Galvanised by a half century of combined experience working in major events, Melbourne-based production company Monitor City leverages state-of-the-art audio technology in tandem with advanced design and control software to deliver experiences with genuine impact. Specialising in bespoke audio solutions for unique functions, the team were recently entrusted with deploying and driving the audio for the 2024 St Kilda Film Festival launch night.

Held within Melbourne’s iconic Astor Theatre, the event was said to be the festival’s largest opening night in recent memory. Monitor City chose cabinets from NEXO’s GEO M12 line array system, deployed with the aid of acoustic modelling software, to ensure the highest standards of sonic performance possible within the venue. Additional solutions from NEXO’s P+ Series and ID Series were used to provide fill and maintain complete coverage within the theatre.

Tasked with providing an audio system suited to both premium 3.1 channel playback for film, and sound reinforcement for speeches, Monitor City’s Daniel O’Callaghan explained that a carefully selected ecosystem of NEXO technology was assembled to create an even sound field with a high level of intelligibility:

“We used 3 x GEO M12 cabinets, 4 x P15 speakers, 4 x ID24 speakers and 2 x MSUB18 subs in cardioid in a L/C/R/Sub configuration with additional lip fill for the speech component of the event. The system was powered by NXAMP4X4 MK2 amplifiers in NUARs (NEXO Universal Amp Racks).”

Ground-stacked behind the Astor’s screen, the high output and steerable coverage of the GEO M12’s compact modules were key factors in Monitor City’s system selection. NEXO’s patented technologies, including the GEO M12’s Port Tube Profiling design- for maintaining linearity at high power- solidified the M12 as an effective solution for a night showcasing some of 2024’s most exceptional short films.

As Daniel noted, NEXO’s optimised “dispersion patterns, linear phase and consistent voicing” influenced the decision to use GEO M12 modules: “The ability to array the M12 to achieve sufficient coupling from the front row of the stalls to the rear row of the dress circle, with uniform SPL and tonality, stood out most when selecting the right fit for this event.”

During pre-production, Monitor City made use of NEXO’s NS-1 System Configuration Software to simulate their intended loadout, ensuring they would be able to achieve uniform sound distribution with optimal clarity. Daniel explained, “The Astor is quite a live acoustic environment, so accurate deployment of our design was important to minimise reflections. Sightlines were crucial, as the films were the priority, so NS-1 was valuable in confirming that our planned deployment would be effective.”

A recent acquisition for Monitor City, NEXO’s GEO M12 afforded the team a smooth and prompt configuration thanks to the system’s integrated rigging hardware.

“The rigging was really simple and effective,” said Daniel. “I found it to be a very impressive, well thought out rigging system that allowed us to easily achieve uniform voicing across the field of coverage. The system performed well and offered loads of headroom and dynamic range. The festival organisers and filmmakers were all thrilled with the outcome.”

Reflecting on his early impressions, Daniel asserts that NEXO’s flagship line array modules live up to the brand’s reputation for superior quality and world-leading sonic performance. “The GEO M12 excels in its ability to remain coherent and deliver excellent voice intelligibility over long distances, whilst preserving the consistency of the voicing- both on and off-axis. We are looking forward to using it in as many varieties of events as possible, as I’m confident it will perform extremely well across a broad range of applications. We have a long history with NEXO, and we know we can always rely on them for consistently excellent results.”

NEXO