VENUE 081
“Due to the large number
of shows, a high degree of flexibility is required from the lighting system. The
result being a high reliance on moving lights with very few conventional lights installed.”
Image courtesy of EMF Laserland
Together with partner Hendrik Maassen, Malte Polli-Holstein specified the audio systems, which were then installed by long-term collaborator Amptown System Company GmbH. Polli-Holstein said: “We had to deal with a lot of acoustical hard reflecting materials like the glass windows, as well as glass balustrades for the two galleries and stone or wooden floor. So we decided to use a highly focused loudspeaker system to bring the energy to the audience, avoiding too much room reflection at the same time. “Another concern was the wide range of entertainment in the Theatrium. We had to find a loudspeaker system capable of handling all the different musical needs. And the last but not least point is a very important one, especially for cruise ships; space. Due to the fact that the Meyer Sound speakers are active, we were able to reduce the needed space for rack-mounted amplifiers to an absolute minimum.” A total of 24 Meyer Sound M1D ultra compact curvilinear array loudspeakers and two Meyer Sound 700-HP subwoofers make up the main PA. Two APG MX4 speakers provide proscenium fill and 22 APG DS8 speakers supply front fill audio. Meyer Sound UPM-1P speakers fulfill balcony fill and monitor duties, while 42 Meyer Sound MM-4 speakers and 11 M1D-Sub subwoofers supply delay. “For some special applications, like front-fills, we prefer coaxial loudspeaker systems,” revealed Polli-Holstein. “So we had to deal with some passive speakers and that brought us to
Lab.gruppen amps. In the specification phase we tested a lot different models by different manufacturers. The
Lab.gruppen amps had the best performance throughout all tests concerning quality of sound, impulse response and phase response.” The installation of a DiGiCo SD7 with two SD-Racks in 96kHz over a fibre optic network is a worldwide first in this configuration. DiGiCo’s staff provided support to Polli-Holstein throughout the project, “although it was not needed because the system just runs without any problems,” he said. “In total it is the fifth ship of this generation and with two more coming up the next two years, the complexity and quantity of the shows will rise tremendously. There was no doubt that we had to switch to a digital desk to give the operator a tool to handle these demands, but we wanted to keep the acoustic dimension and quality of analogue sound. We tested a lot of digital desks first of all by comparing them to our analogue benchmark - a Cadac J-Type. The SD7, using the FPGA- technology, is the only desk we found pleasing all our needs - intuitive operating, analogue sounding and reliability on the hardware and on the software-side.” A Sennheiser wireless microphone and in-ear monitoring system has been designed with valuable input from the Sennheiser team. Particular attention was given to LTE - the latest mobile network technology.
www.mondodr.com
POOLDECK Where the Theatrium has the spectacle of open glass surrounds and gushing daylight, the outdoor Pooldeck has water features and cascading pools. Like the Theatrium, the space extends over three decks, which isn’t the only similarity that can be drawn between the two entertainment areas. The stage area here has been deliberately designed with similar dimensions to that in the Theatrium, only to a slightly smaller scale, which means a show can be moved indoors if the weather turns sour. Directly above the stage is a large Barco outdoor LED wall. A Laserland Amazer Laser system has been installed to enhance the visual spectacle. Two full-colour 10W LED lasers on the top of the speaker towers flank the stage, while two full-colour 3.5W LED lasers project from above the stage. Lighting Designer Hilton Jones explained: “Together with our laser partner we have created shows combining beam lasers together with graphical content on the LED screen, providing a unique immersive experience. Once the shows are over, the Pooldeck becomes a huge open-air disco. Martin Professional Exterior 200 LED units are set behind underwater glass panels in the pools, allowing the pool water to be coloured to suit the rest of the atmospheric and ambient lighting.” Further Martin Professional fixtures in the form of six MAC 700 Profiles, eight Exterior 410 LED projectors, six Exterior 600 luminaires and five Tripix 1200 LED strip lights dominate the lighting spec for the Stage. Control comes from a grandMA2 Ultra-Light desk. The typical challenges of operating equipment outdoors are heightened further by the corrosive properties of salt water. Jones’ experiences of working with such environments mean he can be confident in his equipment choices, as he explained: “On the first AIDA ships there was always a problem with equipment exposed to the salty sea air. It rusted and fell apart within two years. The Martin Exterior range has proved incredibly resistant to the sea air and even after five years of exposure, still looks and operates like new.” Unsurprisingly, some of the audio choices were subject to the same influence. The sound designers had to consider the expansive size of the performance space, the desire to keep technical equipment out of sight, the fact that the stage faces towards the direction of travel and therefore towards the airstream, as well as the rigours of an environment that regularly sees heat, humidity, direct sunlight, cold and salty air. A Martin Audio speakers system was chosen. Malte Polli-Holstein explained why: “We needed a high power, sea weather protected loudspeaker system, which also fulfils our demands concerning the audio quality. Every part of the speaker is specially treated and coated; all metal parts are exchanged to stainless steel, all electronics are sealed, all membranes are coated and even all the wooden parts are specially varnished on the
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148