximum flexibility.
The Empire’s PRO6 was first used for a concert by English rock ‘n’ roll veterans The Searchers, and will be put through the paces of its first theatre production in April with the musical Singing in the Rain.
Finally, to highlight that Midas analogue is very much alive and in demand, the H2000 has been added to the hire inventory of Queensland-based CPC Audio, where it joins a Heritage 3000, an XL200, several Venices and, of course, two new Midas PRO6 systems.
Photo: L to R: Empire Theatre’s Shane Howarth-Crewdson, Ralph Atkinson and Tim Panitz with the Midas PRO6
Photo: Exterior of the Empire Theatre, Toowoomba
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Editors' information:
Midas live performance mixing consoles have been used by the world's most demanding sound engineers, performers and rental companies for three decades. The company strives to raise the standards of sonic quality through its programme of continual research and development, implementing new control functionality and user-friendly desk operation to anticipate and accommodate the ever-evolving needs of audio professionals who specify Midas consoles for their major tours, festivals, international events, broadcast projects and prestigious fixed installations.
Klark Teknik was founded in 1974 and in the years immediately following, their innovative approach to design and development allowed them to introduce some truly groundbreaking designs. Klark Teknik was responsible for one of the world’s first digital delay and digital reverb units, however it was their concepts for equalisation devices that really changed the world of professional audio resulting in the DN370 and the famous DN360. Today Klark Teknik continues to bring innovation in design and dedication to engineering and sonic quality in both the analogue and digital realm of signal processing, with the Square ONE and Show Command ranges updating the brand.