Dunstable's Grove Theatre has completed its new sound system with a Yamaha LS932 digital console, complementing the large d&b audiotechnik Q-Series loudspeaker system that Orbital had already installed. The Grove Theatre took the decision to go digital in time for the panto season, with Yamaha providing product training, as Technical Manager Matt Kingslake explains:

"Orbital installed our d&b audiotechnik loudspeaker system back in 2007, when the theatre opened, as part of our initial procurement programme. It has proved to be a successful and versatile system, comprising Qi1, Qi7 and Qi-SUB enclosures, as well as d&b E0 units and B2-SUBs. We decided to take the digital route for our new audio console, and replace the previous analogue desk with something that would provide greater flexibility. While the Grove Theatre is predominantly a receiving house, we still wanted the means to apply compression, EQ etc across multiple channels whenever we needed, as our system can be used for a variety of shows and material.

"We chose the Yamaha LS9 as, although it's not quite an industry standard, it's certainly becoming very common as a theatre console, and is very familiar to a number of operators. For example, many visiting companies arrive with an LS9, see our console in place, and don't bother taking theirs off the truck! Their mix data can be simply transferred via a USB stick, easing their load-in task. The console's flexibility allows us to assign pretty much anything anywhere, and configure the desk to suit the individual requirements of different operators.

"Once the decision had been made, Orbital supplied the console at very short notice, and at a very competitive price – we placed the order one Friday lunchtime, and it was here by the same evening, in good time for the opening of our panto season. You can't really expect a better service than that! We have an excellent relationship with Orbital, and Tom has always been extremely helpful, including arranging staff training on the new console with Yamaha."