Pretty Woman Musical Premieres d&b CCL System in South Africa

Live theatrical sound design involves a particular challenge that concert engineers rarely have to solve: dozens of lapel and headset microphones constantly moving across a stage, each one a potential feedback loop. When Pretty Woman: The Musical arrived in South Africa for its regional debut, sound designer David Classen chose the d&b audiotechnik CCL system as the centerpiece of his audio solution — and the reasons why illuminate a broader shift in how theatrical sound is being designed.

The CCL system's signature technical achievement is single-channel broadband directivity control, which brings advanced low-frequency cardioid behavior into a compact line array format. For a theatrical environment, the practical implication is significant: the system's rear-rejection dramatically reduces mic bleed and virtually eliminates onstage feedback. Classen could design for clarity rather than constantly fighting the room.

The installation, supplied by Cape Town-based rental company Eastern Acoustics and supported by local distributor Stage Audio Works, was substantial. Main left/right hangs featured 14 d&b CCL tops per side, supported by six CCL-SUBs per side for low-frequency extension, with d&b V-Series and E-Series loudspeakers filling coverage gaps. Amplification and signal transport ran through d&b D25 and D80 digital amplifiers integrated into a redundant Milan-AVB network infrastructure.

Pretty Woman: The Musical features a rock-infused score by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance — music that demands both power and precision from a PA system. The CCL deployment gave Classen the dynamic range to go loud when the score calls for it while maintaining the intelligibility that theatrical storytelling requires. For regional markets like South Africa, it also represents a significant milestone: the CCL system's first deployment in the region, expanding the footprint of high-end theatrical sound infrastructure beyond traditional touring hubs.

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