Felix could you please tell us is this
theatre in a school or is it a
community theatre.
If this is a school then I would suggest that one piece of equipment you need is what they
call a matrix
mixer.
What these are digital signal processors that are programmed to perform the jobs of different pieces of rack equipment.
For example at a school I worked at last year they have one. The EQ for the sound
system is permanently programmed in. The sound path to the speakers is also programmed in. This includes feeding bi-amped main speakers either side of the
proscenium. It also separately provides a full range
mono mix that is
fed into two freestanding self-powered sub-woofers.
These mixers have
preset buttons that can be programmed to change the configuration. EG one
preset sends a copy of the signal from the mixining
desk ( you still need a normal mixing
desk) to the foyer sound
system for overflow and
FOH staff.
Push another
preset and the sound picked up by a permanent
FOH mike is
fed to the Foyer instead. No rewiring needed.
If you want the matrix can be programmed to provide sound to the dressing rooms. You can even set it so a
stage managers announcement will
drop the volume automaticaly for
cue calls
etc.
Depending on how many channels you have in the matrix
mixer you can also set up a
microphone input that you can control the
level of using a variable
resistor wired into the
mixer. This signal could be processed if you want eg auto
gain control, compression
etc.This means you can set the
system up so if someone needs a
microphone they can operate it themselves without having to go into the booth, if the
system has been left on.
The advantage of this
system it is hard for people to stuff it up. They can still mess with the main
mixer but if you have set the amplifiers so people can only turn them on/off then the main sound will also be set at it's optium setting especially EQ.
In general I would try and find an installer with a proven record in your size
theatre. Go a long to a
theatre where they have set up a
system if possible and talk their customers.
Cutlunch