Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

A flexible digital future made possible.

The design brief was to create a “Digital Conservatoire”. Our client wanted to push the use of digital technology in teaching and performance while combining the best traditions of analogue performance. A highly flexible infrastructure was required to support a fully analogue and networked digital Dante audio distribution in parallel. This allows for suiting a large multitude of uses and user-types, including external hire and external professional productions, as well as being a world-leading teaching facility.

Nuanced design.

Performance spaces had to deliver uncompromised sound. Close collaboration with our Acoustic team and AV / sound-system designers was paramount in achieving this. Total flexibility from an audio usage perspective, the ability to route anything anywhere, and the highest performance and quality requirements made for a challenging design brief. Recording was to be possible in any space at any time.

Suite of systems.

Our AV experts provided specialist production sound and video system design, including: flexible multi-channel production sound systems, connectivity design for stages/FoH, fibre-optic infrastructure, control rooms, tie-line and OB feeds, venue robotic HD video system and production suite, show relay and communications facilities, stage managers desks, and large-format venue projection design, plus general Audiovisual systems for recording, chamber music, and teaching spaces. The technological requirements for both teaching facilities and professional performance facilities are demanding enough individually. When combined, the challenge is compounded – as is the potential for an exceptionally unique result. In the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, this spectacular outcome was realised.