Allen & Heath Digital Audio Takes Centre Stage At Refurbished Galileo Galilei Hall

Opened in 1985, La Sala Galileo Galilei in Madrid is one of the city’s flagship cultural spaces.

The venue is housed in the old Galileo Cinema and features Hellenic-style decor, making for a distinctive environment for patrons to enjoy a varied programme of live music, comedy and magic.

La Sala recently underwent a significant refurbishment carried out by Inercia Tecnología Audiovisual and Syncronía Instalaciones, both based in Madrid, with the aim of improving performance and ensuring versatility and flexibility when using the space. The project included the selection, design and supply of a variety of solutions for sound, video, lighting and staging, all of which needed to respect the original essence of the hall and the aesthetics that had characterised the space for 40 years. Another of the main challenges of the project was the short time available to complete the renovation. In just four weeks it was necessary to supply, execute and train the venue staff in order to reopen the doors within an agreed timeframe. As such a highly efficient, user-friendly and flexible solution was required, for which Inercia turned to a variety of Allen & Heath products.

At the heart of the audio upgrades is an Allen & Heath SQ-6 console with SQ Dante expansion card. Featuring 48 channels, 25 faders, eight internal effects engines and capacity for up to 12 stereo mixes for comprehensive FOH and monitoring duties, the SQ-6 is both powerful and easy in operation, ideal for the various events held at La Sala Galileo Galilei. The SQ-6 is partnered by a rackmounted DX168 MixRack – its 16 inputs and 8 outputs offering additional versatility with the ease of connection via a single Cat5e cable.

The venue is also equipped with two ultra-compact Allen & Heath CQ12T digital mixers, connected via Dante converters, to be used when the space is used as a club, for music listening or for shows. The entire sound system is thus integrated into a Dante network and switches interconnected by fibre optic. The network has been complemented with an exclusive Wifi network for technical control, designed to increase the versatility of the space, allowing user control from tablets or smartphones, and enabling artists to adjust their own monitor and in-ear mixes.