Taieri College’s Performing Arts Centre was due for a transformation. The existing speech reinforcement system was no longer meeting the growing demands of the space, especially as the school’s creative programmes and events expanded. From high-energy music performances to full-scale productions and community events, the venue needed a system that could keep pace.
To bridge the gap, Strawberry Sound’s hire department had been regularly supplying temporary sound systems to accommodate performances such as Rockquest, school productions and other large-scale events. While effective in the short term, this approach was time-consuming and limited the College’s ability to fully utilise their venue’s potential.
“The big focus for us is on music and drama and we needed a versatile sound system that would cope with high-performance music and bands,” says Lyndon Jones, Assistant Principal at Taieri College. “Our previous system was not capable of handling this.”
Recognising the need for a future-proof solution Taieri College once again approached Strawberry Sound, this time to design and install a permanent, high-performance audio system that could meet the needs of both school and external users. The brief was clear: the system had to deliver concert-quality sound, be flexible enough for a wide range of events and remain easy to operate for students and third-party vendors alike.
Strawberry Sound specified the JBL SRX900 Series powered line array system which would be compact, scalable and well-suited to the acoustics and structural limitations of the space.
“We selected the smaller JBL SRX906 line array element for its compact size, lightweight design, exceptional sound quality and ease of rigging,” said Dave Bennett, Senior Sound Technician Strawberry. “The precise array angle control from each cabinet allowed for a fast and accurate setup. Best of all, no major structural modifications were required—we were able to use the existing rigging points to deploy the system efficiently.”
Strawberry specified 12x SRX906LA dual 6.5-inch powered line array loudspeakers, flown six per side, along with 2x SRX918S 18-inch powered subwoofers.
“We selected the smaller JBL SRX906 line array element for its compact size, lightweight design, exceptional sound quality and ease of rigging.”
Setup, configuration and tuning were handled using JBL’s SRX900 Performance software, offering the same workflow and feature set found in Performance Manager for the company’s flagship VTX systems.
“Once the system was installed, only minimal fine-tuning was needed. The SRX906 line arrays sound excellent straight out of the box, with consistent tonal quality throughout the space,” said Dave Bennett. “The Performance software was intuitive and accurate, everything just worked as it should in a real-world environment.”
The final installation also included improvements to the lighting control and a reorganisation of AV racks for greater clarity and usability. The venue facilities fully equipped to host a wide range of performances, both for the College and venue hire.
“The SRX906 installation was straightforward and hassle-free. It’s a fantastic little product that delivers impressive performance for its size.
“The SRX906 installation was straightforward and hassle-free. It’s a fantastic little product that delivers impressive performance for its size,” Dave Bennett added. “The rigging system is awesome! Quick to deploy, with precise angle adjustments and secure locking mechanisms that make it easy to achieve optimal coverage. JBL has clearly streamlined its line array portfolio, offering a consistent and intuitive rigging experience across the range. The flexibility and ease of assembling the system made the entire process painless.”
Leadership are impressed with their robust JBL SRX900 professional-grade sound system. Taieri College’s Performing Arts Centre is now fully equipped to host a diverse range of performances, from school productions to community events.
“Now we have something that not only benefits the College but will be a great asset for Dunedin as well,” enthused Lyndon Jones. “It’s a great venue with concert-quality sound – and it’s now available for hire!”
