Ïðîêàòíàÿ êîìïàíèÿ Subfrantic óêðîùàåò ñóá-áàñû ñ Turbo (àíãë. âàðèàíò íîâîñòè)

Can you ever have too much bass? Well yes, sometimes... it's all about adapting your PA to the physical and acoustical constraints of the room, as UK production services company Subfrantic demonstrated to great effect in July for client Time2Shine, a gospel community organisation that aims to promote the next big gospel star.

The Time2Shine Ministry competition is an X-Factor style event contested by aspiring Gospel artists from various Christian Ministries across London, giving performers the platform to showcase their talent through live shows. The contestants are selected through a series of auditions at music camp, with the winners receiving a top management contract with album release, photo-shoot, website, music video and a UK/International tour.

The venue for the competition's live finals was London's Westminster Central Hall - known locally as the jewel in the crown - seating 2,000 people in theatre style, and a room that Subfrantic is very familiar with.

"This is one of the few venues we can genuinely say we have used as a proving ground for all our Turbosound systems," comments Subfrantic's Sean Murphy. "The first time we worked in the hall we ground-stacked our original Floodlight system. From there we progressed to ground-stacking the Aspect when we first bought it. After that we grew to a point where we were confident flying and had all the equipment required, so we then started to fly Aspect in there, and now we have progressed to flying Flex Array.

Originally built between 1905 and 1911 on the site of the Royal Aquarium, the domed ceiling of the Great Hall is reputed to be the second largest of its type in the world. Its vast scale and symmetrical shape create an opportunity for equal (and very long) path lengths from any acoustical source placed in the building.

And therein lies the problem.

Configuring the rig for the event of 24 Flex Array TFA-600HW wide dispersion line array elements in four hangs: two hangs of nine cabinets as the main FOH system, and two hangs of cabinets as balcony out-fills, Subfrantic's Sean Murphy explains his reasons for deploying only 16 TA-890L double 15" bass cabinets instead of the more traditionally used TSW-218 subwoofers, split into four crossover bands: "There is far too much sub frequency coming off of the TSW-218s for this room. Because of the large domed roof the delays and reverb times in the room are a nightmare. If you then add into that situation a very powerful PA system it can become uncontrollable.

"I find that the low end produced by the twin 15's is tight and quick, giving the illusion of massive low end, whilst not filling the room with uncontrollable frequencies and volume," Murphy continues. "When we bought Flex Array, we specified four fly-bars - specifically to do this room, allowing us to use two main hangs and two outfills."

Murphy modelled the room in advance using Ease Focus 2, a methodology that yields better coverage predictions and saves setup and tuning time, and which paid dividends in this normally very difficult room. "Roy Francis - one of the most famous Gospel production managers in the world - informed me that he had never heard the room sound as good," concludes Murphy, who mixed the show at FOH on a DigiCo SD8.

The monitor system comprised 12 of Subfrantic's tried and tested TFM-450 15" 2-way neodymium wedges, all powered by MC and D24s.

Murphy recalls the comment he made to colleague Steve Davies the first time they ever put up a sound system in the room: "Wouldn't it be amazing to fly a PA in here..."

Not only has Subfrantic tamed the acoustics of a notoriously tricky room with the judicious use - or lack of - sub-bass energy, the success of Time2Shine demonstrates just how far Subfrantic's business has come in the last six years.

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