Outline Launches Arena Series
Following on from the Stadia Series of loudspeakers (designed for permanent outdoor installation), Outline has announced the launch of a complimentary range at Integrated Systems Europe 2018 - the Arena Series.
Stadia Series products have already featured in major stadium installations at Ekaterinburg in Russia and the Italian Zaccheria Stadium; their combination of weather resistance and controlled power providing a perfect solution for the demands of large-scale sports venue audio. The Arena Series extends that family while also providing a down-scaled solution for smaller projects.
Featuring the same ‘OutSide’ Coating Technology, the 3-layer elastoplastic weatherproof protection as their larger siblings, Arena Series enclosures integrate into stadium installations with Stadia Series units, providing audio throughout areas not covered by the main system. They also provide extremely effective multi-purpose solutions in any application where high quality audio needs to be distributed around outdoor areas, such as theme parks, leisure facilities, tourist attractions and public spaces.
The Arena Series comprises 2 models, the 215 CX and the 212 CX. Both reproduce high-intelligibility full-range audio, the former from a 15inch LF transducer and a 15inch mid-low driver incorporating a co-axial 3inch diaphragm HF compression driver, mounted on Outline’s proprietary moulded waveguide. The 212 CX uses the same acoustic design but is fitted with 12inch LF driver and 12inch / 3inch co-axial transducer, providing a smaller and lighter option.
Both designs are configured as ‘two-and-a-half’ way systems both electrically and acoustically and both models deliver audio performance that approaches a 3-way design with extended low frequency. Better still, thanks to Outline’s exclusive internal crossover designs, both models can be driven by a single channel of amplification which adds cost-efficiency.
Outline also launched their new STSUB-215 at ISE. This is the the companion subwoofer for Stadia Series, featuring the same ‘OutSide’ weatherproofing system and extending the applicational usefulness of the Stadia Series still further. Finally, visitors to the Outline stand were able to visit ‘Newton Corner’, an area dedicated exclusively to demos of the new Newton processor.
Spurs New Stadium Update
Tottenham Hotspur has announced an application to Haringey Council to increase the capacity of its new football stadium up to 62,000.
The club's home for the 2017–18 season is Wembley Stadium, following the demolition of White Hart Lane, to make way for a completely new stadium on the same site. The club has regularly posted updates on social media; revealing its latest renovations, built for multipurpose football.
The North-London based club stated on Twitter it will provide further updates regarding the application.
More to follow...
Community Celebrates 50 Years
Community Professional Loudspeakers celebrate 50 years of offering innovative loudspeaker solutions.
Founded by Bruce Howze in 1968 to develop concert-worthy loudspeakers that were both powerful and lightweight, Community have become a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of professional loudspeakers for installed applications.
Bruce said: “Everyone was making horns from wood, sheet metal or cast iron. We thought fibreglass would be an ideal material for small runs.
"It was lightweight, strong, portable and relatively easy to mold to shape. We could make horns that were far more accurate to mathematical equations, without the imperfections of wood, and with far less weight.”
Bruce added: “At the time, touring systems were mainly comprised of large folded bass horns, topped with multicellular high frequency horns.
“There was nothing that could do 500 Hz well, which left a big hole in the midrange. Midrange is where voice intelligibility lives, and to my mind is the most important aspect of a loudspeaker – to communicate. We focused on that midrange right at the outset, and it continues to be paramount in everything we do."
Bruce continued: “There’s been a trend among loudspeaker manufacturers to overlook intelligibility in favour of the ‘wow’ factor of big bass. That sort of misses the point that all the critical information is in the midrange. If you don’t get that right, the rest of it doesn’t mean a thing.”
Community’s developments in horn designs, enclosures and transducers, combined with detailed performance measurement and documentation, have achieved a list of 'firsts' in: large-scale systems, extreme all-weather capability and solutions for difficult acoustic environments.
The company have a long history of established clients including: Elvis Presley touring with Community’s Leviathan in the ‘70s to public address for the largest annual gathering in Mecca. Venice have also used Community regularly to provide audio flood warnings, and the Olympic's and world-class stadia have also used Community systems for 'loud and clear' communication.
Steve Johnson joined Community as the CEO in 2013, and brought his industry experience from: substantial sales, marketing and commercial to the company. Audioprof Group International also acquired a majority share in Community in 2015, and through the acquisition, Community became a member of their installed audio portfolio along with European-based Apart Audio.
Steve said: “As we aspire to exceed the industry’s expectations and provide exceptional customer service, we will continue to innovate with new products like the IV6.
“Community was founded by Bruce Howze all those years ago because he believed there had to be a better way to make loudspeakers. I see the IV6 with its unique array shaping tools as proof that innovation is alive and well at Community and will continue to define Community long into the future.”
Philips Lights South Korea
Philips Lighting has announced its Philips ArenaVision floodlighting will be installed in four South Korean stadiums that will be used for skiing, snowboarding, hockey, skating and short track.
The stadiums that will deploy the lighting are the Phoenix Snow Stadium, the Gangneung and Gwandong Hockey Centers and the Gangneung Ice Arena. Philips ArenaVision floodlighting has already been installed at numerous major stadia in South Korea and around the world.
Philips ArenaVision floodlighting is designed to enable athletes to perform at their best and fans to enjoy the sport to the fullest. Delivering light with a colour temperature close to daylight (5600k), it enhances the concentration of both athletes and audiences.
Its high colour rendering index of 90 shows the real colour of an object, enhancing the visual performance, relevant in sports such as figure skating.
The embedded reflector skirt minimises glare, providing clear visibility on the field, and removing distractions which could hinder players’ performance. The lighting is durable and robust even in harsh conditions with a waterproof and dust proof rating of IP65.
It meets stringent 3D and Ultra High Definition broadcast standards, capturing every detail, and its flicker-free technology allows replays to be shown in slow motion, showing every detail without any flickering.
Kees Klein, Hesselink's Global Key Account Manager at Philips Lighting Arena Solutions said: “Philips ArenaVision has built up its success and reputation over many years of being deployed at major global sports events.
“We are confident that it will help both the performance of athletes and the enjoyment of spectators and millions of home viewers during major sports events.”
KL Sports City Features L‑Acoustics Loudspeakers
The first part of the transformation of Malaysia’s Bukit Jalil National Sports Complex, into one of Asia’s top sporting venues, KL Sports City, began in the summer of 2017. The project included the installation of an L‑Acoustics loudspeaker system into the 85,000-seater National Stadium.
Sennheiser Electronics, L‑Acoustics, Asia, were first introduced to the KL Sports City concept in 2015. The company was subsequently invited to tender for the project, which had to satisfy exacting requirements for coverage and sound quality, while also adhering to strict limitations on structural weight loadings.
Sales Manager for L-Acoustics Asia, David Cooper said: “Sennheiser supported system integrator A.F.S. Engineering (Malaysia) by supplying a proposal and design for the tender bid that was based on L‑Acoustics products.
“By working closely with L‑Acoustics’ application engineer Julien Laval during the process, they made sure they adhered to the weight restrictions while providing optimum SPL and intelligibility.”
Using L‑Acoustics Soundvision 3D acoustical simulation software, the team devised a lightweight system by using a combination of L‑Acoustics Kara, Kiva II and ARCS WiFo loudspeaker cabinets for the National Stadium.
The extensive system comprises 18 hangs of six Kara, providing coverage for the outer ring, including the first and second tiers of seating. The inner ring consists of the third tier and uppermost bowl, that are catered for with a total of 256 Kiva II, configured as 32 hangs of eight each.
Under balconies on levels one and two are serviced by 136 5XT, whilst four hangs of four Kara each cover the field of play. The entire system is driven by a total of 77 LA4X amplified controllers.
A separate system was installed in the Axiata Arena, a 13,000-seat flexible indoor space located to the rear of the National Stadium, comprising of 36 Kara, 32 ARCS Focus and 22 ARCS Wide constant curvature line source cabinets, along with 12 SB18 subs to cover the upper balcony, driven by 32 LA4X amplified controllers.
The specifications for the weight loadings were updated several times during the tender process, which meant the team had to react quickly. Julien said: “At one point, we had just a week to submit a new proposal that would satisfy the change in weight restrictions.”
“Using loudspeakers such as Kiva II and ARCS WiFo that have external amplified controllers is really useful in these situations, because we can provide a lightweight, weather resistant solution that also has an optimised cable path, which provides both scalability and cost effectiveness.
"Consultants acknowledge the superiority of this approach for stadium applications, but cable lengths are always a concern as there can be issues with signal degradation in lengths that are over 100m, impacting the overall performance of the system."
Julien added: “However, because L‑Acoustics has developed proprietary prediction tools, such as Soundvision, we can ensure the position of the amplified controllers to keep cable runs as short as possible.
"Being able to share this methodology with consultants and Certified System Integrators really helps to reassure them that the system will do what we need it to do. As well as providing the optimum solution, using Soundvision allowed the client to visualise the end result.
“Sennheiser Asia’s on-site presence was also a big advantage. For example, we could make fine adjustments to the 5XT under-balcony speaker location up until the last stage of the integration.
"This level of project follow up could not have been achieved without clear communication and an extremely accurate room model used in our simulation," explained Julien.
“The venue is very happy with the system. The first big event held in the National Stadium was the 29th SEA Games and 9th ASEAN Para Games. Australian Rental Company Norwest provided additional ground stacked Kudos and KS28 subs, which integrated perfectly with the installed system and the event got great reviews all round for its sound quality," concluded David.
www.klsportscity.my / www.l-acoustics.com
NFL Utilise Ephesus LED Sports Lighting
Power management company Eaton announced that the 4 February 2018 New England Patriots vs Philadelphia Eagles football championship game at the U.S. Bank Stadium will be the second ever match to utilise Eaton's Ephesus LED sports lighting and controls system.
The game is the first of three consecutive professional football championship games to use Eaton's Ephesus LED sports lighting. Mike Lorenz, president at Eaton's Ephesus Lighting business, commented: "Our success at University of Phoenix Stadium and the attention our LED lighting solution - received for its performance during the world's biggest sporting event - truly changed the perception of LED sports lighting from a rookie to a primetime performer.
"At that time, just a handful of professional sports venues and only one football stadium had made the switch to LED lighting. Today, more than one-third of the four major professional sports venues and thousands of other facilities of all sizes employ an LED lighting solution."
The capabilities of Eaton's Ephesus LED sports lighting system allow building operators to completely darken the stadium, turn on lights and display light shows to enhance the pomp and circumstance; including the player introductions, the national anthem, and Justin Timberlake’s halftime show.
Two of the past three college football championship games, including the 2018 Alabama-Georgia game in Atlanta, were also played in stadiums with Eaton's Ephesus LED sports lighting. Three of the four college basketball championship games played between 2017-2020 will also be at venues with this system.
Hundreds of facilities have made the switch to Eaton's LED sports lighting system including: University of Phoenix Stadium (Arizona Cardinals); Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Dolphins); PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates); Bridgestone Arena (Nashville Predators); and Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.
L‑Acoustics Welcome New Members
L‑Acoustics has named the support team for the strategic and growing sports and cruise ship sectors, hiring Tom Williams as the applications engineer and appointing Scott Wakelin - formally regional sales manager at L-Acoustics in 2015 - to the position of Sales Manager of Sports Facilities & Cruise Ships.
Working with the install applications team, headed by director of application Cedric Montrézor, Tom will represent the L‑Acoustics brand to consultants, architects and venue managers; providing technical support to L-Acoustics partners for sports venue and cruise ship projects.
Scott Wakelin has over 20 years’ experience in the professional audio industry, developing key partner strategy and focusing on large scale projects for stadia and casinos and railways.
Jochen Frohn, Director of business development at L-Acoustics, said: “Scott has built up a strong presence for L-Acoustics in Central Europe. He has demonstrated product and project excellence as well as technical expertise and I know he’ll be a strong advocate for our clients and partners in a key market.”
With over a decade of experience designing and deploying large-scale audio systems for both live events and fixed installations, Tom has travelled the globe to oversee the sound system installations of some of the world’s most iconic sports venues and cruise ships.
Tom said: “L-Acoustics has so much to offer sports venues who are looking to diversify their ROI and engage their fan base and cruise ships that want to ensure their entertainment venues have world-class audio systems capable of attracting top talent.
“I’m delighted to represent the brand and I’m looking forward to helping grow the respect and recognition for L-Acoustics in these growing markets.”
Cedric added: “With Tom’s technical expertise, project management experience and dedication, I am confident that he will be a strong asset to the key influencers in these important markets. Having both Tom and Scott dedicated to our important sports and cruise ship projects will raise the game both at L-Acoustics and for our key partners.”
The ESSMA Summit 2018: Day 2
The participants separated into different tracks: Operations & Ticketing, Fan Experience & Engagement, Pitch Management, Stadium Development, Safety & Security, Fan Experience & Hospitality and SMART & Innovation.
Participants in the Operations & Ticketing track, heard insights from Tine De Groote, Marketing Manager at KV Oostende, and Pierre Venayre, General Director at Stade Rochelais.
Delivering data on the latest developments and trends in the Fan Experience & Engagement track was delivered by Alberto Colombo, Deputy General Secretary at EPFL, Mats Enquist, CEO at Swedish League, Roger Brosel, Head of Content and Programming at LaLiga, and Julio Tarrega Diez, Audiovisual Manager at Valencia CF.
In the Pitch Management track, Majella Smyth, Head Groundsman at Aviva Stadium welcomed everyone. The session was delivered by Ole Myhrvold, Facility Manager of Norwegian Football Federation, Yves de Cocker of GrassMaster Solutions and Yasser Al Mulla, Senior Manager of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC).
Eric Hart, Head of Tampa Sports Authority - Managing Raymond James Stadium - provided details on the latest developments at the Authority-managed venues and Sylvain Caliman, Stadium Manager of Stade du Hameau, outlined the three construction phases of the new Section Paloise project, during the Stadium Development track, focusing on the key takeaways and lessons learned.
Cleverciti Systems also provided details on their parking sensor solutions.
The Safety & Security track heard from Eaman O’Boyle, Health & Safety Officer at Leinster
Rugby, Dirk Piens, Head of Organisation and Infrastructure at KAA Gent, Darren Crossman, Facilities and Safety Director at Principality Stadium, Leighton Jones, Head of Security at Fulham FC, and Paul Dodds, UK Country Manager at Genetec.
The Fan Experience & Hospitality track received insights from; Martina Flood, Head
of Catering Operations at Aviva Stadium, and Rob Toussaint, Commercial Director at Heracles Almelo.
The speakers for the SMART & Innovation track were: Michael Lloyd, Deputy Safety Manager at Arsenal FC and BASIS member, Matt Allen, Member of BASIS, and Umut Kutlu, Chief Marketing Officer at Besiktas JK.
Oliver Sahm of Bosch, also provided attendees with a presentation on Sound Reinforcement in Stadia.
For Stadium Development II - Future Trends, participants heard from Yasser, Matthias Eiles, Advisor at Football Infrastructure, German Football Association, and Wojciech Rokicki, Project Director at Legia Warsaw.
There was also a Q&A session with John Beattie - Stadium & Facility Director at Arsenal FC, and Musco Lighting - on LED Lighting for stadiums.
The ESSMA Summit 2018: Day 1
Dublin fair city’s Aviva Stadium - Ireland’s only UEFA Elite certified stadium -was this week transformed into the host venue for the ESSMA (European Stadium & Safety Management Association) Summit 2018.
The summit was organised by ESSMA in partnership with the ECA (European Club Association) and the EPFL (European Professional Football Leagues). The ESSMA Summit has become a popular event for those involved in the stadium industry.
Some 375 participants attended representing; clubs, teams, stadiums, leagues, federations, and members supplying products and services to the sector from across Europe and beyond.
The 2018 event marked the fourth in the Summit’s history, with the previous issues having been held at Olympique Lyonnais’ Groupama Stadium (previously Parc OL), Munich’s Allianz Arena and San Mamés Stadium.
Those attending the 2018 Summit were the first to use the new ESSMA app – developed in co-operation with myStadiumsApp – which displayed all practical event information, from the event programme to all ESSMA-related news.
Day 1 began with a tour of the 51,700-seat Aviva Stadium, with presentations by Campey, Genetec and VOGO Sports, followed by an informal lunch, giving members several networking opportunities, for which the event has become known for.
Declan O’Brien, Operations Manager at the IRFU and John Beattie, Stadium & Facilities Director at Arsenal FC, welcomed attendees to the Summit, alongside moderator, Robbie Irwin.
ESSMA Managing Director, Dimitri Huygen, then introduced the first section on the Stadium Lifecycle, with in-depth keynote presentations by Martin Murphy, Stadium Director, Aviva Stadium and Eric Hart, Head of Tampa Sports Authority.
The next topic covered was Matchday Operations, introduced by ECA’s Head of Communications and Marketing, Marc Schmidgall, with comprehensive keynotes by Roger Brosel, Head of Content and Programming at LaLiga, and Francesco Gianello, Head of Stadium, Juventus FC.
The last industry niche to be discussed was the Fan Journey, introduced by Alberto Colombo, Deputy General Secretary, EPFL, with insightful keynotes from Eric Cosset, Director of Product and Development, Disneyland Paris, Benjamin Steen, Head of Digital Projects and CRM, FC Bayern Munich, and Rory Sheridan, Head of Sponsorship Europe, Diageo (Guinness).
Attendees also sampled pints of the 'black-stuff' during an evening of entertainment, which ended in Dublin’s Temple Bar.
Grand Fork's Alerus Center Upgrades with Fulcrum Acoustic Loudspeakers
The Alerus Center is Grand Fork's premiere entertainment and convention facility. When not serving as home field to the University of North Dakota's D1 football team, the Centre's 20,000-seat arena plays host to events ranging from conventions and car shows to concerts and basketball tournaments. Selected by the municipally owned Centre's management to upgrade the arena's ageing original sound system, Peterson Audio Visual Consulting principal Dave Peterson designed a simple and elegant system based upon Fulcrum Acoustic's advanced installation loudspeakers.
Challenges
The arena required a high-output, high-fidelity sound system with precise directional control and the ability to easily configure coverage for its diverse programming.
Solution
"Using the centre line of the building's steel structure as a locating point, I developed seven coverage zones running the length of the field," explained Dave. "Seating coverage is provided by two outer zones per side, each consisting of six Fulcrum AH65 full-range coaxial horns (60° x 45°) paired with CS121 21-inch cardioid subwoofers featuring Fulcrum's proprietary Passive Cardioid Technology™. 21 Fulcrum AH463 coaxial horns (60° x 30°) are deployed in three playing field coverage zones for football and arena-wide events. For basketball games' narrower field of play, the arena's west side bleachers are moved inward and the corresponding outer coverage zones are switched off."
"In designing the system, I knew the 70-foot throw from the arena's roof beams to the stands was at the edge of compatibility for a point-source solution, anything longer would have required a line array approach," stated Dave. "Fulcrum's AH coaxial horns's extremely high acoustical output and precise pattern control allowed me to design a straightforward and effective, configurable distributed system for the arena. The Alerus Center was the perfect venue for the application, and its management is very pleased with the wonderful visitor feedback they've received on their new sound system."
About Fulcrum Acoustic
Founded in 2008, Fulcrum Acoustic is a professional loudspeaker manufacturer known for its unique approach to loudspeaker design. Employing the research of company co-founder David Gunness, Fulcrum Acoustic combines proprietary coaxial design and Temporal Equalisation™ processing power to create the most powerful and versatile line of loudspeakers available.