News

11 Mar 2020

Clair Brothers kiTCurve Loudspeakers in J Noosa Community Theatre

The J Noosa opened its doors on October 27, 2006 and quickly became a functionally and versatile youth and commercial event space for the Noosa Community and the Sunshine Coast. Positioned perfectly in the heart of Noosa, The J offers flexible meeting spaces, conference rooms and facilities for hire, complimented by covered outdoor decks and stylish open foyers. But the true soul of this place lies in The J Theatre, a multi-use auditorium and theatre space that highlights everything, like music and comedy festivals, full theatre productions, kids shows, musicals and concerts, dance and ballet performances, film, religious celebrations, business conventions, dinners and award ceremonies. This is where the newly installed Clair Brothers kiTCurve12 system is outperforming expectations and giving The J a noteworthy boost to all of its live productions.

The project was commissioned and designed by Wayne Grosser, Clair Brothers’ expert audio consultant in Australia, who worked directly with preferred integrator Jason Howley from Distinct Audio & Production for the install. The complete upgraded system in the theatre’s 338-seat main floor and its 64-seat mezzanine section consists of four kiTCurve12s on the left and four on the right as mains, two CS218 floor subs, four 5CX front-fills and two FF2-HX as delays for the mezzanine. The recent addition of another mezzanine seating area made the upgrade to that section readily apparent, because while the sound from the old P.A. was able to reach the mezzanine, coverage was poor, so reinforcement was required.

According to Guy Harrison, technical manager for The J, the new gear has definitely helped in a big way. “There had never been adequate audio coverage for the front rows,” says Harrison, “so installing the four 5CX’s as front fills massively improved this area. The mezzanine also was poorly covered and the two FF2-HX as delays have also sorted that problem out quite well.” Room aesthetics were a large part of the overall equation in the theatre, which meant that achieving optimal room coverage using the four kiTCurve12 boxes per side was the goal. Continues Harrison, “Being that the venue is a theatre, massive hangs seem out of place in my opinion. When we have a musical or stage play, the idea is that the PA should disappear – a hard sell when you’ve got six or eight boxes hanging on each side. On the flip side of that, however, when we have a rock show, I get our lighting guy to light the P.A. so it has a slightly ominous look. It’s very Spinal Tap! I’m joking but you get my point!!”

When Ottavio Iacobucci, who runs audio for the Hillsong Noosa local church service on Sundays at The J, was asked in what ways the new gear improved sound in the room he didn’t hesitate: “Every way!” He says. “Now we have even consistency throughout. Compared to the previous PA, which was like driving a vehicle where the performance is compromised because it was built without considering every detail. There were holes in our previous audio system. With these kiTCurve12s, every detail has been carefully considered with the outcome being a full sounding performance – with no holes.”

Adds Cameron Elias, local FOH/System engineer who mixes regularly at The J and the person responsible for recommending Clair Brothers, “For anyone who’s attended shows before the kiTCurves were installed, the scale of improvement is unmistakable.” According to those who live in the area, it’s been well known that Noosa is in need of a good entertainment venue. “The audio upgrade at The J is a purposeful effort to meet that demand,” points out Elias. “Noosa has long been a food and shopping destination, but with all the venue upgrades at The J it may well offer a level of theatre production that will bring a new style of tourist, while also satisfying local thespians and lovers of music and dance.” So far so good. The Clair Brothers system is already wowing those who visit The J and shows no sign of letting up. “Honestly, I’m so glad it’s here. The whole system performs effortlessly, and the more I use it the more I realize how natural it sounds. Amazing!”

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