Coda Audio gets immersed in 14-18 Monday 26. May 2014 10:05
Produced by global family entertainment company Studio 100 and performed in the vast Nekkerhal arena in Mechelen, an hour or so west of Brussels, a combination of great technology and a highly skilled and creative team has enabled the production to deliver seamless sound to the audience while huge bleacher seating structure moves towards and away from the action.
Supplied by audio rental and event technology company Studio Haifax, the system comprises 36 arrays of three Coda ViRAY cabinets and 18 Coda SCV-F subs which cover the 150 metres the bleacher moves, each array reducing and increasing in volume, but with no audible change for the audience.
In addition, 44 Coda G712-96 three-way full range loudspeakers were used for flown monitor and surround, with eight SCP subwoofers in an end-fired configuration below the bleacher to provide extra impact for sound effects such as explosions, and seven D5 ultra compact two-way coaxial cabinets for front fill, all powered by a total of 82 channels of Coda LINUS amplifiers (LINUS RACK20), with one DiGiCo SD5 digital mixing console used for both Front of House and monitor control.
The concept is a first for audio designer, Front of House and monitor engineer Guido Olischlager, as well as for theatre sound design in general.
Fading delays has never been done in this way, says Guido, who has worked with Mark Luyckx, head of sound for Studio 100, on numerous productions over the years. It's something that shouldn't really be possible; you're listening to a massive amount of cross fades between fixed delays, but the cross fade is so fast that you can't actually hear it.
The initial idea was to have a grid housing both audio and lighting fixed above the huge bleacher that seats the audience of up to 1900 people. But the CEO of Studio 100 wanted free lines of sight, so nothing could be built on the bleacher, explains Guido. We looked at a grid that moved as the bleacher moved, but that would have meant changing the whole construction of the hall.
Settling on the original fixed system, the team worked out the horizontal and vertical dispersions required to cover the bleacher as it moved, and the necessary clearance between the top of the seating and the grid.
We had to have at least 10 metres clearance, so that the audience didn't bump their heads on the speakers, smiles Guido. We looked at every A brand loudspeaker and decided that Coda was the perfect fit for the design; the physical height of the cabinets, the 120 degree horizontal dispersion, the power required Everything about the system was perfect. Mark and I have done a few other shows using Coda and had found that it's almost like mixing on studio monitors, so we knew we could set it up with next to no EQ, which was exactly what we wanted.
At first we made a custom design, but then TiMax came into the picture with a system that we could use and it saved a lot of work. We turned things around so that instead of tracking the actors, which is what it would normally do, it tracks the bleacher. This is a new application for TiMax and it was achieved by changing both software and firmware. The image is virtually hovering over the bleacher and it works really well.
Achieving this technically was no small task, and a minimal two weeks build time added to the pressure, so support from Coda was essential.
The final decision to use the Coda system was only made about four weeks before the build started, but they were still able to deliver everything on time, says Guido. We had great support from Coda's head office in Germany - their software engineer came over to make sure all the pre-sets were right - and from Hans Engelen from Viladco [Coda's Benelux distributor]. The show's run started on 20th April and everything is still running perfectly. We just turn it on in the morning and it just works.
Coda is a really cost effective and great working system. Maybe other brands could do the same job, but you would have to actively power them, so it's a much more expensive option because you need two or three times the amount of amps and the associated electrical power to do that.
Now, when companies ask me, What do you recommend we buy?' I say, Just listen to Coda and make up your mind, the difference is notable'.
14-18 is set to run until the 15th of July, with a possible extension until the 11th of November. An English language version is being performed on 15th June.
A musical spectacular set in Belgium during the Great War, 14-18 follows the struggles, loves and tragedies of three soldiers through the conflict. From the emotion of the story telling to the innovative set, this dramatization of one of the most defining periods in recent history is incredible in many ways, and truly immerses the audience in every part of the action. The sound system, based around Coda Audio loudspeakers, plays no small part in drawing them in.
For more information, visit:
www.1418.nu
www.studio100.be
www.studiohaifax.be
www.viladco.be
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Coda Audio gets immersed in 14-18 Monday 26. May 2014 10:05
