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HK + LAB.GRUPPEN FIRST CHOICE FOR FINDHORN'S UNIVERSAL HALL
Built to function as
a theatre, conference centre and meeting point for the Findhorn
Foundation and Community in Forres, North East Scotland, the
Universal Hall represents an intriguing amalgamation of architecture,
art and functional performance. Designed by British architect
George Ripley, the building’s unusual specification
includes a hand-carved stone exterior facing, magnificent
stained glass entrance and geodesic roof construction where
five enormous wooden ring beams hold up the roof.
A true community project, construction of the centre took
place over a 10 year period from 1974 to 1984. A mainly volunteer-based
workforce numbering literally thousands of people either living
at or visiting the Findhorn Foundation Community took part
in the building work of the pentagon-based project. Inside,
an auditorium area was designed to seat 280 people, with the
potential for a total of 400 to be present overall. Used primarily
for music, drama, dance and mixed media shows, the auditorium’s
dedicated sound and lighting systems means it makes an excellent
audio-visual demonstration and conference venue. Additionally,
sound connections located throughout the auditorium can be
relayed via a patch bay into an adjacent recording studio
making the recording of live concerts a possibility - in fact,
the BBC has already recorded a symphony orchestra here.
Universal Hall MD, Peter Vallance takes up the story; "When
we decided to upgrade our existing cinema presentation facilities
here at the Universal Hall, Findhorn, our aim was to have
a first class audio and visual package which was both versatile
and reliable. With generous funding from Scottish Cinema in
place we were able to do just that. At the Universal Hall
we put on a variety of events apart from cinema presentations,
ranging from concerts and conferences to touring theatrical
shows, stand-up comedy shows, and dance events. Acts as diverse
as The Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Mike Scott & The Waterboys
and Frankie Boyle have all been here."
"We already knew of the quality of HK Audio sound equipment
from Ian McIvor of Acorn Audio who regularly supplies us with
an HK Actor system plus HK Premium PR:O monitors, for our
larger shows. Ian arranged for Pro Audio specialist, Neville
Raine from UK HK distributor John Hornby Skewes to come up
from Leeds to demonstrate a range of HK speakers here in the
Universal Hall."
"Because of the pentagonal shape of the space and the
3-400 capacity, following Neville's advice we decided to purchase
four of the impressive HK IL 15.2 speakers flown as two clusters,
powered by a Lab.Gruppen FP2600 power amplifier, in order
to achieve the sound coverage required. The flown clusters
each use HK's MC1 mounting cradle system, making the install
as straightforward as possible. We have also added two HK
Audio Premium PR:O 12MA active and two Premium PR:O 12M passive
stage monitors to complement our audio purchases."
"Here at the Universal Hall we have a requirement to
record conference sessions, and so we are also trying out
an Allen & Heath ZED12FX mixing console which, as well
as being an excellent sounding desk, has a USB output which
is ideal for visiting technicians to record direct to their
laptops. This console will probably become a permanent fixture
here, too."
The Universal Hall's new audio-visual equipment has already
capably dealt with its first tasks, including a cinema presentation
and a large meeting, with very favourable comments on audio
clarity and intelligibility from both audience and presenters
alike.
"We are looking forward to our new season of shows and
conferences with the knowledge that we have achieved our aim
of having first class audio-visual capabilities on offer,"
Vallance concludes.
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Below: Findhorn's dramatic Universal Hall exterior, designed
by British architect, George Ripley.
Below:
HK IL15.2 clusters discretely flank the auditorium's large
display screen, under the unusual ceiling construction.
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