Spring 2007 has seen London’s internationally acclaimed Young Vic theatre reopening after a major three year redevelopment project. Integral to the rebuilding of the theatre premises has been a radical overhaul of the backstage and technical facilities, which includes a Yamaha M7CL-48 installed as the main front of house console.
Originally opening in 1970, the Young Vic’s primary purpose is to develop the talent of younger theatre professionals by combining their work with the guidance of ‘old hands’ in the industry. Parallel with that ethic, it also exists to encourage young people to enjoy theatre and to embrace it as an art form which is relevant to all ages. Being visited annually by around 100,000 people at its London home - and many more on its touring productions - it’s beyond question that the Young Vic has been, and continues to be, an incredible success story.
The redevelopment meant the Young Vic had the chance to provide a technical specification which would match the revamped space in terms of versatility. Theatre sound specialists Orbital Sound were brought in to supply new sound equipment, with the company’s Tom Byrne working closely with the Young Vic’s technical manager Phil Gladwell and resident head of sound Sarah Weltman.
“Young Vic shows often feature quite complex audio because of what can be done with the space staging-wise,” says Sarah. “The auditorium can be configured in pretty much any seating and staging arrangement, which is obviously something that designers and directors want to make the most of. There is often a need for audio coverage on four sides and always scope for surround on two levels, so outputs are always at a premium.”
Orbital has a long relationship with Yamaha and the Young Vic also had experience of Yamaha digital consoles, already owning a DM1000 and having regularly hired in 02Rs and 01Vs. So installing a new Yamaha digital desk was a natural progression of that experience with the products.
“Our brief was that the console had to be easy to use, to fit within a budget and it also had to be practical to use for live applications,” says Tom Byrne. “It was also a requirement for an operator to see all the faders all the time. The M7CL satisfied all of those criteria.”
“Other things to be considered were, as I’ve mentioned, a need for as many outputs as possible, plus the ability to use MIDI functions and compatibility with Stage Research’s SFX (our preferred show control software),” adds Sarah. “In addition, functions such as internal effects / delaying and the ability to mix a live show were vital. I also wanted a desk that shared hardware with the DM series and other Yamaha desks, mainly ADAT I/O cards so that they can be shared across our three venues.”
Because of the variety of shows that the Young Vic puts on, a regular stream of visiting sound designers are keen to take advantage of the venue’s flexible space. So it’s helpful to the resident sound team that the M7CL is an intuitive desk to teach and learn.
“The majority of visiting sound designers so far have found the desk very intuitive, and they agree that it is well suited to the Young Vic’s needs,” says Sarah. “The touch screen, display and icon layout certainly makes it easier to teach than other digital desks.”
The ability to back shows up on to a USB key is another advantage, as will be the ability to instantly load the console’s settings if it goes out on one of the Young Vic’s touring productions.
