Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has a taste for L-Acoustics

Sound designer Paul Arditti specified L-Acoustics equipment for the hit musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory currently running at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London. Autograph Sound provided 47 KARA, 10 KIVA, 10 SB18, and 15 LA8 boxes to Arditti’s specifications.

“Having heard L-Acoustics’ KARA in the challenging environment of the Olivier Theatre in London, I knew that this was the loudspeaker system I wanted,” he explained. “Firstly, KARA is compact and very usable for medium to large theatres where sightlines are an issue. Secondly, KARA has a horizontal dispersion of 110º, which is more than most comparable line arrays. I needed this horizontal dispersion to distribute the vocals evenly across the wide auditorium. Thirdly, as I was intending to use the KARA system for vocals, orchestra and some very loud sound effects, I needed to make sure that there was plenty of available headroom. I also added 10 SB18 sub bass units, which performed magnificently around the whole auditorium. These subs really pack a punch.

“Like all line array loudspeakers, a larger array of KARA improves vertical controllability, particularly in the MF and LF. In this respect I was also grateful for L- Acoustics help and advice with LA Network Manager. The filters on the LA8s are very powerful, and it’s obviously necessary to know exactly what they do.

“Unusually for me, I attended every one of the 33 previews in order to tweak settings on EQ delay and level for all the arrays from every listening position.

“The KARA performed magnificently on all kinds of audio material, making the orchestra in the pit sound natural and full of transients, with the vocals crisp and clean in the mix above the music.”

www.charlieandthechocolatefactory.com
www.autograph.co.uk
www.l-acoustics.com