McCauley Sound Inc & Ram Audio: 2018 World Cup Round-Up

McCAULEY SOUND INC & RAM AUDIO: 2018 WORLD CUP ROUND-UP

Luzhniki | Samara | Saransk | Rostov | Kaliningrad, Russia

Images: The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ Local Organizing Committee, McCauley Sound Inc, RAM Audio

enowned for not scoring large quantities of

R goals in a single match, France went against the norm in the 2018 World Cup final, scoring four goals to beat opposition side Croatia, to be crowned victors of a 4-2 win, and take the title for the first time since 1998. Having made the bid for the 2018 World Cup in 2009, Russia was announced as the host country the following year and immediately set to work on building the 12 venues that would host the tournament. Two stadiums that met the FIFA regulations were already built, two received significant upgrades and eight were built from scratch, although two of those eight had broken ground ahead of the 2010 announcement. It goes without saying that to deliver a world-class performance to a global audience, state-of-the-art audio solutions were needed throughout the stadiums. MONDO | STADIA takes a closer look at five of the competition venues.

LUZHNIKI STADIUM

Hosting the opening and final match of the 2018 WorldCup, Luzhniki Stadium is one of the most iconic venues in the line-up. Already the largest stadium in Russia - able to hold 81,000 supporters - and home to the national football team, renovations began back in 2013, and whereas previously the stadium had been used for football matches, athletics and other sporting events, the decision to make it

purely a football stadium came into play with this redesign. It was a couple of years into the planning process before a tender document was issued, it had been drawn up by on behalf of the principals, The Big Sport Arena Luzhniki, with the technological requirements detailed by Moscow integration specialists, S-Pro Systems, together with the German company, Broadcast Solution. The team responsible for the audio design comprised Andrey Matveev (S-Pro), Evgeniy Stepanenko (Broadcast Solution), Pavel Pyshkin (S-Pro) and Ivan Khizhnyak (S-Pro). S-Pro’s project managers were Sergey Manserov and Grigory Yurov. Audio distributor, Russian Sound Systems (RSS), led by Vladimir Samuskevich was brought in to supply the PA, and as McCauley Sound Inc was selected as the solution, Executive Director, Sam Ocean worked closely with RSS and the rest of the team. McCauley Sound, along with RSS, installed a new ILA412 long throw line array system, which is both weather resistant and provides seamless coverage and concert level sound to all of the seating areas. A staggering 216 McCauley Sound Inc ILA412 line array systems were needed for this project. The ILA412 was engineered to meet the strict FIFA intelligibility requirements, providing significant headroom above the crowd noise, even with the largest of audiences. Sam commented: “Our system was recognised to be best among the bids by an independent audio consulting firm. While designing the system for the stadium, McCauley

Above: Luzhniki Stadium where the World Cup final took place.

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THE FULL PITCH

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

AUDIO: 216 x McCauley Sound Inc ILA412 long throw line array cabinet | 54 x RAM Audio V12004 amplifier | 22 x RAM Audio V12044 amplifier | 17 x RAM Audio MDi2-6K amplifier | 1 x Yamaha x 02R96 digital console | 1 x Optocore M8-BNC MADI switch | 1 x V3R-FX- INTERCOM unit | 2 x BroaMan Route66 AutoRouter unit | 1 x Optocore X6R-FX converter | 1 x Optocore X6R-TP V3R-FX converter | 1 x Optocore V3R-FX-TP converter

Sound Inc designed a one-of-a-kind 12-inch woofer. With four of these 12-inch woofers in an ILA412, it makes the need for subwoofers unnecessary.” RAM Audio V12004 and V12044 models, in their fully equipped version, including Ethernet, DSP, Dante, standby and impedance monitoring, were the chosen models to drive the McCauley Sound Inc line arrays. Besides the V Series, MDi amplifiers are also installed in VIP area at the stadium together with smaller acoustics cabinets of other international brands. All V Series amplifiers are controlled from the central control point using the RAM_ OCS software. All DSP presets and configuration were specifically created in situ for these installations, using RAM_OCS software. At Luzhniki Stadium there’s a total of 54 RAM Audio V12004’s, 22 RAM Audio V12044’s and 17 RAM Audio MDi2-6K for the VIP areas. Combined this adds up to 338 channels at 3,000W per channel, producing more than one million watts of RAM Audio power. The amplifiers and cabinets are located at 45-metres above the pitch. Sitting alongside the McCauley Sound Inc and RAM Audio inventory is a new network broadcast transmission, and at the heart of it are 57 Optocore and BroaMan fibre interfaces, designed in a fibre ‘star’ out of the ring topology, and supplied by Moscow-based distributor Audio Solutions. After the bid was accepted they became involved in the project as an S-Pro partner, with responsibility for equipment supply and warranty service management of the whole system. Audio Solutions was able to demonstrate the advantages of producing a site-wide multi-node fibre transmission system and broadcast/multi-format links to the OB vans. Igor Kovalev, who manages the Audio Solutions’ Pro Audio Department said: “Optocore and BroaMan create a perfect synergy, providing an extremely robust optical network system for audio transport and auto routing functionality. Optocore I/O modules also have a wide working temperature range, which was one of the important criteria for choosing equipment for this project.” The Optocore system was designed around two main nodes. First, the stadium patch panel room in OB Van area for multi-signal conversion to MADI. Various Optocore X6R-FX, X6R-TP V3R-FX and V3R-FX-TP converters were mainly fitted with mic-in and line out cards, while an

Optocore M8-BNC allows OB Van MADI connection with additional feature of Emulation Mode to control on-site Optocore mic preamps directly from the Van’s console. Secondly, the media control room, with a Yamaha 02R96 digital console equipped with an Optocore Y3R-TP Yamaha card - enabling it to work with Optocore’s proprietary SANE protocol. Igor explained that the system had needed to meet a number of objectives: to uplink the environmental bowl sound - the stadium crowd noise - with the Optocore modules bundled in the technical racks positioned around the playing field perimeter; to integrate with the intercom systems of the technical personnel - achieved by using Optocore’s dedicated V3R-FX-INTERCOM; to integrate with the stadium’s sound reinforcement system; to integrate with the stadium’s patch panel room; to integrate with the stadium’s media room, which comprises all the multi-media signals, and finally to integrate with the commentator’s communication system. To expedite broadcast requirements Audio Solutions turned to Optocore’s associate company BroaMan, which in turn harnesses the power of Optocore. Two of the new Route66 AutoRouters are stacked, with each fibre node connected independently through the Route66. “The combination of redundancy and ability to close the Optocore loop automatically when active devices are added or disconnected, are the main advantages of the BroaMan Route66 AutoRouters,” added Igor. The installation also takes advantage of economies, for example the Optocore TP devices are separated and placed up to 50-metres above the main FX devices - resulting in the need for fewer FX devices and less fibre cabling. The system, which conforms to all worldwide broadcast standards, has certainly met the approval of The Big Sport Arena Luzhniki and Igor said that with the successful fulfillment of signal conversion and audio/data transport - with the delivery of pristine, low latency audio - all objectives have been met. “The great advantage of an Optocore solution is that there is no interference from power cable runs, perfect EMR isolation and it has extremely flexible functionality, with the ability to handle any audio transport tasks with ease, over long distances,” he concluded.

Above: The McCauley line arrays systems were designed specifically for Luzhniki Stadium, and were then subsequently installed in four more World Cup stadiums.

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION

AUDIO: 214 x McCauley Sound Inc ILA412 long throw line array cabinet | 52 x RAM Audio V12004 amplifier | 22 x RAM Audio V12044 amplifier | 8 x RAM Audio MDi2-6K amplifier

SAMARA ARENA

After successfully completing the Luzhniki Stadium,McCauley Sound Inc and RAM Audio, as well as distributor, Russian Sound Systems (RSS) were invited back to kit out a further four 2018 World Cup stadiums. Samara Arena - as it was known during the tournament, typically named after its location - also goes by the name of the Cosmos Arena, due to the Samara region being known for its links to the space industry. The design itself, conceived by GMP Architekten also strikes some resemblance to a spacecraft, having a 60-metre high dome covered with translucent panels in favour of a façade. Ground was broken for this stadium in 2014, it’s located on the banks of the Volga River and can hold 45,000 people. Prior to the Luzhniki Stadium, it took almost six months of testing, measuring, and making prototypes, until the products were perfect for the application. So, when it came to the Samara Arena - and the subsequent installs - it was a case of repeating the distributed system comprising McCauley Sound Inc clusters of line arrays. The major challenge as this stadium though, was the design changes during construction. The finished stadium has deviated quite significantly from the original design in terms of size, construction, and spatial effect. With it’s uniquely tall roof - four-metres higher than Luzhniki Stadium - but with almost half the capacity, the loudspeaker locations did differ. Despite the smaller capacity and unique design

structure, RSS still installed 214 McCauley Sound Inc ILA412 line array systems. “For the amplifiers, the brief was to have a complete system in order for the in-house technicians to perfectly control the system from a remote control room,” said Monica of RAM Audio. “DSP was installed into every amplifier so that every McCauley Sound cabinet could have its own specific process. Dante was also installed to send digital signal from the control room to all the amplifier racks distributed all around the stadium.” For Samara Arena, 52 RAM Audio V12004’s and 22 RAM Audio V12044’s, all equipped with DSP, Dante, Ethernet, standby and impedance monitoring were specified, alongside eight RAM Audio MDi2-6Ks for the VIP section. Despite its construction problems and delays, the end result for the Samara Arena is an eye-catching one. The dome roof provides a cosmic-like introduction for fans, which is followed through with the steel structure inside liken to a starship chassis, that leads fans into the promenade of the stadium. The auditorium itself is traditional in its layout with two seating tiers and corporate areas separating the two. It was the last stadium to be approved for the 2018 World Cup, just six weeks ahead of the kick-off for the first match, but unfortunately, there are no longer term plans for it at present.

Above: Samara Arena was the final venue to be FIFA approved, just six weeks ahead of the competition starting.

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THE FULL PITCH

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

AUDIO: 128 x McCauley Sound Inc ILA412 long throw line array cabinet | 24 x RAM Audio V12004 amplifier | 16 x RAM Audio V12044 amplifier | 3 x RAM Audio MDi2-6K amplifier

SARANSK ARENA

Not designed and built specifically for the 2018 World Cup,Saransk Arena, won the bid to be a host venue, mainly due to the advanced preparation that had been undertaken prior to the announcement of Russian being the host country for the football. In 2010 the old stadium of Saransk was demolished, and in its place an indoor was built. However, with football club, FK Mordovia relocating to a newly built athletics stadium, it because clear quite quickly that this would only serve as a temporary measure and that a new football specific stadium would need to be built. The new stadium was supposed to be ready in time to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Mordovian unification with Russia, but unfortunately that deadline provide impossible to reach. Once again, there were many design changes along the way, quite possible due to the dual purpose the venue was now being built for - the anniversary and the tournament. The renowned Populous was behind the original design for the stadium. The exterior kept its solar symbolism with intensive orange-to-red facade, like the sun rising above the horizon. The seating also remains largely untouched in terms of a redesign. For the 2018 World Cup the seating capacity was 45,000, but with temporary sections throughout the perimeter, which will now be removed, the new reduced capacity will stand at 30,000 people. This decision was made to the due to Saransk Arena being the smallest of the host cities, with a matching population. Saransk Arena didn’t cause too many issues with installer, Russian Sound Systems (RSS), although one common problem across all stadiums was the weather. Executive Director, McCauley Sound, Sam Ocean furthered: “All the products had to be really well protected from moisture, snow, UV and temperature changes.” But once again, after implementing the protection during the first installation,

the rest followed suit. A total of 128 McCauley Sound Inc ILA412 line array systems were flown in the Saransk Arena. Due to the low roof, not as many boxes were required to provide the arena with even coverage across the bowl. Yet more RAM Audio amplifiers were installed too. And similarly to McCauley Sound Inc, the manufacturer made customised tweaks to its products to ensure it met the requirements. Monica Royo of RAM Audio continued: “We had the V Series amplifiers in our catalogue with optional DSP, but we didn’t have any control system to install in the amplifiers, which was a requirement. So we developed a system - including DSP, Dante, EtheRAM control, and impedance measuring - to be included in all the V Series amplifiers, which were installed into the stadiums.” Control impedance in all the amplifiers was particularly important to ensure all channels were functioning correctly at any given time. If a fault appeared on a loudspeaker, a warning protocol will kick-in, in the control room to notify engineers of the fault and where it is so it can be addressed and fixed. It’s more of the same at Saransk Arena with the lineup here comprising 24 RAM Audio V12004’s, 16 RAM Audio V12044 and three RAM Audio MDi2-6Ks plus five RAM Audio MDi8-6Ks in the VIP areas. The amplifiers, monitoring and signal redundancy systems, media converters, routers and BSS matrixes, Midas control panels are all connected by an optical cable. This allows the ability to control the configuration of all systems by a tablet via Wi-Fi. “You can go anywhere on the field or in the stands to achieve the desired sound,” explained Nikolai Usov, Head of Design and Installation at RSS. Added to the seating alterations, it appears the Saransk Arena is one of the most flexible venues to be built.

Above: Work began in Saransk Arena before Russia was announced as the World Cup host country. Its advanced preparation went in its favour when the tournament venues were being chosen.

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THE FULL PITCH

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

AUDIO: 164 x McCauley Sound Inc ILA412 long throw line array cabinet | 22 x RAM Audio V12004 amplifier | 20 x RAM Audio V12044 amplifier | 2 x RAM Audio MDi2-6K amplifier

ROSTOV ARENA

Another brand new facility housed on the banks of theRiver Don, the Rostov Arena is similar to some of its peers in size - totalling 45,000 seats - and its delayed build, going seven months over its complexion date. However, it was still ready in plenty of time for the 2018 World Cup. Concept design was undertaken by Populous. Christopher Lee, Managing Director of Populous (EMEA), said: “We are very proud that Populous–designed stadia are playing such a pivotal role in making the 2018 World Cup a successful tournament. Fans from around the world are uniting in our venues and the shared passion of football is bringing us all a little closer together.” Damon Lavelle, Principal and Project Leader added: “It is incredibly exciting to see these four venues [Rostov Arena, Saransk Arena, Kazan Arena and Fisht Olympic Stadium], each of which had their own unique design challenges and opportunities, come together to feature on the biggest footballing stage.” One of the most striking parts of the design is the stadium’s façade. It is brought to life at night through its covering of perforated aluminium, and built-in LEDs that illuminated the façade. Adding to the visual, a large screen has also been built into the western side of the exterior. The perforated aluminium roof, deemed a ‘soft roof’ in audio terms, raised some issues with McCauley distributor, Russian Sound Systems (RSS). Instead of hanging 22 McCauley Sound ILA412 clusters in the same configuration as the other stadiums, RSS had to install 44 smaller clusters, consisting of 164 ILA 412,

This didn’t affect the overall performance of the sound system though, as Executive Director, McCauley Sound Inc, Sam Ocean expressed: “We’ve had some really good feedback from the commentators on the quality of the sound system.” Driving the 164 ILA412 line arrays are 22 RAM Audio V12004’s, 20 RAM Audio V12044’s and two RAM Audio MDi2-6K amplifiers for the VIP areas. Nikolai Usov, Head of Design and Installation at RSS said: “Computer programs for monitoring each of these devices has been implemented. Using RAM_OCS, each of the amplifiers, located at high heights, can be watched while sitting in the control room. The parameters of each individual device or each group of amplifiers can also be adjusted remotely.” When this project first began, it was due to be part of a larger complex, and although the other proposed buildings didn’t get finished in time for the Summer of 2018, now that the stadium has completed it duty, building work can begin again. Landscaping, leisure facilities, offices and commercial investments are all expected to come back into the fold, which will strengthen the desirable use for the stadium in years to come.

Above: A perforated aluminium roof with built-in LEDs brings the Rostov Arena to life at night.

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THE FULL PITCH

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

AUDIO: 144 x McCauley Sound Inc ILA412 long throw line array cabinet | 20 x RAM Audio V12004 amplifier | 20 x RAM Audio V12044 amplifier | 4 x RAM Audio MDi2-6K amplifier

KALININGRAD ARENA

Kaliningrad Arena, also known as Baltika Arena movedfrom its original planned home after a concept put together by Willmotte & Associes and design work carried out by Mostovik came to a hault when the latter company collapsed. However, with the quick suggestion by the sports minister from the Kaliningrad authorities to relocate to an easier site, the project was back on track. The new location for the stadium was Oktyabrsky Ostrov (October Island), which is located in the heart of the city. The site was not only a new home for the venue, but plans were put in place to create a microdistrict around it that in total would stretch 140 hectares. Along with a new location, a fresh design and construction team was also put in place - the Crocus Group. To adhere to time restraints a lot of the design needed to be simplified, but the finished arena is a conservative one, which still deserves it place of the football stage. Perforated white and blue aluminium panels create an angular exterior form. The colours are replicated inside for the seating and are the home colours of resident football club, FK Baltika. The roof height peaks at 47-metres and the stadium capacity is smaller than the rest of it siblings, housing just 35,000 people. Russian Sound Systems (RSS) followed the same pattern for the audio set-up, using 144 McCauley Sound Inc ILA412 line array systems in total at Kaliningrad Arena. Executive Director, McCauley Sound Inc, Sam Ocean explained the exception though: “The customer decided at the very last moment that they want the sound system

and the hardware to be white, which proved to be a bit of a challenge, but we managed to overcome it with the help of RSS. In fact, we appreciate all the help and cooperation during the manufacturing and installation processes that RSS provided.” More RAM Audio V12004’s and RAM Audio V12044’s, 20 of each in total were installed at Kaliningrad Arena. These sit alongside four RAM Audio MDi2-6K in the VIP areas. Nikolai Usov, Head of Design and Installation at RSS commented on the advantages of the having the DSP presets and configuration - specifically created using the RAM_OCS software - working directly with the amplifiers. He said : “In the programming interface of RAM_OCS, we have developed a special window that shows only malfunctions: if something happens, the amplifier number and the nature of the malfunction immediately appear. Technologies enable the operator to navigate in the environment and make decisions quickly, almost like a surgeon. You can see a picture of the functioning of the entire system and promptly adjust the overall picture at the expense of other devices and nodes.” The stadium will likely decrease its capacity in the not too distant future, but will remain the home of FK Baltika, so fans will be able to enjoy this new-built stadium in future years, hopefully with the addition of the rest of the microdistrict.

Above: Kaliningrad Arena followed the same audio template at the other stadiums, with the exception of the hardware being white.

ARCHITECTS: GMP Architekten, Populous, Crocus Group | INTEGRATORS: Russian Sound Systems (RSS), S-Pro Systems, Broadcast Solution | BRANDS: McCauley Sound Inc, RAM Audio, Optocore, BroaMan | WEBSITES: www.gmp-architekten.com, populous.com, crocusgroup.com, www.s-pro.tv, www.mccauley.com, ramaudio.com, www.optocore.com, www.broadcastmanufactur.com

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