The Singapore Zoo opened its doors in June of 1973. Since then the animal population has surged to over 2500 different specimens. Set in a rainforest environment, Singapore Zoo’s world famous ‘open concept’ offers the opportunity to experience and be inspired by the wonders of nature. Animals here live in spacious and landscaped environments simulating that of their natural habitat. The Singapore Zoo takes this concept even further by evolving into a learning zoo. Instead of just observing the animals, interactive, educational content is a feature of all exhibits. These interpretive activities aim to effectively convey facts about the animals and messages about wildlife conservation.

Asia/Pacific Market Manager, Laz Harris, recently visited the zoo for the completion of the 2^nd Mackie install at the zoo. The zoo has used Mackie gear for quite some time. In fact, they have had a CR1604-VLZ in service for the past seven years. Most amazing is the fact that this particular 1604 has been in a non-air conditioned environment the entire time! With Singapore’s average temperature of 89°F coupled with 80% humidity, there is no doubt that the 1604 is “Built-Like-A-Tank”. There are also a ton of SRM350s and SRM450s in service as portable and backup sound solutions, but the install of a complete Tetrad system is the first Mackie “main” PA for the zoo.

The gear list for the install included an Onyx 24.4 at FOH, with a pair of MR5 studio monitors being used to reference the mix. The system is feeding a full Mackie Tetrad system that includes two S408s for tops and a pair of S410s’ as subwoofers. Senior Sound Director, Mike Hassan, had the following to say regarding the high-end new system.

“It’s amazing to me that this [Tetrad] system sounds clearer and more evenly dispersed than our Adamson line array!”

One thing that surprised all involved was that while speaker placement was far from optimal for presenters due to space limitations posed by the surrounding animal environments, the amount of feedback was amazingly low. What little feedback was encountered during tuning was easily tamed with the most minor EQ adjustments on the Onyx 24.4. The rest of the system EQ remained virtually flat. “The sound is full and pleasing,” remarked Hassan. The low end was particularly impressive and the punchy character of the S410s was perfect for the hyped-up New Age and Afro-pop “safari-textured” soundtracks used in the shows.

“Mackie is very pleased to play a part in the zoo’s ongoing commitment to visitor education. We are sure that the new PA system will serve the zoo well, helping to educate and entertain visitors for years to come,” comments Harris.