KV2 Audio’s sound solutions have been deployed at a new Australian production of Beauty and the Beast, which is currently touring across Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
The sound system was designed by renowned sound designer and long-time Disney collaborator, John Shivers.
Shivers commented: “I specify KV2 loudspeakers for all my shows now. There is simply no better product line to meet my requirements.”
Kevin Kennedy described the system in use for Beauty and the Beast: “Where space permits, we use the ESR215s as main Left and Right loudspeakers. For Beauty, we use two sets as upper and lower systems for most of the venues, with EX12s flown near the lower ESR215s as infill for the first few rows. If space is limited, we replace the upper 215s with EX15s with a further two EX15s as balcony delays flown from a delay truss midway into the house. A pair of SL412s serve as our centre cluster, with one SL412 focused on the circle/balcony while the other acts as a downfill for the stalls. We also have a pair of EX1.8 subs as part of the centre cluster which provide low end reinforcement for the circle and stalls and a pair of high-performance floor-standing VHD2.18J subs providing low end for the main seating area. We deployed 20 compact EX6 loudspeakers for foldback, both on- and off-stage, and as fills in the house for places shadowed by the main PA such as the boxes and extreme sides of the auditorium. ESD5s – over 40 in total – were used as front fills, under-balcony delays and surrounds, and finally, we made a late add of three EX10s to beef up the surrounds.”
Kennedy concluded: “It’s true that KV2 has a solution to just about every scenario in live theatre. Quite apart from the outstanding audio quality, a KV2 system usually enables us to achieve amazing sound with far fewer boxes than would be required using products from another manufacturer. The ESR215/SL412 LCR proscenium solution is a great example of that and has become something of a classic in John Shivers designs – it’s powerful, precise, delivers sublimely transparent audio quality, and the boxes themselves are very low profile so perfect for musical theatre. There’s also a great mix of passive and active products, so it’s very easy to build systems precisely tailored to the needs of the venue and the production.”