Application news L-Acoustics at New Zealand’s first post-isolation live concert


Marking the country’s much anticipated return to live music events, New Zealand chart-top- ping band L.A.B. played a sold-out show for 6,000 fans at Spark Arena in Auckland. Moved from its originally scheduled theatre venue, such was demand, this was the first major concert since lockdown. College Hill Productions sup- plied an L-Acoustics K1 sys- tem, bringing an energy to the group’s audio that offered the enthusiastic crowd a celebra- tory performance. L.A.B.’s label and man- agement, Loop Media, is a long-time client of College Hill Productions, its preferred supplier for all things audio. Loop is headed by Michael (Mikee) Tucker, with Dan Clist and Scott Tindale assisting him. When the call came to supply the sound system for the world’s first arena concert after the COVID-19 lockdown, the team at College Hill was thrilled to be involved. “The


show was originally


scheduled as a smaller club- style show to happen later in the year. Once COVID-19 hit New Zealand, we weren’t sure when the industry was going to pick up again,” says College Hill’s Audio Production Manag- er, James Thompson. “When Mikee contacted us to say he was planning on shifting the concert to Spark Arena, and making it the first arena con- cert back, we got our planning books out and waited until the all clear was given to host mass gatherings.” In


the background, quotes, plans, and logistics were be- ing formulated by Thompson, alongside the College Hill team which consisted of Front of House System Design and Sys- tem Engineer Johnny Keirle, Senior Systems Engineer/Au- dio Crew Chief Kevin Bennett, Monitor System Engineer David O’Brien, PA Rigger and Patch Tech Tracey Dorn, and PA Rig- ger and Patch Tech Brooke Paterson from their home of- fices. Once restrictions were lifted, they had approximately a month to pull everything to- gether, working closely with the band to select the right equip- ment to cater for their needs. College Hill’s inventory has a


full complement of products, from the flagship K Series systems, through to smaller coaxial enclosures and, as far as


Thompson is concerned,


it was a no-brainer to use L-Acoustics for the concert: “We chose L-Acoustics be- cause the products across the


see in advance any areas he might want to focus on when approaching alignment and op- timisation of the system. The final configuration com- prised left / right hangs of eight K1, four K2 and four K1-SB subs. Eight K2 were deployed for side fill, with additional


fill from 12 dV-DOSC and six ARCS, while 24 SB28 subs were floor stacked. “The flown system was config- ured with a K1-SB extension to increase throw and directivity of low frequency energy in the ar- ray,” says Keirle. “The speaker configurations were designed to


maximise coverage uniformity both in terms of SPL and tonal balance, as well as frequency distribution and response. The side hangs of eight K2 at 90º (asymmetric) were required to fill just a small section of seat- ing outside the coverage of the main hang.”


Bose Professional on show at Juventus Juventus Football Club’ Al-


lianz Stadium has selected Bose Professional premium quality sound to enhance the total fan experience using a ArenaMatch DeltaQ solution. Opened in 2011, and located in Turin, the Allianz Stadium is home of the Juventus FC soc-


cer team and hosts more than 41,500 spectators within its facility. Recently the stadium upgraded the audio solution to improve vocal intelligibility while adding dimension to the light shows, music and special effects. The result guarantees the best game-day audio expe-


rience throughout the stands - no matter where you are seated. The Bose solution consists of ArenaMatch DeltaQ loudspeak- ers, PowerMatch amplifiers, with a ControlSpace EX digital signal processor, running on a Dante audio network. The DeltaQ technology and the


Bose Modeler software made it possible to accurately define the loudspeaker structure and quantity of the clusters needed to guarantee the best acoustic coverage and full-range sound uniformity. To ensure system redundancy and guarantee the experience keeps moving no


matter what, the Dante net- work and its analogue backup supports four separate Arena- Match clusters - individually consisting of four ArenaMatch loudspeakers and a Power- Match amplifier - ensuring the system never experiences a loss in audio.


“We are so proud to be partner- ing with a world-class team like the Juventus Football Club,”


Continued on page 12 AV News August 2020 P11 L.A.B. front of house engi-


neer, Ritchie Allen, and moni- tor engineer, Charlie Bronson, were relieved to hear that College


Hill Productions was looking after them for their shows. “They complimented the quality of PA setup and told us it definitely lived up to the


range offer superior coverage at greater distances, as well as having exceptional vertical and horizontal pattern control,” he explained. “The K Series prod- ucts are an extremely well-de- signed set of tools that allow us to fill large spaces with uniform coverage, whilst focusing that coverage at the audience and away from surfaces with low absorption coefficients.” Using L-Acoustics Soundvi- sion 3D modelling software, a preliminary design was made to evaluate cabinet counts and configuration options, then refined on-site to a more de- tailed prediction for inter-box angles, as well as FIR filter and Air Compensation starting points. Using SPL mapping and probes, Keirle was able to predict in advance how the PA would respond in an empty, dry room, as well as where he foresaw any problematic areas caused by different atmospher- ic conditions during the show. Soundvision allowed him to verify his sub array design vi- sually, again allowing him to


L-Acoustics’ K1 system brings sheer energy to the reggae band L.A.B.’s stand out show at Spark Arena in Auckland.


L-Acoustics reputation of being the finest audio system in the world,” said Thompson. Feedback from the audience was equally enthusiastic. “The crowd could really feel the en- ergy of the band through the PA, which was a fantastic re- sult. We were told by several attendees that it was good to be back at a concert with great sound,” Thompson continues. “The buzz is real!” adds Tuck- er. “The sound was the best we have heard in Spark Arena, clear, crisp and controlled.” The College Hill team followed up their support of L.A.B.’s Auckland show with


another


sold-out performance in Ham- ilton, New Zealand a few days later: “It was a great feeling for us all to be back in the work- force,” concludes Thompson. “Whilst we adjust back to this ‘new-normal’, we do feel for our friends and family all over the world who are still coming to grips with the uncertainty of our industry. Stay strong, be kind and we can get through this together!”


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