Liverpool based Adlib has designed and delivered an L-Acoustics Kara audio system
with Midas control to Lincoln’s premier live performance venue, the 1 600-capacity
Engine Shed.

The venue is on the campus of Lincoln University and is the city’s busiest live
entertainment space, featuring a lively mix of music, comedy, club nights and
conferences. This latest Adlib installation is one of a series of highly successful
projects delivered by the company to leading student managed venues around the
country.

Engine Shed engineers first came into contact with Adlib through the various
training programmes available at their Liverpool headquarters. The company has
also gained a good reputation for designing excellent sounding, rider-friendly
systems for a number high profile similar venues in the last two years including at
Leeds and Leicester Universities and Manchester and Sheffield Academies.

When the in-house production facilities at the Engine Shed were due an upgrade,
Adlib won a competitive tender to secure the project, which was managed for them
by John Hughes, working closely with Lincoln University’s then technical manager,
Matt Benton.

Adlib’s first step was undertaking a detailed site survey, after which the design was
evolved and then fine-tuned by Adlib’s Roger Kirby in conjunction with Dan Orton,
applications engineer at L-Acoustics,
“Kara was our line array system of choice,’ explains Hughes, adding that it followed
from several other great Kara reference systems they have installed including the
solution for the Cambridge Corn Exchange.

The primary reasons Kara was picked was because they needed a robust, dynamic
and solid sounding PA that fitted touring standard specs and was versatile enough to
deal with a broad range of performance, shows and events.

The main left and right hangs comprise nine flown Kara speakers a side together
with three flown SB18 subs, plus four SB28 subs which are ground-stacked each
side. Two L-Acoustics ARCS Focus and two ARCS Wide speakers are utilised for
delays together with two additional ARCS Focus’s for centre fills. The system is
powered by seven proprietary LA8 amps.

The same logic – of providing a rugged, top quality product to satisfy touring artists
and make the venue self-sufficient from needing extra sub-hires – was applied to
choosing the mixing console, which is a Midas PRO2, complete with a DL-251 stage
box adding 48 inputs and 16 outputs to the standard PRO2 I/O.

After consultation with the venue on lighting requirements, Adlib also specified a
cost-efficient basic lighting package comprising 16 x Chauvet COLORado Batten 72
LED battens and eight Pro-Can 2 Lite blinders to provide general stage washes for
music shows or conference scenarios.

Two Martin Atomic strobes and two Martin Magnum 2500 hazers were also supplied
for effects and to enhance the vibes for club nights and music shows.
The house audio crew all received training from Adlib on how to work and maintain
the Kara system and all its rigging components, along with operation of the LA
Network Manager software.