This past August marked the debut of Medieval Times’ eighthand newest North American castle, located at Arundel Mills Mall in theBaltimore/Washington D.C. corridor. Housing 19 Andalusian stallions andup to 1,000 guests per performance, the 60,000-square-foot facilityalso boasts a powerful sound system.
Pictured: overlooking the Soundcraft K2 from the house mix positionat Hanover’s Medieval Times. Photo: Lee Towns
Portman’s Music Superstore (Savannah, Ga.) has been thechain’s sound contractor since 1986, when the pro audio dealer,working on a specification from consultant James Brawley, installedequipment at the very first location in Kissimmee, Fla. Now, 17 yearslater, the contractor and consultant have again teamed up to provide anaudio setup primarily comprising a 24-channel Soundcraft K2 mixingconsole, seven BSS FDS-336 Minidrives and 40 Crown K2 amplifiersdriving an all-JBL loudspeaker rig.
According to Portman’s professional audio division managerFrank Andrews, “We’ve really tried to standardize onequipment so that sound engineers can go from castle to castle and nothave to deal with a learning curve. This approach also reduces theoverall number of products that their corporate office has to worryabout should maintenance and service issues ever arise. Jim Brawley andI both like using the 336 a lot because it does many things very well.To illustrate, the Hanover venue has a total of 32 rear surroundspeakers with eight mounted on each of the four walls. Using the BSSunits, they can create some interesting theatrical effects, like makingthe sound seem like it’s spinning around the room behind theaudience. Or they can send sounds solely to either side or end of themain front ring of speakers for dramatic effect. The Minidrives reallywork well for a show like this.”
Regarding the choice of a mixing console, Andrews said, “Withits good number of buses, subs and auxes, as well as comprehensivecontrol over tone, the Soundcraft K2 was the most reasonable choice forthis install. It provides everything they will need to accommodatefuture productions and will fit in well with the venue’s eventualgrowth process.”
For more information, visit www.soundcraft.com or www.bss.co.uk.
