QSC Q-Sys installed in new Western China theatre

Q-Sys, the integrated system platform from QSC, is playing a central role at a recently built, 50-million-dollar theatre in Western China.

The new Grand Theatre in Lanzhou, capital of the province of Gansu in Western China, opened in late 2011. A modern building consists of rounded corners, flowing and curved glass and was constructed at an approximate cost of over $50 million. With a 1500-seat auditorium, a 300-seat hall, a press conference chamber of 150 seats and 20 smaller meeting rooms, the seven-storey theatre was envisaged as a multi-disciplinary building with the ability to host conventions and events as well as drama and concerts.

Designed according to the guiding principles of the project, which stated that the new theatre should exhibit the best in scientific, environmental and sustainable principles, intelligent, networked audio systems are used throughout and are centrally controlled by the Q-Sys platform. The QSC systems were supplied by PCI, the exclusive QSC distributor in China.

Q-Sys is used to process and route all the audio in the main auditorium, the 300-seat hall and the building PA/VA public address/alarm system, right down to controlling individual loudspeakers and amplifiers where required. Each conference room at the theatre has its own Q-Sys I/O Frame which controls the audio inputs, routing and loudspeakers in each room. All are centrally accessible from the two Q-Sys Core 3000 master processors in the theatre’s main control room, to which all of the I/O Frames are linked by the buildings internal CAT-6 network connections.

Control panels, mounted on walls, with software running in a variety of local languages allow per-room control of the Q-Sys routing and processing functions. Access is also possible via wireless laptops and tablets for admin and troubleshooting function throughout the building, allowing only a few technicians to manage all the systems.

A spokesman for the new theatre said: “The technical systems at the Gansu theatre set a new standard of intelligent, sustainable systems, within China and beyond. Q-Sys, the advanced audio networking system, plays a large part in setting that standard. The system has been the perfect choice for us.”

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