PMB Girls High School has a large indoor centre used for sport and for school gatherings, presentations and assemblies.
Such venues are quite common in the KZN Midlands where Prosound has provided solutions for sound systems at Michael House School and PMB College and The Wykeham Collegiate.
Being voluminous spaces with minimum acoustic control, these “multi-purpose halls’ are difficult spaces to provide articulate and intelligible sound.
PMB Girls High School had 3 previous unsuccessful sound systems installed. In calling on Prosound to solve their dilemma, Prosound’s first interest was to establish what they use the venue for and how seating is configured.
Fortunately the school has a specific manner of presenting from the middle of the longer back wall of the rectangular hall.
This allowed Prosound to concentrate on a sound system emanating from above this presentation area to cover the 180 degree seating around the staging area.
Speakers used were the ubiquitous Electro Voice SX300 providing the best midrange response and controlled hi-frequencies for a reverberant environment.
Approx 120 degrees was covered with an arch of 3 long throw and below this 3 short throw speakers. The left and right of the podium utilized an EV SX300 pointed in each direction.
Amplifiers used are the EV Q series range matched to the “’zoning’’ where an Ashley 3.6 was used for a matrix and processing.
An Ashly Audio MX602 racked mount mixer was used for the Electro-Voice N/D 478 podium mics, existing wireless mics, laptop and CD player control.
Based on past experience, Prosound tries to limit the mix controls otherwise students fiddle or IT staff are left confused by unnecessary knobs and faders.
Although the installation was a relatively expensive one for a non-private school, the school bought into the advice and ongoing support from Prosound.
The best comment about the sound from School Principal, Val Fowler was “everybody can hear, and hear comfortably. Wow!’
