Adam&Eva: N&M with innovative audio technology in the Glashalle
Neumann&Müller Veranstaltungstechnik is supporting this year's FAMAB Adam & Eva ceremony in Leipzig and is set to deploy a new, innovative audio system to provide sound for the huge glass hall. With organisers placing particular importance on speech intelligibility at the award gala, line array speakers from the Focus Modular range produced by Fohhn in southwest Germany will make sure that the audience catches every word uttered on the main stage. The speakers' sound dispersion behaviour and dispersion angle can be electronically controlled and adjusted to suit a room's acoustic conditions.
Measuring 240 by 80 metres, the Glashalle at the Leipzig Exhibition Centre is an architecturally unique and prestigious structure. However, its floor and closed dome cause considerable sound reflections and there are differences in the sound transit time at different points in the hall due to the architecture of the glass dome. "We don't just have one specific reflection to deal with but a lot of different reflections, which means we also have to contend with overlaps - the original signal would be totally veiled," explains Omar Samhoun, the N&M project manager in charge of the technical concept for the event.
The only way to counter these effects is to minimise the input of acoustic energy in the hall. The sound level must be very low to reduce the volume of the reflection and avoid disturbing the original signal. That is why sound will be specifically directed towards certain areas - those where the audience will be sitting during the award gala - so that little additional reflection is generated. However, the zone in which the after-show party takes place - which includes various bars, clubs and lounges - will be covered by several loudspeakers operating at low volumes.
"That's the reason we went for Focus Modular as the front system for the main stage," says Dirk Ziervogel, who works as a sound specialist for the N&M branch office situated on the grounds of the Leipzig Exhibition Centre and who is one of those responsible for the technical realisation of the event. The sound for the three blocks in the audience zone as well as for the main stand will be provided by two main lines of Fohhn loudspeakers plus further individual elements from the same range for delay and better sound localisation. The adjoining exhibitor zone will be covered by a second delay line with three more Fohhn lines. The set up for the 80 by 60 metre zone will be rounded off with a near field and eight V-SUBs from d&b audiotechnik under the stage and four more on the first delay truss.
"The party zone measures 70 by 50 metres and will be equipped with high-quality, conventional sound solutions from d&b audiotechnik and Kling&Freitag to create a perfect rock atmosphere," adds Dirk Ziervogel. Several Yamaha CL5 and CL1 digital mixers and one DME 64 mixer will be used to control all the systems - they will be connected up in a Dante network by means of fibre optic cable.
N&M recently added Focus Modular to its range of equipment because it can be used for providing targeted sound to audience zones in difficult acoustic surroundings - such as large conference halls, theatres or trade fair halls, thereby achieving the best possible levels of speech intelligibility. As Michael Mandel, N&M's technical director, explains: "Using this range of loudspeakers, our technicians are able to create direct, clear and uniform sound results even in locations like this. One further benefit: software can be used to control the corresponding processes in real-time." Fohhn provided an additional system for the FAMAB award gala.
At the beginning of next year, the Fohhn system will be in use at the Winter Olympics is Sochi: the Munich communications agency Avantgarde has commissioned N&M to provide the audio systems for the VW pavilion at the Olympic site. "Once again, it was the system's performance and design that made us decide in favour of Focus Modular," adds Michael Mandel.
N&M will be responsible for the sound, lighting, video and conference systems at the Deutsches Haus hospitality centre in Sochi in Russia. At the N&M locations in Germany and for Eastern Europe, there are also teams of technicians and event specialists ready to support companies here at home when it comes to realising their events centering on the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Photos: FAMAB, Leipzig Trade Fair Centre