Granada Theatre Renovation Centers Around Allen & Heath SQ-7

Complete with the original neon marquee shining bright, the Granada Theatre now enters its next act as a modern multipurpose event center and cultural hub. An Allen & Heath SQ-7 stars at front of house, managing the diverse range of live concerts and event audio playback.

A massive multiyear renovation project kicked off in 2017 as a new owner took the reins at the Granada. Starting with the removal of the seats and original stage, major construction projects also included new floors, a redesigned bar area and a large stage extension. Local audio partners JA Pro Sound took this opportunity to install a flexible audio backbone, making use of the SQ’s audio networking capabilities to place drop locations across the venue for I/O expanders.

“We chose our equipment configuration to make hosting a wide variety of events possible. The SQ-7 was really at the heart of the decision-making process because of its ease of operation paired with tons of mixing power,” notes Granada Theatre owner Russell Brown. “I’d never call myself a sound engineer, but as a venue owner I can run sound for small corporate events and hire outside pros to run our live music gigs. This is the ultimate in flexibility that a 350-500 seat venue like ours requires. We finished up renovations right in the midst of COVID-19, so our next phase will require this sort of flexibility to generate revenue and best make ends meet.”

The Granada’s upgraded audio system features an Allen & Heath SQ-7 paired up to AR2412 and AR168 AudioRacks over CAT6 which feed three Powersoft amplifiers, Tectonic Audio Labs PL10 mains and subwoofers. On the lighting side of the system, a wide range of dimmer, LED color mixing and moving light fixtures are controlled by a Chamsys QuickQ 30.

“It is truly jaw-dropping when the entire system comes together,” adds Brown. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the SQ-7 in particular. The theatre staff is picking it up quickly and they have surpassed my knowledge already. We had a training day with JA Pro Sound and their abilities really took off. I’m really glad we invested in a rock solid sound system and such a user friendly sound board. Here’s to the next 80+ years of presenting top tier entertainment at the Granada Theatre!”