Opened in 2009, Chunma Art Centre at South Korea’s Yeungnam University is a multi-cultural space which hosts a wide range of productions, ranging from the local to truly international. The installation of Alcons audio systems in its two main performance spaces has ensured that, whatever the event, all enjoy uniformly excellent sound.
Located in the city of Gyeongsan, Yeungnam University is one of the largest South Korean universities outside of the capital, Seoul. The Chunma Art Centre has been built to an extremely high specification; It consists of seven stories above ground and two stories below ground, and it is one of the most technologically advanced arts centres. For performances, the Art Centre is composed of the Grand Hall with a seating capacity of 1,899 seats and equipped with state-of-the art facilities and a multi-purpose stage that can accommodate most types of performances, and the medium-sized Chamber Hall with 510 seats. When it came to specifying audio systems, Alcons was the choice.
“Many products were considered, but we concluded Alcons was the best choice for the architecture and to compliment the acoustics of the halls,” says the venue’s acoustic director San Hong. “We had also noticed the superiority of Alcons systems in overseas installations.”
Supplied by Alcons’ Korean dealer SPK Alliance, The Grand Hall features an LCR system, comprising nine LR16 and three LR16B pro-ribbon line array units for each of the main left and right arrays. The centre cluster comprises 13 LR14 ultra-compact line-array units, front fills are seven smaller sized TS3, with a QR18 line-source column installed each side for outfill.
The steep rake of the auditorium seating means that the main arrays cannot quite cover the third tier, so here six compact VR12s monitors are installed as delays. “The LR16 and VR12 are a good combination, ensuring that the sound on the top balcony is absolutely seamless with the rest of the auditorium,” says San Hong.
Meanwhile, 22 CCS8 speakers provide surround sound, Alcons cinema systems perfectly complementing those designed for live sound, with six VR8 installed in the venue’s lobby.
Amplification for the system is by 14 Alcons ALC4, 11 ALC2 and two ALC6, with system processing by two DDP Digital Drive Processors and nine SDP analogue processing modules.
The Chamber Hall also features an L-series system comprising six LR14 and two LR14B per side, with one BF362i sub per side and six TS3 for front fill, also powered and controlled by ALC amplified loudspeaker controllers.
“The Alcons system show off the acoustic qualities of Chunma Art Centre very well,” says San Hong. “Many visiting sound engineers have admired the sound in both halls and commented very favourably. Compared with concert halls which have other ‘brand’ sound systems, Alcons certainly produces and maintains better results.”
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