Bunjil Place is a council-run theatre located in Melbourne’s south east, serving the region with a diverse range of performances, from community theatre and school musicals to touring productions.
THE CHALLENGE
Immersive audio in a live sound context is often perceived as niche, pricey, complex and hard to get into. Visiting engineers arrive with pre-programmed stereo shows and are reluctant to rebuild everything for an unfamiliar system. The mental barrier is significant: concerns about compatibility, time loss and potential show disruptions deter adoption, especially in a mid-capacity venue handling varied events, from high-energy rock shows to more sedate ‘Morning Melodies’.
THE FIX
Bunjil Place upgraded its theatre’s audio with a d&b Soundscape immersive package. Factory Sound’s clever system design, combined with d&b’s increasingly user-friendly front-end software, enables seamless switching between traditional stereo/LCR and full object-based mixing.
The hardware core is the d&b DS100 processor, which handles matrixed feeds (L/R/LCR/sub/front-fill) alongside discrete Soundscape objects. This allows engineers to pull channels out of the stereo bus, enable direct outs and position them in space without rebuilding shows.
To protect against tampering and ensure compatibility with any console, an Allen & Heath DM0 acts as gatekeeper, using isolated Dante networks: one closed for Soundscape routing to amps (admin access only), and one for the engineer. The DM0 GUI enables quick selection of input format (Dante/MADI/analogue) and mode (L/R, LCR, immersive), with a global Soundscape mute for safety.
d&b’s Create.Control software reduces reliance on R1, allowing off-site pre-building of shows. Multiple instances can run simultaneously – system tech on R1, FOH on Create.Control – for real-time collaboration.
The PA features L/R hangs of d&b XSL (seven deep), supported by ground-stacked V-series point source enclosures with SL-Subs for energy. Three clusters of A-Series loudspeakers (four per cluster) provide horizontal imaging for immersive workflows. Two sets of front fills accommodate stage pit changes, and under-balcony delays preserve tonal consistency, all integrated into the Soundscape canvas. d&b’s ArrayProcessing ensures seamless tonality across arrays.
In action, engineers can soundcheck in stereo, then experiment by localising elements like lead vocals or guitars. Soundscape recalculates time-of-flight for every object, eliminating phase issues and making the PA ‘disappear’ – what you see onstage is what you hear, everywhere.
THE RESULT
The feedback has been positive, proving there’s nothing niche or elitist about immersive – different, for sure, but not unrealistic. Guest engineers quickly adopt it, often using every input immersively because it’s intuitive, with the safety net of flipping back to stereo. Immersive enhances what engineers already do, just with more space and localisation.
The system removes fear, sparking creativity. Once engineers hear localisation – especially under balconies – they’re hooked. It’s ideal for grassroots material like community theatre and school musicals, which benefit disproportionately from the extra sonic space.
At about 30 percent more than a comparable LCR system, it’s now a marketing weapon: state-of-the-art audio that bigger venues use, attracting higher-calibre productions and setting Bunjil apart from every other council house in Victoria.
It’s now a marketing weapon: state-of-the-art audio that bigger venues use, attracting higher-calibre productions and setting Bunjil apart from every other council house in Victoria.
d&b audiotechnik
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