REPORT

PARKS & ATTRACTIONS

Outstanding installations from theme parks and attractions around the world.

Delivering premium audio for parks and attractions

COMPANY: Genelec

These days, the category of parks and attractions is increasingly broadbased, and the technology within them is ever more sophisticated. As well as theme parks, we could also consider galleries, museums, experience centres, aquariums, planetariums as well as any outdoor tourist attraction. For the purposes of this article, we’ll be considering the requirements for how to achieve the best audio in indoor environments, as the requirements for outdoor sound are very different.

Quality control Audio quality is, of course, the primary consideration when it comes to designing audio systems for any type of venue, and visitor attractions are no exception. If we accept that the principal goal of any attraction is to engage the visitor as fully as possible, we also accept that high quality audio – even if it’s only for announcements – is an essential part of the experience. Visitors need to be able to hear every detail, even at low volumes, hence crystalline, transparent and non-fatiguing audio reproduction are definitely high on the list of priorities. Ideally, the audio element will be considered at the planning stage, allowing the sound design to be fully integrated with the rest of the project, although all too often it’s still considered as an afterthought. Genelec, who are known worldwide for the matchless quality of their monitor loudspeakers in the recording and post-production markets, have successfully applied their expertise to a range of dedicated installation loudspeakers that have enjoyed increasing success in the installed AV market over the last decade. Customers who value pristine audio quality and long-term reliability combined with harmonious aesthetics appreciate the added value of a Genelec sound system. Integrators will take things a step further, adding ease of integration, a comprehensive list of mounting accessories, convenient rear panel room compensation switches and first-class customer support to the list.

Total immersion There’s no doubt that as technology evolves at all levels, be it video, projection mapping, audio, and even scent design, the ‘immersive experience’ is increasingly important across the majority of visitor attractions. Each element is an essential part of the jigsaw that makes up the whole experience. Once again, premium audio is a must, making Genelec a solid choice. Their Smart IP range of networked loudspeakers is particularly well adapted to this sort of application, offering power, audio, calibration, control and monitoring over a single CAT cable. When it comes to developing immersive exhibits, the ability to fully integrate all parts of the experience across a single IP network is a significant consideration for integrators, as is the ability to configure – or reconfigure – on the fly. A recent avant-garde casino installation in Tampere, Finland that aims to promote the joy of gaming in a lush, relaxed environment that is unlike any other casino in the world, opted for a Smart IP solution throughout. “We wanted all of the casino AV technology to be built on an IP network with full remote controllability,” explains Sami Käyhkö, managing director of Craneworks Oy who designed and supplied all of the digital AV solutions for the new attraction that includes six separate 12.1 surround sound zones, each offering a different experience. “Audio, video, lighting, digital signage, the AV matrix and scaler, and even scent diffusion, are all controlled over the same network.” Käyhkö sums up the advantages cited by the majority of integrators who opt for a Smart IP solution. “From a sound quality and durability point of view you can’t ask for more, and of course they are very easy to install with just one Ethernet cable and no external amplifiers to worry about. The other major bonus points were full remote control – our HQ is in Helsinki about 150 km from the casino, so you don’t want to have to drive there just to adjust one speaker – and easy on-the-fly configuration that enables us to react quickly and easily when content is updated.”

Sustainable systems Sustainability is another subject that resonates increasingly with venue owners and integrators alike. Genelec has been committed to sustainable development and manufacturing processes since the company was formed over 40 years ago, and Genelec loudspeaker systems have always been manufactured to last. This is a quality that is extremely appealing to owners and integrators alike. Rock-solid 24/7 reliability that is pretty much guaranteed for decades is a plus in everyone’s book. Added to that is the knowledge that the carbon footprint of each Genelec loudspeaker has been kept to a minimum thanks to locally sourced manufacturing materials, loudspeaker enclosures fashioned from recycled aluminium and highly efficient energy and recycling processes. Some models are even available in a stunning natural ‘RAW’ finish that requires no painting at all for an even more eco-friendly option. Finally, the Smart IP platform, in addition to the practical and operational benefits, is another step in the right direction towards sustainability – the greatly simplified installation process reduces cabling by at least half, and frees up time and resources. It can even run off the existing IP infrastructure, potentially another significant saving. Whatever the scenario, Genelec Smart IP systems provide true, sustainable profitability for all installation projects.

www.genelec.com

Hong Kong Science Museum

COMPANY: AV Stumpfl LOCATION: Hong Kong

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, its science museum is staging a large-scale dinosaur exhibition called The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: The Big Eight – Dinosaur Revelation. Eight of the most iconic prehistoric creatures, original fossil material and fully intact skeletons are illuminated by a whole host of multimedia projection techniques and special lighting effects, blending the worlds of scientific research and unique scenography. Audiences are being offered immersive experiences to appreciate such a unique display. Local system integrator, Cosmovision was tasked with setting up multiple short-throw projectors – in both landscape and portrait orientation – onto a wave-shaped canvas structure. Jason Yeung, Cosmovision’s technical sales engineer, expressed just how complex this project was, due to the irregularities of the set-up. “The 10m by 7m wave-shaped canvas required a complex placement of equipment; we had to take into account overlapping areas to blend edges and eliminate any projection shadows,” he said. “It was difficult, but using PIXERA’s integrated Vioso camera calibration software, the calculations could easily be done automatically.” Two units of AV Stumpfl’s PIXERA two QUAD media servers, deployed alongside multiple short-throw projectors (with rotating lenses), were Cosmovision’s obvious choice for a highly demanding install like this. The multi-award winning PIXERA media server system is an integral component of cutting-edge workflows that can feature ultra-high definition or even Unreal engine content and is available as a hardware based or software only solution. “The client was extremely satisfied with the outcome of this install – it is such a pleasure to be part of this fascinating application, bringing quality AV equipment into museum environments takes the visitor experience to a new and exciting level,” added Yeung. “We can’t wait to see what the future will bring as immersive experiences gain in popularity, with AV equipment being pivotal to taking visitors into a whole new world.” The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: The Big Eight – Dinosaur Revelation ran from 8 July to 16 November 2022.

www.avstumpfl.com

Loveland Living Planet Aquarium

COMPANY: Obsidian Control Systems LOCATION: Utah, USA

For those who saw or worked on U2’s 360° tour back in 2009-2011, the famed claw stage will be a familiar sight. What might not be quite so familiar is its new home – the Ecosystem Exploration Craft & Observatory (EECO) at Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Draper, Utah. Brent Andersen, Founder and CEO of Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, who saw the U2 show in Barcelona in 2009, acquired the massive 16-storey set piece when the Aquarium expanded in 2019. An iconic piece of concert touring, ‘The Claw’ is now a major part of the exhibit. Brayden Gardner has worked at the aquarium for the past two years as an AV Technician, handling lighting and sound for EECO and other aquarium spaces such as on-site theatres and new VR experience. Gardner has been using an Obsidian Control System NX4 to control lighting for shows and events at EECO, including all the lighting on and around the claw structure. “Our previous board kept crashing,” he explained. “I had experience with the NX4 from a previous employer, I knew it could handle everything we wanted to do here. It was a big upgrade. I love it because there is so much you can do with it.” Gardner uses the console to control lighting mounted on the EECO structure – LED bars and PAR lights, orange ‘button’ lights that sit atop EECO, and LED tape – along with ground and fence lights around the plaza and the occasional rented-in moving heads. New LED wash lights for the structure’s legs will go up soon. “The NX4 is so easy to use. With the encoders and the small touchscreen on the right side, it makes a huge difference when designing. In fact, my design time went down by two hours per show because it is so easy to use. With all the presets and parameters that you have control over, you don’t waste time trying to jump through menus to find what you need – it’s right there and easy to access,” he said. The tech booth for EECO sits at the back of the plaza with network lines that run under EECO to a control room beneath the 70ft-wide circular stage. There, a large amp rack with an optosplitter sends DMX out to EECO and the surrounding park. Gardner uses six universes on the NX4 to control everything. He also uses a Capture Duet Edition licence – included with every NX4 console – for visualisation of lighting and scenery. “That has saved my life,” he said. “It’s so nice to be able to put that right into the board; it makes it super easy.”

www.obsidiancontrol.com

Wunvzhou Resort

COMPANY: Allen & Heath LOCATION: Jiangxi, China

Located in the Chinese province of Jiangxi, the recently opened Wunvzhou Resort combines tourism and culture via a range of hotels, restaurants, shops, and cultural attractions, all themed on the historic Hui-culture. Before the resort’s official opening in July, Chinese AV solutions provider EZPro was handed the task of supplying and installing the audio system for the resort’s regular large-scale live performances of Encounter with Wuyuan – performed on a floating stage in the 3,000-seat outdoor arena. With daily performances of the show at the heart of the resort’s entertainment output, reliability, ease of use and audio quality were key factors in EZPro’s decisionmaking process for the audio system. EZPro opted for an Allen & Heath SQ-7 for mixing duties, partnered with a DX168 portable expander for remote analogue I/O. Additionally, an Allen & Heath SQ-5, also with a DX168 expander, is deployed as a redundant backup system. Built on Allen & Heath’s innovative XCVI FPGA core, the SQ mixing platform delivers 48 channel / 36 bus mixing at 96kHz with ultra-low 0.7ms latency. The integrated SLink port enables plug-and-play connection to Allen & Heath’s “Everything I/O” ecosystem of remote expanders, making it simple to add up to 48 remote inputs to an SQ system. Both mixers are fitted with SQ Dante cards, delivering 64x64 audio at 96kHz or 48kHz, with the Primary and Secondary ports supplying a redundant audio link, via discrete network switches, to the arena’s power amps and loudspeakers. “The Allen & Heath system ticks all the boxes; flexible mix position, super-fast setup and unrivalled ease of use,” stated Xiong Wei, Technical Engineer at EZPro. “The engineers loved the SQ’s DEEP Processing, which enabled them to deliver a studioquality mix for the live performances. It is no surprise that the client is happy with the result.”

www.allen-heath.com

DMB 100

PRO BEAM MOVING-HEAD

WITH 100 W COB LED 1° BEAM ANGLE GOBO AND COLOR WHEEL TWO PRISMS AND QUICKDMX PORT

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

COMPANY: Sennheiser LOCATION: Bilbao, Spain

Motion. Autos, Art, Architecture is a landmark exhibition organised by the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in collaboration with the Norman Foster Foundation. The legendary architect and renowned car enthusiast curated the exhibition, and collaborated with another wellknown car fanatic, Nick Mason of Pink Floyd, for the sound design of some of its galleries. Immersive sound specialist Sennheiser was invited to deliver an innovative audio experience for the showcase. AMBEO Mobility comprises Sennheiser’s suite of immersive audio solutions, which the company is actively developing to revolutionise the future of in-car entertainment and communication. One of the exhibition’s sections is a dedicated learning spaces as part of the Guggenheim Museum’s Didaktika project, which designs educational content and activities to complement its exhibitions. Musician, Nick Mason, who also owns one of the iconic cars on display, was approached to conceptualise the soundscape in this area of the exhibit, additionally to having given the sound to a contemporary racing vehicle on display in the Visionaires hall at racetrack sound levels played back immersively. In the Didaktika galley, Mason’s concept was to present a linear timeline of the automobiles shown throughout the exhibition, selecting and recording the sound of 10 engines from the most iconic and representative cars in the collection. To compose and enable the soundtrack, Nick Mason and his team at Ten Tenths selected and recorded cars in motion, and partnered with Sennheiser to bring to life the vision of an emotion-rich, realistic sound experience powered by immersive audio technology and expertise. The finished piece is evocatively played along the length of the corridor that fittingly leads to the Future gallery, where worldwide schools of design and architecture are presenting their visionary automotive concepts, with the support of AIC-Automotive Intelligence Center, a European centre for the generation of value for the automotive sector to address the challenges of the 21st century. “The composition gives a voice to some of the world’s most forwardthinking cars in automotive history, portraying the evolution of automotive engine sounds over time,” explained Johannes Kares, sound engineer at Sennheiser. “Neumann speakers were selected for their compact and invisible design, and their intimate and immersive audio quality, which was the perfect fit for this installation.”

www.sennheiser.com

Terra Natura / Magic Robin Hood

COMPANY: FENIX Stage LOCATION: Benidorm, Spain

FENIX Stage recently carried out two fixed installation projects in the popular Spanish resort town of Benidorm – one in the new generation animal park, Terra Natura, and the other in the first European medieval resort, Magic Robin Hood. For the Terra Natura park, an outdoor installation was made for the leisure area Rapanui Bar by lifting a stage formed by a surface of platforms (MT-4) with telescopic legs and stabilisers (CE-PF) of different heights to overcome the slope of the area. Thanks to the union system for platforms (SU-MT), made of zamak, the platforms were united and levelled, as they are fixed using the interior rail of the frame. “We often see clients who want to lift structures in non-uniform spaces. Sometimes this is because of the ground and sometimes, as in this case, because the site has decorative or structural elements that cannot be touched. With the system of stabilizing bases that we incorporate in the legs, we can adjust the heights to the millimetre and achieve a totally stable surface,” commented Julia Niza, CEO of FENIX Stage. The rest of the stage is formed by a Forum Roof made up of SQ40B trusses and TR3 ground support towers in black. As it is a fixed

installation and considering the strong winds in the area, the bases have been replaced by footings anchored to the ground to give greater security to the structure. For the medieval-themed hotel Magic Robin Hood, an indoor installation was made in one of the main restaurant areas, lifting again a Forum Roof style stage, installing on both sides a modular stair (EP-70130) and covering the lower part of the platforms with a flat black skirt (FTL). On this occasion, as it was an installation on a smooth and even floor, fixed legs with stabilisers (CE-PF) were used to correct the heights if necessary and ensure a perfect levelling of the whole stage. “It is an honour and a great responsibility to carry out projects of this magnitude,” concluded Niza. “Not only because we are part of the growth of one of the leading cities in Spanish tourism, but also because of the large number of people who will interact with our products on a daily basis. Therefore, our priority number one has always been the safety and reliability of both the assembly and the materials and production processes we follow.”

www.fenixstage.com

Georgia Aquarium

COMPANY: Ayrton LOCATION: Atlanta, USA

Georgia Aquarium in downtown Atlanta has installed 40 Ayrton Domino-S IP65-rated profile LED fixtures, 10 Ayrton Bora-S beam/wash lights and MA Lighting grandMA3 lighting control in Phase 1 of the revamp of the dolphin venue created 12 years ago. The equipment was obtained from and installed by Barbizon Lighting, Atlanta; both brands are exclusively distributed in North America by ACT Entertainment. Russell Sorrow, Production Supervisor of Technical Systems, commented: “We knew we wanted to go in the direction of LEDs and IP65 or higher ratings. “We needed a lot of output, a high CRI index, at least as many lumens as we had, shapers in the fixtures and rotating gobo wheels. You don’t often find everything you want in one fixture – It’s always a tradeoff.” He talked to colleagues in the industry and discovered that Ayrton Dominos “were one of the few fixtures that checked all the boxes.” ACT Entertainment arranged a demo which confirmed for Sorrow that the Dominos’ “capabilities and light output were phenomenal. I wanted to go to a single-fixture rig instead of mixing spots and washes; I wanted the versatility to create effects and have options for future shows.” Sorrow concluded: “Barbizon was fantastic throughout the project. For us, animal safety comes first with personnel safety a close second. Barbizon was very careful and very good at self-policing its crew for the install. And ACT is always fantastic to deal with and very responsive to any questions.”

www.ayrton.eu

Kangbashi Fountain Square

COMPANY: Digital Projection LOCATION: Inner Mongolia, China

Kangbashi Fountain Square is a metropolis of lavish apartments, office towers, sports fields, museums, and theatres. Every evening at 8–9pm, tourists and locals gather to witness the dazzling fountain show that takes place, reflected in the Ulan Mulan Lake that runs through the city. This year, to celebrate the National Day festival, the show’s organisers enlisted the help of Digital Projection to achieve a dream-like, water curtain projection show. To bring the spectacle to life, 28 M-Vision Lasers (21000-WU) were introduced to the installation to cast content onto a vast ‘screen’ of water, created by multiple water jets measuring 200m long and 20m tall. Mark Wadsworth Vice President of Global Marketing, Digital Projection attributes the ColorBoost and Red Laser technology as one of the many reasons why the M-Vision Lasers were selected for the project: “The customer needed the very best and reliable projectors to display content onto the waterfall like curtain,” he said. “The intelligent colour processing delivers the most realistic and saturated colours, something very important for a unique project of this complexity and grandeur.” The M-Vision Laser projector – boasting 21,000 lumens output and a 10,000:1 contrast ratio – has been designed so that the optical components are 100% protected from the outside world, from light source to lens, something that was critically important in an outdoor environment like this. For maximum reliability and durability, liquid cooling and radiators are used to remove energy to the exterior environment, allowing the complete optical system to be comprehensively protected against all types of airborne ingress that would otherwise cause image degradation. “It’s fantastic to see the M-Vision laser performing well in such demanding conditions as these,” Wadsworth concluded. “It shows how reliable and high performing these projectors are even in the most challenging of applications. It’s a pleasure to see that the M-Vision lasers were chosen for such a complex and impressive install.”

www.digitalprojection.com

Futuroscope

COMPANY: Modulo Pi LOCATION: Chasseneuil-du-Poitou, France

The new flagship attraction of the Futuroscope park, Chasseurs de Tornades (Tornado Chasers) takes visitors on a unique immersive experience, taking place at the heart of the largest circular LED screen in Europe. Made of 800-plus Samsung tiles and powered by Modulo Pi’s Modulo Player media servers, the LED cylinder offers a 21K resolution for a truer-than-life immersion. The experience begins inside a 6m-long holographic theatre mixing video and actors. For this pre-show space, 20 Samsung IFR25 2.5mm pitch panels are installed and powered by a Module Pi Modulo Player Pro media server, equipped with a 4K output. The audience then enter a 120-seat dynamic motion theatre surrounded by a 360° LED screen. Designed by Dynamic Attractions, the 11m diameter rotating platform has been designed to convey sensations of movement throughout the experience. It can evolve on three axes and turn up to 27km/h, lower itself by 20cm and rise upto 1m thanks to a system of motors and cylinders. To power the 360° LED screen, four Modulo Player Pro media servers equipped with 4K outputs have been installed. The Modulo Pi media servers allow the film designed for the attraction to be played, corresponding to a video playback in a 21K resolution and 60 FPS. The media servers are also responsible for the audio playback of the attraction, which is based on L-Acoustics L-ISA spatial sound technology. To create such new attraction, Futuroscope spent €21 million, which is the largest investment for an attraction since the creation of the park.

www.modulo-pi.com

Fog is our passion!

Cobra 3.1

 New, extremely silent nozzle Noise at max. output: 82.5 dBA  Constant fog output at any pump level due to the use of two pumps  Control via Ethernet, DMX512, analogue (0-10V) or directly at the machine  RDM-capable  Touchscreen with simple navigation  Finest adjustments of the output  Adjustable pump characteristic: Impulse, Extended, Flood, Continuous  Adjustable performance curve to balance different fog amounts  Internal Timer  Internal working hour meter  3100 W, 230V/50Hz

Look Solutions

Fog machines made in Germany

Look Solutions GmbH & Co. KG Buenteweg 33 · DE - 30989 Gehrden Phone: +49 - (0)5108-91 22 10 · Fax: 91 22 111

The Air Force Museum of New Zealand

COMPANY: Vari-Lite LOCATION: Christchurch, New Zealand

Visitors to The Air Force Museum of New Zealand are seeing its collection of historic aircraft in a whole new light, thanks to a new LED rig and control solution from Vari-Lite. The museum took the opportunity during a rearrangement of the main Aircraft Hall display area to replace the existing lighting system to the LED rig to dramatically reduce power consumption and provide a more flexible, long-lasting and dynamic solution. More than 100 powerful, honeycomb-lens SL Punchlite 220 fixtures are now installed, beaming rich, blended and saturated colours onto classic aeroplanes such as a Spitfire, Hudson and Avenger, and washing the space with hues. To control the luminaires in the Aircraft Hall, and for multi-room control of six other spaces including further display areas, lecture theatres, bathrooms and the main atrium, the technical team invested in a Neo Compact 10 Console. A Vision.Net architectural control system has also been installed for a seamless, integrated lighting control experience across all the sites to help the team manage looks, power lighting scenes and simplify management. “We needed a replacement control system that would be able to manage a large number of fixtures, run multiple cue lists, accept inputs from a variety of sources, and run time-based events,” said David Nicholson from the museum, who oversaw the project. “The Neo and Vision.Net combination offers this solution and we are now using the C10 for programming the lighting states in the Aircraft Hall with great success. There were many benefits, including the C10’s compact size enabling us to easily move around the museum doing programming as we moved from plane to plane.” In addition to the lighting, the Neo C10 and Vision.Net duo are also being used to run timeclock-based events such as audio announcements, video playback via screens around the venue, as well as building start-up and closedown each day. The museum’s technical team is using the full-featured Neo operating system software on a PC to control more than 500 desk channels, with regular events activated by its internal timeclock scheduler. “Vision.Net screens provide all the human interface requirements around the complex,” Nicholson explains. “There are touchscreens in five locations, and three physical button panels. The panels allow local control of some features, as well as more general functionality such as turning full complex on or off, putting the system into Event Mode to disable or play announcements and activating ondemand display features.” The Vision.Net system’s preset commands are all monitored by Neo, which in turn runs shortcuts to turn on and off required cuelists. Commands that Neo initiates are run back through the Vision.Net system to keep all Vision.Net screens in sync with the real-world system status. The Vision.Net system also facilitates the customization of each screen depending on its location, as well as password-locked and hidden screens for additional setup and maintenance options. The new rig was designed by Nicholson in collaboration with lighting designer Joe Hayes, as well as Grant Robertson from Christchurchbased Vari-Lite supplier The Light Site, who also managed the initial design concepts of the Vision.Net and Neo setup. Glenn Stewart from Kenderdine Electrical supplied the Neo and Vision.Net hardware and conducted all the Vision.Net programming. Darren McKane from The Light Site did all the Neo cue and integration programming. choice in that roll-out,” Fares concluded.

www.vari-lite.com

THE PALETTE OF CREATIVI

Samurai Museum Berlin

COMPANY: L-Acoustics LOCATION: Berlin, Germany

Europe’s first museum dedicated exclusively to samurai history and culture, the Samurai Museum is the setting for more than 1,000 artefacts collected over 30 years by German entrepreneur, Peter Janssen. The museum, situated in Berlin’s main gallery district, opened its doors in May this year and has already made quite an impression on its visitors, with some calling it a ‘must-go place for any fans of Japanese culture’. Featuring state-of-the-art technology and multimedia installations that bring the exhibits to life, the audio experience is delivered by L-Acoustics Syva and X Series sound systems, designed by consulting firm MMTNetwork and installed by system integrator PIK AG. Composer, producer and music director Christian Steinhäuser asked Ralf Bauer-Diefenbach, Managing Director at MMT-Network, to help with the conceptual design of the audio system. “Artistic projects like the Samurai Museum require extensive knowledge in content interaction, architecture, room acoustics and audio,” stated Bauer-Diefenbach. “The client and the architects are very design-oriented, so one of the key challenges Christian and I faced was to design a sound system that would offer perfect directivity, level and frequency response, while also fitting in well with the architecture and design of the venue.” Bauer-Diefenbach and Steinhäuser collaborated with the museum’s architects and Ars Electronica Linz GmbH, an Austrian cultural, educational and scientific institute active in the field of new media art, to plan the optimal components using a complex acoustic computer model. Once the audio concept was complete, PIK AG was brought on board to perform the system installation and configuration work onsite. “Having worked with MMT-Network on several projects in the past, we were thrilled to be involved,” said Silvia Weise, Technical Project Manager at PIK AG. “As a system integrator in Berlin and other cities across Germany, we knew L-Acoustics would be perfect for a complex project like the Samurai Museum. The flexibility that L-Acoustics technology offers to sound designers as well as its excellent transparency were vital in creating sound experiences that immerse the visitor and maximize the visual impression of the exhibits.” The museum covers 1,500 sq m, within which L-Acoustics Syva and X Series are installed in five different exhibit areas. A combination of room acoustics and cleverly designed audio systems were used to create discrete acoustical spaces for each exhibit. “The Samurai Museum has a modern architecture, with only a few doors and walls separating the exhibition areas and their glass display cases,” Weise noted. “By using L-Acoustics Syva and X Series, we were able to create a unique and immersive atmosphere for each area within the exhibition, without spilling over into neighbouring exhibits.” A unique feature of the Samurai Museum Berlin is the Nō Theatre a classical 14th century wood structure built by traditional carpenters in Japan, then shipped to Berlin. Here, the diminutive yet powerful X4i coaxial speaker was chosen to provide powerful sound while remaining almost invisible. Installed inside the stage lip, they are complemented by a Syva Sub.

room features projections and touchscreens enhanced with audio which is delivered through four compact X8 cabinets and a further Syva Sub, again designed to melt into the venue’s décor. Here, visitors get a captivating insight into how the samurai have shaped the history of Japan through the centuries, learn about the supernatural Yokai of Japanese folklore, and follow the labour-intensive process of Japanese sword making. The Japanese Desk exhibit features two Syva cabinets, their elegant form enhancing the exhibit whilst delivering crystal clear vocals and smooth horizontal polar pattern. Four X4i cabinets and a Syva Sub complete the sound system in this area. Finally, the Faces of Battle and Sword Production exhibits immerse visitors in the fascinating world of Japan’s legendary warriors and offer a closer look into the extraordinary skill of traditional Japanese craftsmanship. They have each been equipped with two Syva cabinets, a Syva Sub and four X4i. A single AVB network covers the entire space which, Weise says, makes it very easy to monitor the system. Content is played and distributed from two PC/Macs via an AVB interface. The system is controlled by LA12Xi amplified controllers, which are all handily located at the exhibition objects, meaning it was only necessary to install a single CAT7 cable between the server room and the exhibits. The AVB network offers additional benefits for controlling the audio across the different areas. This came to the fore when the decision was made for two adjacent spaces, the Nō Theatre and Faces of Battle, to have sound effects playing at different times. “Having it all mapped on one AVB network makes it very easy to accomplish this task,” said Weise. “I was delighted that L-Acoustics was chosen for the Samurai Museum,” concluded Sebastian Wittrock, L-Acoustics Sales Manager DACH. “Working with PIK AG and MMT-Network, alongside the Samurai Museum team, was wonderful, but the real pleasure is seeing the fantastic results of the team’s efforts in the success of the museum.” Recalling her experience of working on the project and the support the PIK AG team received from L-Acoustics, Weise noted that both experiences were equally enjoyable. “Once again, L-Acoustics offered us great support, ensured everything we needed arrived in time for the installation, and supported us during the final configuration process,” she adds. “We also really enjoyed working with the MMT-Networks team and the museum staff. The cooperation between the teams was exemplary with everyone coming together to execute their part flawlessly. This resulted in a unique exhibition experience, both visually and acoustically!”

www.l-acoustics.com

AUDIO VIDEO BROADCAST NETWORK