The Tweed Heads Civic and Cultural Centre on the northern NSW coast has seen a lot of technological change since it opened in 1973. An architecturally significant building, the main auditorium is octagonal, lined with Queensland Cedar for acoustic diffusion, and topped with faceted domed ceilings externally clad in copper – “far out, man!”, in the parlance of the day. While the external copper may have stood the test of time, lighting and audio has moved away from the analogue era and its copper-cabled solutions, and it was time to bring the production gear into the 21st century.

Craig Gamble, director and principal at Setting Line Theatre Consulting worked with Tweed Council on the rejuvenation project, after their venue audit identified the system upgrades required to continue to service the needs of local theatre companies, orchestra, eisteddfods, dance schools, community meetings, exhibitions, and civic ceremonies. The original incandescent lighting fixtures and house lights were upgraded to LED, with new power and control sources. Craig and the team chose LSC Control Systems products for both roles, in the form of a GenVI advanced dimming system and Mantra Lite lighting console with Expansion Wing.

“I’ve been specifying LSC Control Systems equipment for over two decades,” relates Craig Gamble. “We’ve never had a problem with any LSC gear; it’s always rock solid, as is their support, everywhere across Australia. For this project, the GenVI provided a cost-effective power solution with high-end functionality, while the Mantra Lite and Expansion Wing proved to be the best fit after evaluating all the comparable lighting desks on the market. With the Tweed Civic upgrading to LED and moving head fixtures, they now have the flexible functionality all of their spaces need, and LSC provides the equipment to drive it.”

The GenVI Advanced Dimming System allows the user to configure its outputs in any combination; as 8-bit or 16-bit dimmers, or a direct power relay channel (TruPower). This enables the GenVI installed in the Tweed Civic to run traditional lamps as required, as well as power their new moving lights and LED fixtures. The GenVI’s colour touchscreen gives the venue techs the ability to set each channel individually, control the outputs locally, and view any external fault conditions in the connected equipment.

The Mantra Lite console is a leading choice for multi-purpose community venues, easily adapting to the skill levels and technical requirements of community groups. The Mantra makes controlling the Tweed Civic’s new fixtures easy and intuitive, and the Mantra Expansion Wing combines the ease of use of a fader-based console with the power of a touch-screen graphical user interface. Power-users are catered for with advanced features and the ability to record up to 1,000 memories, across 100 cuelists or chases, and playback 10 simultaneously on the console, with the Tweed’s installed Wing increasing these numbers by 10 playbacks and 100 cuelists.

“The Tweed Civic Centre is one of those venues where the Venue Manager is also the Venue Technician,” illustrates Craig. “Sometimes they have help, but mostly they’re running the whole show on their own. The staff have put in the hours to learn how to use it the new rig and are excited about the changes. The simplicity and ruggedness of LSC Control Systems equipment gives venue technicians confidence to take the next step after they’ve turned it on and got a basic look working. Since the renovation works have been completed, bookings have increased and client satisfaction with the venue has gone through the roof!”