Orbital Sound Ltd

d&b at the Junction

d&b goes to Cambridge; she's intelligent, neat, sweet and petite, oooh but she's a sexy little beast!

All the individual parts of the whole
The entire rig consists of six Qi1 (3 each side in array), two Qi-Sub (1 each side in the array with 3 Qi1), two B2-Sub, 3 D12 amplifiers, 5 E-PAC amplifiers, rigging, cables, installation and two Yamaha M7-CL48 desks.

The Q1:
Size did matter. I wanted small and I got it. By itself the Q1 sounds fantastic. It delivers a clear, clean sound and I had the same feeling as when I first heard the Meyer UPA back in the early eighties. "Shit, how can such a small box put out such stonking levels!" Yep, this sexy little beast does deliver. Then couple a few together and listen to the effect. They are coherent, rounded and very sympathetic to the human voice. I could quote the specs, but then you can just download them yourself, can't you (see below). But, the specs that got me were: an impressive frequency response - 60Hz to 17kHz (could be better); Max SPL at 1m with D12 amplifier - 139 dB; dispersion - 75° x 15°; its size and weight. In addition, strong in its favour, is the ease of setup and operation in concert with the other cabinets (the nature of line arrays), the d&b amplification strategy (proprietary processing to enable any speaker of the line to be driven by D12 or E-PAC amplifiers with equalization, limiting, delay and remote control communication) and as a perfect partner to:

the Q-Sub:
This cute little cabinet housing a single 18 inch driver is a nice compliment to the Q1s. I do, however, think we would be fine without them. The B2s are doing such a fantastic job, I just might try to trade them for two more Q1s. You see, I was worried about bass, in particular the sub-bass frequencies. Club music is so bass-heavy; I just didnt trust my instinct and go with the B2s on their own. I should have known, I did shake the Sadlers Wells foundations. All-in-all I am not as enamoured with these units. But, it might just be that, since they are flown with the Q1 array, that, by bringing them down, getting them on the ground, they might perform better. We'll see. Ian Bond will be in this week with Porcupine Tree, he is the one that suggested bringing them down, so more tweeking to be done.

the B2-Sub:
I get all tingly inside when I hear these boxes cranked right up. Yea, I get kind of an emotional tingle. And, I most definitely get a physical tingle, rumble, thump and boom. They are about the best sounding sub-bass speakers around. They produce a good solid sound. Couple two together and wow! My thinking was to run them in Infra Mode (32 Hz - 68 Hz) and let the Q Subs compliment the B2s by handling the remaining frequencies up to 100 Hz. That has turned out to be the wrong setup. We are now running the B2s in standard mode. At first we put both B2s in the centre, under the stage. Not cool. Although the coupled B2s sounded wonderful, the bass vibration up through the stage, up the mic stands and into the mics was unacceptable. Vibration also travelled the same path and into the vinyl decks we use for clubs; even with the couple hundred kilos of concrete slab we put beneath the decks.

the Qi7:
Here is another great sounding box. I am using these as fills along the side of the room and there is currently one Q7 in the centre in line with the Q1 arrays. The idea was to use a very old theatre trick by putting a centre cluster of speakers above the stage on the downstage edge, delay it a bit and the effect is that of perceiving the sound coming from the actor/ singer while the bulk of the information is coming from proscenium speakers or from small delay fills. It works, to an extent. I would like to beef up the cluster. On these boxes we turned the HF horn to the vertical in order to keep from conflicting with the Q1s.

the E-PAC amplifiers:
These are smart amps. As mentioned before, they can be configured, via software access on the front panel and via CAN-Bus, to work efficiently with most d&b enclosures. It was a quick and easy installation; Tom Byrne from Orbital had the rack wired and functioning in a few hours. With the software you access delay and EQ functions. There are also handy sine-wave and pink-noise generators. A bonus for me was the power consumption. Yep, lets all start, at least trying, to save the planet. Flat out this puppy draws only around 3.5 amps. Nice one d&b audio.

the D12 amplifiers:
As with the E-PACs, the D12 can drive the d&b range of speakers. The D12 comes with virtually the same software driven DSP and has CAN-Bus connections onboard. Roughly twice as powerful as the E-PAC, the D12 delivers 750 watts into 8 ohms, 1200 watts into 4 ohms. The software is easy to sus and the amp a joy to install owing to the fact it only weighs 13 kgs.

This system is a joy to mix with; a great tool that has already won over the local sceptics. The Junction now has a world class sound system. We could use a few more boxes and amps; but, for now we have enough to carry on with, a fantastic foundation on which to build. So far incoming engineers have had only good things to say. The club promoters and, more importantly, the club punters have be effusive with praise. The old days are gone. It is no longer really a matter of: how many kilowatts of brute power, big, heavy boxes and massive current draw. Back then size did matter. Today it seems less is indeed more. Of course I want more system at the Junction. But for now I am satisfied. Well, maybe not; Father Christmas could bring me some better mics, a new monitor system, some CDJ 1000 MK IIIs, mic stands, four big video projectors, I could go on. Oh and just two more B2s, please.

Dear readers, some of you may have experienced this, some will in the future, all of you, I hope, will sympathize. Although this is supposed to be a review of a sound system, it is (and I can write it no other way) a story about putting a very specific sound system into a unique space, with all the attendant acoustic quirks and financial hurdles. It is about designing system, installing it and them changing the design, moving elements of the system around until it works to its optimum level throughout the room.

The art of designing a fixed sound system; relatively permanent, obviously involves considerations in the present; but should have structure that is easily and cost effectively enhanced, improved and augmented in the future. Architectural to some extent, decorative maybe even, image-minded certainly; the design process is a journey, it's more than just audio kit, acoustics and money. The act of advising someone - or a group of someones - (Finance Director, Board of Directors) to spend a bucket load of money on a sound system, with names they've never heard of, with devices, they (in their infinite lack of audio wisdom) do not comprehend, and at prices most certainly in five or six figures, is always nerve-wracking, to say the least.

I have been here at the Junction for a little over a year; it's a rock-n-roll, theatre and club venue. Live and not so live music, dynamic as a drag strip and compressed like a VW in a car-crusher. Specifying a sound system to cover all eventualities is a tough one. But something had to be done. An ancient Turbosound rig in a difficult room, with expiring HF drivers like a basket of FYR Mullahs on a Serbian picnic, with horrific and cutting, yet absolutely true, complaints coming in like: "Last night sounded like a bag of old rusty razor blades", all this lit the fire of extreme urgency for a system replacement. What to chose? Capacity: 850 for gigs, 1000 for clubs. Money: "Can you do it for under a grand?" I had to squeeze blood from the audio stone. And I did.

And where do we go from here?
Design version 1, quote 1; version 2, quote 2, settling on a final design and quote; trip to the BoD for the pieces of silver, placing the final order. Then the wait, d&b audiotechnik AG are busy little German bees and the new system wouldn't be with us for 6 to 8 weeks. OK, then there was time to sort the rigging. Before with the Turbo's, flying was done on two chain-motors, but the rigging points for the motors were very wide, too wide. So I installed a single, long run of tri-lite truss the entire width of the stage along the front edge of the stage about four metres above it on four 1000 kg motors. Now we could put the Qi1 line arrays in the optimum position, with the centre cluster automatically inline with the Left/Right arrays, and if those first positions proved incorrect it would be easy to slide sideways either direction. Putting together a sound system spec can never be divorced from the physical space within which it must operate, of course there are cost considerations and sometimes it is better to wait till a workable system can be afforded. This time I was lucky.

Better the devil you know
I decided on a d&b Q Series system from Orbital Sound in London. Orbital are big on support and service, and honest on quotes. I knew they'd give me a great deal and they did. I can't recommend them highly enough. The system is designed around a small Qi1 line array with Q Subs and B2s, Qi7s for filling the gaps in coverage and creating a small centre cluster - as it were - being at present a cluster of one. After downloading Q-calc, d&bs analysis software, and a very quick tutorial with Sebastian at Orbital, I began to analyze the system/ room coverage. This was all really quite easy. The software showed me I could get around 118db, any frequency, anywhere in the room with a Q Series system. I have a fairly long history of spec'ing d&b speakers in the West End and a bit on Broadway, but the Americans were a bit slow on the uptake with d&b. But that was for theatre and this is for rock-n-roll and clubs; a whole different animal. Could it take it? I didn't really know! Then I started seeing dvDosc line arrays, d&b C Series systems coming in with some of the better bands and engineers. And yes, they could take it. And yes, they sounded way better than the traditional "big stacks of big boxes". My mind was made up.

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All the individual parts of the whole
The entire rig consists of six Qi1 (3 each side in array), two Qi-Sub (1 each side in the array with 3 Qi1), two B2-Sub, 3 D12 amplifiers, 5 E-PAC amplifiers, rigging, cables, installation and two Yamaha M7-CL48 desks.

The Q1:
Size did matter. I wanted small and I got it. By itself the Q1 sounds fantastic. It delivers a clear, clean sound and I had the same feeling as when I first heard the Meyer UPA back in the early eighties. "Shit, how can such a small box put out such stonking levels!" Yep, this sexy little beast does deliver. Then couple a few together and listen to the effect. They are coherent, rounded and very sympathetic to the human voice. I could quote the specs, but then you can just download them yourself, can't you (see below). But, the specs that got me were: an impressive frequency response - 60Hz to 17kHz (could be better); Max SPL at 1m with D12 amplifier - 139 dB; dispersion - 75° x 15°; its size and weight. In addition, strong in its favour, is the ease of setup and operation in concert with the other cabinets (the nature of line arrays), the d&b amplification strategy (proprietary processing to enable any speaker of the line to be driven by D12 or E-PAC amplifiers with equalization, limiting, delay and remote control communication) and as a perfect partner to:

the Q-Sub:
This cute little cabinet housing a single 18 inch driver is a nice compliment to the Q1s. I do, however, think we would be fine without them. The B2s are doing such a fantastic job, I just might try to trade them for two more Q1s. You see, I was worried about bass, in particular the sub-bass frequencies. Club music is so bass-heavy; I just didnt trust my instinct and go with the B2s on their own. I should have known, I did shake the Sadlers Wells foundations. All-in-all I am not as enamoured with these units. But, it might just be that, since they are flown with the Q1 array, that, by bringing them down, getting them on the ground, they might perform better. We'll see. Ian Bond will be in this week with Porcupine Tree, he is the one that suggested bringing them down, so more tweeking to be done.

the B2-Sub:
I get all tingly inside when I hear these boxes cranked right up. Yea, I get kind of an emotional tingle. And, I most definitely get a physical tingle, rumble, thump and boom. They are about the best sounding sub-bass speakers around. They produce a good solid sound. Couple two together and wow! My thinking was to run them in Infra Mode (32 Hz - 68 Hz) and let the Q Subs compliment the B2s by handling the remaining frequencies up to 100 Hz. That has turned out to be the wrong setup. We are now running the B2s in standard mode. At first we put both B2s in the centre, under the stage. Not cool. Although the coupled B2s sounded wonderful, the bass vibration up through the stage, up the mic stands and into the mics was unacceptable. Vibration also travelled the same path and into the vinyl decks we use for clubs; even with the couple hundred kilos of concrete slab we put beneath the decks.

the Qi7:
Here is another great sounding box. I am using these as fills along the side of the room and there is currently one Q7 in the centre in line with the Q1 arrays. The idea was to use a very old theatre trick by putting a centre cluster of speakers above the stage on the downstage edge, delay it a bit and the effect is that of perceiving the sound coming from the actor/ singer while the bulk of the information is coming from proscenium speakers or from small delay fills. It works, to an extent. I would like to beef up the cluster. On these boxes we turned the HF horn to the vertical in order to keep from conflicting with the Q1s.

the E-PAC amplifiers:
These are smart amps. As mentioned before, they can be configured, via software access on the front panel and via CAN-Bus, to work efficiently with most d&b enclosures. It was a quick and easy installation; Tom Byrne from Orbital had the rack wired and functioning in a few hours. With the software you access delay and EQ functions. There are also handy sine-wave and pink-noise generators. A bonus for me was the power consumption. Yep, lets all start, at least trying, to save the planet. Flat out this puppy draws only around 3.5 amps. Nice one d&b audio.

the D12 amplifiers:
As with the E-PACs, the D12 can drive the d&b range of speakers. The D12 comes with virtually the same software driven DSP and has CAN-Bus connections onboard. Roughly twice as powerful as the E-PAC, the D12 delivers 750 watts into 8 ohms, 1200 watts into 4 ohms. The software is easy to sus and the amp a joy to install owing to the fact it only weighs 13 kgs.

This system is a joy to mix with; a great tool that has already won over the local sceptics. The Junction now has a world class sound system. We could use a few more boxes and amps; but, for now we have enough to carry on with, a fantastic foundation on which to build. So far incoming engineers have had only good things to say. The club promoters and, more importantly, the club punters have be effusive with praise. The old days are gone. It is no longer really a matter of: how many kilowatts of brute power, big, heavy boxes and massive current draw. Back then size did matter. Today it seems less is indeed more. Of course I want more system at the Junction. But for now I am satisfied. Well, maybe not; Father Christmas could bring me some better mics, a new monitor system, some CDJ 1000 MK IIIs, mic stands, four big video projectors, I could go on. Oh and just two more B2s, please.