Toronto's Aga Khan Museum Finds Flexibility with Meyer Sound MINA

To expand the uses of its 350-seat auditorium, Toronto’s new Aga Khan Museum of Islamic arts and culture has found the best solution in a Meyer Sound MINA line array loudspeaker system.

Designed for utmost flexibility by Martin Van Dijk, senior consultant of Toronto-based Engineering Harmonics, the MINA system can be deployed in different configurations to support a wide range of music, speech, and film reinforcement requirements.

“MINA has helped us realize our goal of using the space far beyond its original intentions,” says Jorge Rodriguez, production manager for the Museum. “The auditorium was originally intended for use as a lecture hall, or with small acoustic ensembles, but when our performing arts department was formed, we decided to do more and to push the boundaries. Martin pointed us toward a Meyer Sound solution in different configurations, which was a brilliant decision.”

The MINA system comprises a flown center array of six MINA and three CQ-1 loudspeakers, supported by six MM‑4XP self-powered loudspeakers for front fill and two 500-HP subwoofers. The MINA array can function alone for lectures, while two CQ-1 loudspeakers can be flown or placed on stage to augment MINA in concert performance configurations. The third CQ-1 can be placed center stage to complete an LCR behind-screen cinema system. The system was provided and installed by Toronto-based Westbury National.

“MINA works very well with the unique acoustics of this space,” says Rodriguez. “The auditorium’s small size and live acoustics project quite a lot of ambient sound, but the linear response of MINA allows the sound engineer to seamlessly blend the room sound with the reinforced sound.”

The auditorium also features a DiGiCo SD9 digital console, Shure wireless microphone systems, and a Christie CP2220 digital cinema projector.

Designed by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki, the Aga Khan Museum shares a site with both a public park and garden designed by Lebanese-Serbian landscape architect Vladimir Djurovic and the Ismaili Centre, Toronto, designed by Indian architect Charles Correa. The varied program in the Museum auditorium encompasses a variety of concerts by international musical artists as well as dance performances, film screenings, seminars, symposia, and conferences.