In the North-East of The Netherlands, the city of Emmen is now home to the newly opened Atlas Theater. The multi-purpose performing arts facility, designed by noted Danish architect Henning Larsen, opened in October 2016, with a main auditorium hosting 822 audience members. A Renkus-Heinz Iconyx IC Live system ensures even coverage across every seat.
Already the cultural heart of Emmen, the Atlas Theater has been equipped with a turnkey multifunctional audio system conceived by consultant Steven Kemland from Theateradvies BV. Leading regional supplier Ampco-Flashlight Sales implemented the solution, led by project manager Frans van Houten. The expansive system extends throughout all public and back of house areas, including the venue’s 300-capacity black box theater and, of course, the main auditorium.
Even newly built theaters must prioritize the challenges of covering every seat evenly, and that takes the kind of beam steering expertise for which Renkus-Heinz is known. Two permanently installed IC Live arrays are positioned to the left and right of the stage, both comprising a single ICL-F-DUAL-RN and single ICL-F-RN. The columns provide all-important support, particularly during spoken word presentations and meetings.
“The IC Live system, with its active beam-steering technology, is for this venue the ideal system – it’s very versatile,” explains Frans van Houten. “The system performs as a fixed installation with three beams per side ensuring even coverage over the floor seating and the auditorium’s two balconies.”The IC Live columns are also used in conjunction with the theater’s acoustic control system, helping to deliver controlled reverberation and surround effects. “The Renkus-Heinz system functions precisely as we intended,” adds van Houten. “With its powerful beam-steering functionality, it delivers clarity to every seat in the auditorium, making certain that every in the audience is happy.”
Also included in the theater are DiGiCo SD8 and SD9 digital consoles, Powersoft Ottocanali amplifiers and an ambitious signal processing system based entirely on Symetrix Radius processing.