How to resolve AdBlock issue? Alive Connected relies on HK Audio
HK Audio’s LINEAR 5 MK2 speakers were the right tool for Alive Connected to please both the animals and the crowds at this year’s London Zoo Nights. The solution needed to cover a crowd of 3,000 people and meet the requirements to stage performances from a West End Production, while also meeting strict noise restrictions to ensure the animals were calm and happy. Alive Connected has had a long relationship with London Zoo, supporting the world’s oldest scientific zoo with AV equipment across a number of its larger events. When it came to the complexities of the Zoo Nights programme, the team at the zoo knew it needed extra support and once again turned to Alive Connected.
“When you’re planning sound coverage, you need to not just look at where your speakers are pointing but also be mindful of where you are avoiding so that the combination of each element adds to a beautiful sound in the audience space and a far reduced sound in the avoidance zones. Sometimes that means using more elements to decrease the overall level of each speaker,” explains Alive Connected’s Dave Warner. “At London Zoo Nights we had a list of criteria including a restriction of 75dB to the nearest animals, in this case the flamingos and reptiles. So, we needed to position the speakers in a way to make sure we were confident it would sound great inside the audience area and be as quiet as possible outside.”
Alive Connected had recently purchased its LINEAR 5 MK2 system with another gig in mind. However, Warner felt the six-week run of outdoor performances would be the perfect opportunity to put the system straight to use. “I realised it would be perfect because it has the directivity and punch we needed, looks smart, and for outside use has a weatherproof cover,” recalls Warner. “When we set it up and tried it ahead of the first show, it sounded absolutely wonderful. It’s not too big, has great rejection at the back and you’ve still got enough headroom to cover a large space.”
Alive Connected put its LINEAR 5 MK2 115 XA cabinets to use for the performances as the main PA with LINEAR 5 MK2 112 XA used for delays. “I went for the XA version to give me slightly wider coverage over the FOH version,” explains Warner. “With the 70° dispersion on the 115 XA and 80° on the 112 XA it means I can get the required coverage and control without needing to double up on narrower dispersion boxes.”
The main event each week included an acoustic music act, some games from the ZSL team and then a live acoustic performance an award-winning West End musical. This saw an acoustic guitar and three vocalists take to the stage to perform hits from the stage show. “It went really well and the team at the zoo were really happy,” states Warner. “We kept within the noise limits, registering only 70dB by the flamingos. We were able to leave the system on site for six weeks and it worked perfectly every time.” Having had a positive first experience with its investment in HK Audio, the Alive Connected team are now planning to get its LINEAR 5 MK2 system on more gigs in the future. “It was a great first use,” reflects Warner. “It was straight out of the box and onto six weeks work. We trusted it to stay there and just work, which was brilliant.”