A flexible venue needs a flexible sound system and Liverpool's Echo Arena and BT Convention Centre (the AAC Liverpool) is no exception. A configurable 10,000 seat arena with rolling mother grid plus a 7,000 square metre multipurpose hall make this one of the most unique and versatile venues in the UK.

When you're dealing with sound in a state-of-the-art hall that can be instantly transformed into three self-contained meeting auditoriums using two rotating drums, you need an equally flexible line array. Merseysound, who were picked as the best of eight companies vying for the three year contract, chose a 32-strong JBL Vertec VT4887A line array with 16 VT4880A subwoofers.

Managing Director of Merseysound, Colin Reader reveals, "We've been using JBL now ever since Harman started. We've been using JBL equipment for over seven years now and we're very happy with it. We can break the line array up into four hangs and again for the arena, we can split it up into twelve hangs per side at the front and then two lots of four at the back as delay lines. It's very flexible and if we're doing a smaller venue, we can ground stack it as well which gives us a little more versatility." 

The line array is accompanied by 12 Crown iTech8000 amplifiers and two DBX DriveRack® 4800 systems processors and will be used on corporate events for everything from the Regional Business Awards to the Echo Fashion Show. Colin Reader adds, "We had been getting a bit of slapback because the arena's Executive boxes have quite a lot of reflective glass in there. There was one particular area at the top seating at the very back where there was a bit of a dead spot."

Accordingly Merseysound introduced a delay line having supplied Harman Pro with the dimensions, capacity and layout of the arena. Harman then designed a custom system especially to meet the needs of the stadium using JBL software. Colin Reader adds, "Sometimes you could be messing around for hours trying to get a decent EQ - the new software developed for this particular cab seems to get it right straightaway."