|
|||
|
|||
|
Additional Photos
|
Massive M3D System ‘Disappears’ in SuperDome
On Mother’s Day weekend in May,
the 100-piece Sydney Symphony Orchestra – along with two massed choirs,
the Australian Navy Band and four of Australia’s top operatic soloists
– took to the stage for the second annual SuperDome Symphony
Spectacular. To carry sounds
both delicate and dynamic throughout the 21,000-capacity arena, Coda Audio
of Sydney supplied a 52-cabinet Meyer Sound self-powered system, anchored
by M Series line array components. However, according to reports from
those on the scene, the entire system seemed to vanish as soon as the
orchestra began to play. “I got quite a few comments
about that,” says Bob Scott, the freelance mixing engineer contracted
for FOH duties. “People were asking me, ‘What is the PA doing up
there? I couldn’t hear anything through it.’ I took that as a
great compliment, for myself and for all the others involved, because with
the PA off you couldn’t really hear much of anything in that huge
venue.” The exceptionally transparent
system was designed by Coda’s Michael Wilkie in association with Meyer
Sound contract consultant Dave Dennison.
Prior to assembling the system on site, Dennison used Meyer Sound
MAPP OnlineŽ to model the array behaviour in the dome. “I’m really appreciating the
awesome potential of MAPP Online,” says Dennison.
“In this case I was able to work at home in California the week
before the concert, calculating the vertical dispersion of the
loudspeakers and making sure not too much was getting up into the roof
area. It worked out just the way it showed on MAPP Online, and I
think that was one of the reasons the concert was so successful.” The overall system configuration
was determined by Wilkie, who chose the M Series components for their
combination of power, tight vertical control and relatively compact
dimensions. “The only other
option was a distributed system,” he says, “but that would have caused
sight line problems with the huge screens behind the orchestra.” The main left and right arrays of
the SuperDome system each comprised a pair of M3D-Sub directional
subwoofers at the top of the hang, with six M3D line array cabinets
underneath for long throw, finally transitioning to six M2D compact
curvilinear array loudspeakers for most of the main floor coverage. Six
MSL-4 horn-loaded long-throw loudspeakers per side were deployed for side
fill, with two delay clusters of three MSL-4s located at rear of the main
floor to cover the top of the rear galleries. “That was really a precautionary
measure since the main arrays actually covered very well back there,”
says Wilkie. “In
retrospect, we probably could have done without them.” The main arrays were hung quite
high (more than 15 meters to the bottom M2D) to give clear sight lines for
the video screens. This created a shadow zone in the front rows that was
filled in by six stage-front UPA-1P compact wide coverage loudspeakers. Despite the daunting logistics of
reinforcing such a massive assemblage of voice and instruments – over
120 inputs were used on the trio of Midas consoles – the concert
proceeded smoothly, and the M3D-based system earned high praise from
engineer Bob Scott. “The cardioid low-frequency
pattern on the M3D-Sub is particularly amazing,” he says.
“The cabinets just don’t have anything coming out the back.
That really reduces your worries about feedback, which gives you
more headroom to work with so you can get decent levels out of the
instruments on stage.” To attract a broad audience for the three performances, the event promoters worked with maestro Warwick Stengards to develop a program of favourites from the repertoire, including Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, well-known operatic duets, John William’s music from the Harry Potter films, and a familiar concert warhorse from Ravel. “The dynamics of that system
were particularly impressive in Bolero,” reports Bob Scott. “It was
great to have a PA that let us hear everything clearly from beginning to
end, from the delicate snare ostinato up to the crescendo at the end.
With all of that, there was no need for compression.
It made for a good show.” The Sydney Superdome Spectacular was produced by Creation Entertainment, a division of AbiGroup, the owner and operator of the venue. The Sydney SuperDome was built initially for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, and now hosts a variety of sporting events, concerts, and corporate functions. It is Australia’s largest fully enclosed venue. |
Featured Products |
By clicking here you can have product information sent by mail
or e-mail us with your questions and comments. Thanks for stopping by!
