7 minute read
Orlando City Stadium
THE FULL PITCH
ORLANDO CITY STADIUM
Orlando, USA
Images: Clair Solutions
ith a desire to join the MLS in 2015, the city
W of Orlando knew to stand a chance of getting the proposal accepted, it needed to have a new soccer-specific stadium for what would become its home club, Orlando City SC. Plans were announced to build said stadium that same year, and construction began shortly after. Orlando City SC played its first two seasons in the MLS at the Orlando Citrus Bowl before moving to the new stadium once it was complete. Orlando City Stadium is North America’s first MLS stadium to have a standing section, which upped its originally planned capacity from 19,000 to almost 30,000. The new facility was designed by architect, Populous and boasts another unique feature with the closest first row and steepest upper seating bowl in the league. “Being able to describe features of the stadium as the first, the closest and the steepest really tells the story of what kind of impact it will have on the league,” said Populous Senior Principal, Bruce Miller. “From the sightlines to the seatto-pitch proximity, Orlando City Stadium is optimised for the ultimate match day experience.” “Our new facility truly reflects the energy and intensity of the growing soccer market here in the United States,” said Orlando City Soccer Club CEO Alex Leitao. “From the start, Populous understood we were designing for soccer first, everything else came second. As a result, we’re extremely proud of the new home they have helped us create for the Orlando City SC and Orlando Pride.” Populous worked in conjunction with audiovisual consultant, WJHW, which provided design services for the LED scoreboard / video display systems, video production system, distributed video system, broadcast cabling provisions, meeting room audiovisual system, coaching video system, seating bowl sound systems and security
(video surveillance / access control systems). “The bid and interview process for Orlando City Stadium was extremely competitive,” explained Tim Jacobs, Project Manager for Clair Solutions. “Populous was the architectural firm for the stadium, and WJHW consultant, Gary White, designed the sound reinforcement, broadcast cabling, and video production systems. Over the course of the roughly six-month installation process, Clair Solutions installed all of the audio for the building - including the bowl, the VIP lounge, bathrooms, locker rooms, and press area, as well as the broadcast cabling and the video replay system. Typical for a project of this size, timelines for project milestones were tight. Working with Jose Sandoval, project manager for Barton Mallow, we were able to stay on schedule and deliver the finished product on time.” To ensure a smooth installation on site, the Clair Solutions team set up, programmed, and tested the entire system under more controlled conditions at their facility in Manheim, Pennsylvania. The distributed JBL system comprises a mixture of PD, AM, AW, and Control Series loudspeakers. The main field loudspeakers are attached to the underside of the grandstand canopies, while the smaller distributed loudspeakers cover the press areas, club levels, suites, and concourses. “JBL offers a complete line of weatherised products so it was truly a one-stopshop, since many of the different stadium areas required difference loudspeaker types - surface versus ceiling
mounted, large versus small form factor. JBL also offers some of the best price to performance ratio in comparison any manufacturer in the industry,” Tim furthered. BSS processing and Crown DCI networked amplifiers drive the system. Dante digital audio and BSS HiQnet Audio Architect control are distributed from the mix booth to six separate amp rack locations over single mode fiber optics using Cisco SG500 switches. Harman BluLink distributes digital audio within each amplifier rack location, where the Crown amplifiers power the JBL loudspeakers. A Soundcraft Si Expression 2 console is located in the announcer’s booth serves as the main interface for the system. A Soundcraft Si Expression 1 provides mixing capabilities in the video production booth. Extron switches and controllers link systems, and to save space within the venue, an externally-positioned, stainless steel enclosure houses audio tie lines, Triax camera connections, fiber optic, data, and video ties between the dock and all camera positions around the stadium. Using brands that all sit under the HARMAN parent company offers certain plus points including streamlined ordering procedures, service advantages, and flexibility to make inevitable changes as they may come up on every project. “The goal of the audio system was to provide adequate level, coverage, and fidelity, while remaining discrete, and ascetically complementing of the stadium
Above: The Orlando City Stadium’s purple seats make for a striking appearance.
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THE FULL PITCH
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
AUDIO: 200 x JBL x Control 26CT ceiling loudspeaker | 68 x JBL Control 24CT ceiling loudspeaker | 56 x JBL Control 25-1-WH loudspeaker | 164 x JBL Control 28-1 WH loudspeaker | 58 x JBL AW566 loudspeaker | 86 x JBL AWC82 loudspeaker | 16 x JBL AW595 loudspeaker | 88 x JBL AM7212/00-WRX loudspeaker | 24 x JBL PD6322/64-WRX loudspeaker | 28 x JBL PD6322/66-WRX loudspeaker | 102 x JBL AC18/26-WRX-100T loudspeaker | 4 x JBL JRX212 monitor | 28 x JBL Control 25-1 loudspeaker | 2 x Crown DCi 2|300N amplifier | 4 x Crown DCI 2|1250N amplifier | 20 x Crown DCi 4 | 600N amplifer | 40 x Crown DCi 4|1250N amplifier | 10 x Crown DCi4|2400N amplifier | 7 x BSS Sound London BLU-806 DSP unit | 1 x BSS Sound London BLU-BIB break-in box | 1 x BSS Sound London BLU-BOB2 break-out box | 12 x Clear-Com RM-702 remote station rack mount | 6 x Clear-Com RS-702 dual channel belt pack | 2 x Clear-Com MS-704 heeadset/speaker station | 10 x Clear-Com CC-400-X4 headset | 20 x Clear-Com CC-300-X4 headset | 16 x Blackmagic Audio Monitor rack unit | 2 x Sennheiser ew 300-2 IEM G3 wireless monitoring sound system | 4 x Sennheiser ew 365 g3-a-x wireless condenser microphone set | AKG mics | Shure mics VIDEO & LIGHTING: 2 x Ross Video BVS-102P-10 two-channel multi-definition video server | 2 x Ross Video BVS-100AP-BP BlackStorm 102 & 104 breakout panel | 2 x Ross Video NK-3G72 72x72 3G/HD/SD reclocking SDI router | 2 x Ross Video NK-A64 64x64 stereo analogue audio routing system | 2 x Ross Video NK-IPS NK network IP configuration device | 2 x Ross Video NK-VRC NK virtual routing core device | 16 x Ross Video RCP-NK1 40 LED Illum Button local/remote panel | 10 x Ross Video UDA-8705A-R2L analogue video utility distribution amp | 6 x Ross Video ADC-8434-A-R2A quad analogue audio to AES / EBU converter | 2 x Ross Video DAC-8418-A-R2A dual AES to quad analogue audio converter | 2 x Soundcraft Si Expression 1 lighting console | 2 x Soundcraft Si Expression 2 lighting console
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THE FULL PITCH
architecture. This was accomplished by utilizing the distributed JBL loudspeakers and a mix of JBL’s lines depending on the area. Also, Clair created custom rigging brackets for the canopy speakers to rig as tight to the building steel as possible,” added Tim. Continuing with the HARMAN inventory, but also recognising that certain microphones work better than other for certain applciations, Clair Solutions installed models from Shure, Sennheiser, AKG, and Klover. Two Shure desktop microphones serve in the writing press booth for production announcements and two Shure handheld paging microphones allow for remote or on-field production pages. Two Sennheiser wireless systems convey performances of the national anthem and other a cappella performances with solid musicality, and four wired AKG microphones join them to accommodate larger vocal groups. One Sennheiser lavalier microphone used with a Klover parabolic collector pick up specific on-field sounds and voices for use in broadcasts. Finally, two headset microphones, interfaced with two Studio Technologies announcer’s consoles, deliver public pages and commentary with intelligibility and intuitive control for the hard of hearing. Because different independent contractors for different teams and events handle in-house video production for the stadium’s scoreboard, Clair Solutions worked hard to provide a powerful, open-architecture video replay system with impeccable documentation. “We had to build a system that subcontractor A could use one way, subcontractor B
could use a different way, and subcontractor C could use in a still different way,” explained Seth Morth, Engineering Manager with Clair Solutions. “It’s a real sandbox - users can configure it any which way, but the trade-off for all that power is the risk of making it too difficult to use. We fell back on industry best practices, including predictable signal flows and abundant, consistent documentation. Every source, destination, and connection always get exactly the same label in all the documentation.” Major components in Orland Stadium’s in-house video replay system include a Ross Video Carbonite 2ME switcher, Ross SDI-based NK-Series video and analogue audio routers, a Ross video Blackstorm Video Server and a Ross MIRA Slo-Mo / Replay system. An AJA FS-2 handles video signal conversion when necessary, and IHSE KVM matrix switches transmit video signals. Several Ikegami HC-HD300 Cameras with Fujifilm lenses cover both the stadium and the stands. Bittree B96H Series Video Patchbays provide robust connection points and Forecast Consoles and Middle Atlantic Products provide custom furniture and racks. The design and building time for a stadium project such as this can often take a number of years, however, from plans to opening for Orlando City Stadium was around the two-year mark. It was an fully privately-funded project, which may have contributed to the timeframe, but not matter what the reason, it means that the new MLS teams of Orlando have a state-of-the-art facility even though they are still very new to the game.
Above: Orlando City Stadium is North America’s first MLS stadium to have a standing section.
ARCHITECT: Populous | AV CONSULTANT: WJHW | INSTALLER: CLAIR SOLUTIONS | BRANDS: JBL, Crown, BSS, Clear-Com, Sennheiser, AKG, Shure, Extron, Cisco, Ross Video, Soundcraft | WEBSITES: populous.com, www.wjhw.com, www.clairsolutions.com, www.jblpro.com, www.crownaudio.com, bssaudio.com, www.clearcom.com, en-uk.sennheiser.com, www.akg.com, www.shure.com, www.extron.com, www.cisco.com, www.rossvideo.com, www.soundcraft.com
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