When wedding dreams come true: LD Systems QUESTRA takes control of audio & lighting at The Grand

A majestic stage for a very special day: ‘The Grand Banqueting Suite’ in Bradford, England is primarily aimed at wedding parties from Asia and offers everything that characterises a magnificent wedding celebration: Plasterwork on walls and ceilings, neoclassical columns, gigantic chandeliers and sweeping staircases for the grand entrance. To ensure that the ‘wow’ factor is also emphasised acoustically, the team from ShropshireNet Limited opted for a multi-zone sound system based on audio solutions from LD Systems. Centralised audio and lighting control is provided by QUESTRA Design & Management Software.

The Grand Banqueting Suite includes several areas spread over three floors: via the entrance hall on the ground floor, visitors enter the impressive main hall with a capacity of 1,500 people. This is where an essential element of every Asian wedding takes place: the bride & groom entrée, the joint entrance of the wedding couple. A second entrance on the upper floor leads to two further rooms for around 800 people, complemented by a spacious outdoor area.

‘We aimed for a system that would be powerful, yet visually discreet and blend in seamlessly with the venue.’
Jonathon Hanleyphillips, ShropshireNet

Sound for the highest demands

‘The venue management asked for a sound system that meets the high-end demands of their wedding clients,’ explains Jonathon Hanleyphillips from ShropshireNet. ‘We aimed for a system that would be powerful, yet visually discreet and blend in seamlessly with the venue’. A flown LD Systems MAILA line array system consisting of one MAILA COL active column module and four MAILA SAT passive array satellite loudspeakers per side provides the main sound reinforcement in the main hall. Two MAILA SUB subwoofers, embedded in the stage floor, ensure additional low-end punch.

In addition to MAILA, eight LD Systems MAUI i1 installation column speakers provide additional sound support for the wedding guests, who are usually seated at tables spread across the entire hall. With its compact dimensions (just under one metre in length), ShropshireNet was able to mount the MAUI i1 almost unobtrusively on the surrounding balustrade posts. Furthermore, LD Systems STINGER SUB 15 bass reflex subwoofers were integrated on both sides of the raised catwalk, which runs through the centre of the room and serves to stage the bride and groom.

‘This is the first time we have used LD Systems for a project, but we are truly impressed with the quality and the support from Adam Hall Integrated Systems and already in the midst of planning and designing a similar system for the Grand’s sister venue.’
Jonathon Hanleyphillips, ShropshireNet

In total, ShropshireNet divided the wedding venue into five audio zones: large hall, ground floor entrance area, upper floor entrance area (LD Systems CICS 62 in-ceiling speakers), garden (LD Systems COGS 52 garden speakers) and washrooms. Signal amplification is carried out by LD Systems IPA 424 T DSP installation amps, equipped with X-EDAI Ethernet & Dante Audio Interface expansion cards. The expansion cards are connected to the LD Systems DIO22 and DIO44 Dante interfaces, which provide additional input sources (including for the LD Systems U500 wireless microphones) and distribute the mixer audio signals to the MAILA and STINGER subwoofers in the main hall. An LD Systems RSMP Radio Streaming Media Player serves as a media player for background music and more.

LD Systems QUESTRA: control hub for audio & lighting

‘The Grand is an enormous project, with sound required in all areas of the venue, both inside and outside,‘ says Jonathon Hanleyphillips. In addition to the sophisticated multi-zone audio environment, ShropshireNet had to ensure that staff on site could control all zones wirelessly via a standardised tablet interface.

‘That was one of the main criteria for our client. With LD Systems QUESTRA, we were able to realise these requirements and integrate every single speaker, player and mixer.’
Jonathon Hanleyphillips, ShropshireNet

With QUESTRA, ShropshireNet designed a unified user interface for Android and iOS tablets, which can be used to control the levels of the input sources in all zones (mixers, wireless microphones, media players, etc.) as well as the corresponding outputs. Furthermore, various pre-programmed scenes are available for quick selection, which include not only audio (via Dante) but also the installed lighting fixtures (via DMX). For signal distribution between LD Systems QUESTRA and the lights, ShropshireNet opted for two Cameo DVC CUE DMX interfaces including Ethernet connection for external control.