Milton Keynes, UK (October 29, 2019)—The MK Gallery in Milton Keynes, a new arts venue, sports five exhibition galleries, a large learning and community studio, and The Sky Room, a flexible auditorium on the upper floor with 150 retractable seats (300 standing). The performance space is equipped with an EM Acoustics sound system supplied by event production specialists, Hawthorn.
An EM Acoustics system was specified as part of the global design of the Sky Room. “It sounded great but I felt that the initial spec was lacking a bit of low end, and needed a bit of tweaking in order to really suit our needs, so I got in touch with EM Acoustics directly to see if they could help,” explains Jamie Aylard, facilities & technical manager at MK Gallery.
The Sky Room is intended to be a multi-purpose space, hosting independent cinema, live music, theatre, lectures, conferences and more. “Whatever the event may be, we have to make it work,” says Aylard, “and that means that the sound system has to adapt accordingly.”
The main system is comprised of two i-C12 coaxial, reflex-loaded full range loudspeakers flown from the ceiling grid. “These are used for lectures, conferences and, of course, cinema,” says Aylard. They are supplemented by four compact EMS-61s also flown from the grid which provide additional vocal reinforcement and help fill the back of the hall.
For live music applications, Aylard uses a pair of EMS-215 subs with a pole-mounted i-C12 on top to create a full range L/R system. He also has four M12 stage monitors and a spare pair of i-C12s that can also act as monitors when required or additional reinforcement for the main system. Two DQ-20D amplifiers handle power requirements and the entire system is networked via Dante.
EM Acoustics • www.emacoustics.co.uk
