In Geneva, the beautiful Victoria Hall has been fitted with a discreet NEXO GEO S tangent-array sound reinforcement system. Zap Audio has designed the system to include a small EtherSound network, featuring a Yamaha digital matrix and NEXO's digital controllers, a modern addition to a classical interior.
Built in 1894, and dedicated to Queen Victoria by Sir Daniel Barton, her consul in Geneva, the rococo-styled Victoria Hall boasts exceptional acoustics. Indeed, it has been used by the legendary classical label Decca to make many famous recordings. First used by a brass band, the 'Harmonie Nautique', then world-famous as a classical concert venue, the Victoria Hall nowadays hosts a wide variety of events, including auctions, awards ceremonies, political meetings and concerts of jazz and world music. With its long reverberation time, about 3.5 seconds, there was a pressing need for a PA system for such non-classical events. The 1850-capacity theatre is arranged over three levels, with two horseshoe-shaped galleries above the stalls or ground floor. Frédéric Walder of Geneva-based sound company Zap Audio has chosen NEXO GEO S cabinets in small flown arrays for the stalls and first-floor gallery, and used NEXO PS8 compact cabinets in the second gallery.
"In a venue with so much history, everyone had to be very careful with the interior," explains Walder. "We had to argue with the architect for our speaker positions, but, although we weren't able to put GEO S in the second gallery, we didn't have to make too many compromises."
On the ground floor, ZAP has installed left and right clusters of 4x GEO S (3x S805 plus 1 S830) cabinets, bolstered by a pair of PS8s providing front-fill for the first row of seats. 25 metres back from the stage, another pair of PS8s are provided as a delay system, offering extra definition. In the first gallery, either side of the stage is an array of 3x GEO S (2x S805 plus 1 S830) and 2x PS8 acting as delays towards the rear of the hall. And in the upper gallery, there are 3 rows of 2x PS8s. 4x CD12 subbass units have been used. "GEO S gives us very precise directivity, which we can predict accurately using GeoSoft. Together with its compact size, this was a key factor in our choice of system, backed up by the efficient R&D support from David Hochstenbach from NEXO."
For the first time in Switzerland, a GEO S system is being powered by CAMCO Tectons, 22.2 models for the PS8s, a 32.4 for the GEO S in the first gallery, and 3x 38.4 units for the main GEO S arrays and subs.
All processing is handled by NEXO's NX242 TDControllers, fitted with NXtension-ES4 cards for EtherSound capability. Says Walder, "The easiest way to connect the NX242-controlled speaker system to the digital matrix is by creating a digital interface using the Auvitran AVY16ES card with the Yamaha DME24 digital matrix. The building has EtherNet cabling, so now it is very quick and easy for any user of the hall to hang an EtherSound-ready device from the system. For example, with the front-of-house desk, there's only one EtherNet cable to connect up instead of a multicore, and the engineer can avoid unnecessary digital conversions. We also have remote control of the DME24 matrix and the TDControllers from the front-of-house system, or even from behind the stage."

So Victoria Hall, built in 1894, is now at the cutting edge of networking. Any front-of-house desk that has an EtherSound card can be connected to the network within minutes. As an added bonus, implementation of the network enabled two engineers from Zap Audio to complete the installation (amp rack, loudspeakers and network) in just five days.