Aktuelle News & Schlagzeilen

Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh upgrades with EM Acoustics

The Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh sits at the heart of the Scottish capital, welcoming over 100,000 yearly visitors to enjoy the magic of live performance. Home to the Lyceum Theatre Company for over sixty years, it stages a variety of performances from classic drama and contemporary plays to comedy and musicals. 

Along with the historic architecture went an ageing sound system and an upgrade was needed to ensure the venue could continue to meet the demands of modern productions. Ian Gibson, Head of Sound & AV at the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, spent several years planning the upgrade, and has led the eventual implementation of the new system. Having previously worked with EM Acoustics products on visiting shows, he chose the manufacturer’s gear for the upgrade.

“The theatre’s last major refurbishment was back in the mid-nineties, with no ongoing replacement or renewal of the PA system since then”, he explains. “Many touring shows and production companies didn’t want to use our outdated system, so we had to keep de-rigging it to accommodate temporary gear for each show. By switching to EM Acoustics we’ll largely be able to keep our house system in place all year round, including during Edinburgh International Festival.”

The 658-seat theatre consists of three levels: Stalls, Grand Circle and Upper Circle. For the stalls level, two R8 loudspeakers in wide format are positioned on either side of the proscenium to provide even coverage. S15 subwoofers placed beneath the main R8s in the stalls, and hidden discreetly in the circle levels, deliver controlled low-frequency reinforcement across the room.

The two circle levels feature particularly low ceilings, making it challenging to achieve clear sound to seats in these “letterbox-shaped” areas. A flown pair of R8s in narrow format is positioned to cover both levels, along with a dedicated pair of S12s. This extended coverage into the higher seating areas ensures the upper-level audiences have an equal sonic experience to those sitting downstairs in the stalls.

For vocal intelligibility and directivity, a flown centre cluster of R6s anchors the sound to the stage. A network of twenty R4 loudspeakers provides front fill, delay and box fill support. Four units along the stage edge cover the front rows, whilst a further sixteen are strategically placed across the stalls, circle levels and grand boxes. This distributed system eliminates dead spots and guarantees consistent sound throughout the auditorium. The system is powered entirely by EM Acoustics’ installation series amplifiers.

(Photos: Eamonn McGoldrick)

www.emacoustics.co.uk

© 1999 - 2026 Entertainment Technology Press Limited News Stories