Adlib’s installation team has delivered another professional grade touring spec system – including L-Acoustics and DiGiCo products – to Academy Music Group’s 2,550 capacity O2 Academy Glasgow in Scotland, one of the UK’s busiest and most successful live touring venues.

Led by John Hughes and Roger Kirby, Adlib collaborated closely with Jeff Woodford, applications engineer (installations) and Sergey Becker applications engineer (touring) from L-Acoustics. Together, they worked with Academy Music Group’s divisional manager (North), Steve Hoyland.

Adlib also consulted the experience and knowledge of its own production and touring crews and engineers, especially Andy Russell, who all frequently work in the venue which has a theatrical interior, including many original art deco features.

The room was initially modelled using Soundvision acoustic profiling software, which suggested that – particularly with its 270-degree seated wrap-around balcony and pros arch design – an L-Acoustics K2 system would produce the best results.

The ultimate objective was to have a versatile system that “delivered superb coverage and would work well for live rock’n’roll shows, late-night club nights and spoken word and comedy events,” Hoyland explained. “We wanted a system that was both high in quality and would stand the test of time.”

The new system itself comprises left and right flown arrays of 10 K2 speakers a side – hung from new points – and 12 x L-Acoustics SB28 subs distributed on and beneath the stage.

Four ARCSII a side provide near field stalls fills, joined by two X8 passive coaxial speakers on the centre of the stage apron to fill the area just above and behind the barrier line.

All of these are driven by LA8 amplifiers located in a new climate-controlled amp room that was created in the most recent refurbishment plans. The FoH and monitor consoles are both DiGiCo SD12s with individual D2 stage racks.

Adlib supplied the two LP1000 D8 hoists – sourced from Merseyside based LTM – to hang the two K2 arrays, and the new steelwork and points necessary to fly these were designed and installed by Manchester-based structural experts, MJ Consulting Engineers.

The venue’s power supply has been upgraded to accommodate the new rigging infrastructure and to accommodate all the kit in the amp room.

For monitors, Adlib specified and supplied a sensible general-purpose system to service a wide array of artists, based around 10 of its MP4 wedges driven by Linear Research 44M20 amps. A new line system is part of the install together with an input multicore and bespoke patch panels for each of the console breakouts.

The first artists to have used and benefited from the new audio installation have included Jorja Smith, Richie Hawtin, Glenn Hughes, Daughtry and Rudimental, while it’s also been “exceptionally well received” by engineers.