Gladiator: In Concert

K-array technology was deployed across 2 of Rome’s most famous landmarks to provide the crystal clear audio required for one of the year’s most exclusive events. TPi’s Ste Durham was on site to speak with the people behind this historic undertaking.

Last July, in the pages of this very magazine, some smart arse wrote about “the alchemy of pairing an artist with their perfect venue”, in reference to a blistering performance by Rammstein at Horsens State Prison in Denmark. While this show certainly was - and remains - a strong example of this concept, Gladiator: In Concert is its embodiment.

For one night only, Ridley Scott’s historical epic was screened in HD and accompanied by a live performance of the Hans Zimmer-composed soundtrack, courtesy of Conductor Justin Freer and the musicians and choir of the Italian Film Orchestra. Australian vocalist, Lisa Gerrard, who sang on the movie’s soundtrack and served as its co-composer, also added her otherworldly talents to the event; all of which unfolded within the storied ruins of antiquity’s most infamous entertainment venue - the Colosseum… Beat. That.

This prestigious event was staged by film score performance specialist CineConcerts, in support of Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign, and attended by stars of the film such as Maximus himself, Russell Crowe, and ‘the eighth king of Rome’; former AS Roma striker Francesco Totti. Such a luminous occasion required a truly world class audio setup; with the gauntlet ultimately being thrown down before technical supplier Planet Service - and the K-array Firenze system.

THE BEATING HEART OF ROME The relationship between CineConcerts and Planet Service began in 2016, with the latter providing gear and tech support for the Harry Potter Film Concert Series. The success of this collaboration left CineConcerts in little doubt as to the perfect audio partner for this most august of occasions. As well as the charity curtain raiser for an exclusive crowd of 300 at the Colosseum on Wednesday 6 June, a pair of larger events were held on the Friday and Saturday of the same week, around the corner at former chariot racing stadium (and modern day concert venue), Circus Maximus. These shows required a scaled up production across the board, which also meant bringing in kit and crew from K-array itself.

K-array Product Specialist, Klaus Hausherr, explained: “While any audio manufacturer could have deployed for a show like this, I think the K-array system was chosen because it’s different. It really sounds like you are listening to studio monitors, which is perfect for an engineer mixing a show as intricate as this. Everything is in the right place.

“The other important factor is the impulse - the transient response is really fast, which means you have no reverberation on a snare shot, for example, unless you want it. This allows the engineer to have fun with reverb, and work from a clean slate.”

The PA system at the Colosseum comprised of 3 K-array Firenze-KH7’s per side as main hangs, 4 K-array Mugello-KS5 subwoofers, 16 Kobra- KK102’s as front fill, and 3 sets of Python-KP102 lined down the entrance as left and right delays. There was also a pair of KH7’s flown in the middle of the truss, used specifically to project the film’s dialogue.

The orchestra was mixed using a DiGiCo SD7 (with 2 SD-Rack 56 analogue In, 16 analogue output and 8 AES/EBU output each), while the film’s dialogue was handled on a DiGiCo SD12 (with 1 SD-Rack 56 analogue In 32-bit and 24 analogue output). A TC-Electronics System 6000 reverb was chosen for the orchestra, with an additional TC-Electronics System 4000 for vocal soloist Lisa Gerrard. Speaker management at the Colosseum came from an Outline Newton 16+8 system.

Audio Crew Chief for Planet Service, Alessandro Saudelli, explained: “The major challenge was to have perfect PA coverage without being able to put the cluster in the correct position. The screen was on the back of the stage so we needed to stay as wide as possible with the main left and right hangs, in order to allow the best sight lines. The problem was that the speakers were so wide that they didn’t cover the central corridor adequately, so we added 3 rows of Python-KP102 as delays to cover it with the same precision and quality of the rest of the venue.”

The extensive cache of microphones used on stage was consistent for both venues, and consisted of 43 DPA d:screet 4061’s, 22 DPA d:vote 4099’s, a DPA d:dictate 4011A cardioid microphone. 11 Schoeps MK4’s, 3 Schoeps MK21’s, 8 Schoeps MK41’s, 2 Neumann TLM 103’s, 11 Neumann KM184’s, 7 AKG 414’s, 2 Audio-Technica AT4040’s, 2 Sennheiser MD421’s, 9 Sennheiser 416’s, 8 Shure Beta 57’s, 3 KSM9’s, a Beta 52 and 2 PG48’s.

On stage monitoring for the choir came from 8 Nexo PS10’s, while 10 K-array Mastiff-KM112’s provided various section-specific mixes for the musicians with the exception of conductor Justin Freer, whose mix came from a Behringer B207 MP3.

Emanuele Vischi and Giangi Alessandro were both still ironing out the finer points of the Colosseum setup when TPi arrived on site. “We’ve had 3 days here so far to set up,” began Vischi. “It’s quite difficult, as time is short and the venue is unusual. We can’t do any audio rehearsal before 7pm

Below: K-array Product Specialist, Klaus Hausherr, at Circus Maximus; Planet Service’s Giangi Alessandro and Emanuele Vischi; Star of the film, Russell Crowe, gave a speech prior to the screening, and an impromptu address at its conclusion.

because it’s open to the public, and space is at a premium - as soon as a case is empty, back in the truck it goes.”

As well as having very little space, the crew also had to deal with the relatively slender load limits that were afforded by the venue’s floor. This surface, which was originally installed to allow visitors to stand atop the labyrinthine bowels of the Colosseum, can only support a maximum of 200kg/sqm. Vischi continued: “We cannot fly a large PA because of these load limits, but the Firenze-KH7 is very small and perfect for the job. This also helps with manoeuvrability during the load in and setup, which helps when you are essentially working inside a museum!”

Alessandro added: “With a job like this, organisation is key. We have been planning for a year and have dealt with changes in both audience size and budget. The cost to rent this location is, understandably, very high.” When it came to configuring the PA for the Colosseum show, the Planet Service crew used their experience of providing the perfect sound when merging the worlds of cinema and live music, as Vischi explained. “The audience is very near to the stage, so we need to try and compromise between the PA and the acoustic qualities of each instrument, as well as synchronising this via timecode with the images on screen. Harmonising these spatial relationships is difficult, but we calculate this well in advance using a combination of the best software and our ‘onboard analogue equipment’,” he laughed, gesturing towards his ears.

The rest of the Planet Service audio team - comprised of Daniele Tramontani, Gennaro Carlo, Francesco Passeri, Raffaella Gatti, Michele Celleno, Alessandro Giommarelli, Simone Mazzi, Emanuele Candido, and Andrea Severi - was scattered between the 2 venues on the day of the Colosseum show, ready to transfer the on-stage and FOH gear around the corner the following day.

CIRCUS MAXIMUS The more substantial audio setup required at Circus Maximus meant that K-array was asked to provide supplementary kit, including 24 of its flagship Firenze-KH8 speakers. The full rig at used on the more conventional festival-style stage at Circus Maximus consisted of 12 units of K-array KH8 per side, 16 K-array KS8’s for low end reinforcement, 6 K-array KH7’s split as central left and right hangs, 8 K-array Mugello-KH2’s as front fill, and 3 more KH7’s per side as delays. Speaker management came from a Meyer Sound Galileo 616 system.

Saudelli said: “The basic idea in use at the Circus Maximus was the same as the Colosseum - a big main L&R, with 2 central L&R hangs, 2 delays and the front fill. The only thing that worried us was the subs. In order to make sure the coverage was sufficient, and to keep the stage as clean as possible, we opted for a hybrid sub arrangement - a mixture of end-fire and arc array.”

K-array’s Hausherr explained his duties at the Circus Maximus: “I use Meyer Galileo to manage the left and right signals, subs, and fills. I started to build a standard system with the special requests from the client, but there’s nothing too unusual. Although we didn’t need a lot of low end, the sub configuration is strange, with a mixture of arc and end-fire.”

The system tech used EASE Focus for 3D modelling of the venue, and his laptop was open and running Powersoft Armonia at all times. He said: “The best chance for the FOH engineer is to have equal frequency response - the SPL must be balanced everywhere as much as possible. With Electronic Beam Steering you can do this because the phase and the frequency response is so good. EASE Focus is used to calculate FIR filters, and send the information to Armonia to get the virtual boxes. Then it’s just a case of connecting cables, managing network communications and sending the right presents and filters everywhere. It’s quite simple - and very important that you can fly 12 boxes of KH8 in 10 mins!”

It’s been 2 years since Hausherr first sang the praises of the KH8 in our magazine, and time has certainly not dampened the Product Specialist’s enthusiasm: “I love this system! It’s really powerful and precise, and the definition is really amazing. It’s not exactly flat, but it provides a neutral starting point for any FOH engineer. The audiences at these shows know what they want to hear - you must have good energy pressure, good presence, and the emotion of the soundtrack has to come across. This is 80% in the hands of the FOH engineer; but the Firenze systems are the best starting point one could ask for.”

The final word from the crew on this triumphant spectacle came from Saudelli, who summed up a whirlwind few days in Rome: “It was a unique event, and certainly a challenging time, but the great experience of all the audio team, the support of K-array and the hard work done in the design phase, has made it suceed beyond our most optimistic expectations.”

WHAT WE DO IN LIFE, ECHOES IN ETERNITY Once the initial buzz of the red carpet had died down and the beating sun descended behind the Colosseum’s ruined walls, the long-awaited event began. Though the movie was familiar, the setting and imposing orchestral accompaniment took each scene - from blood-soaked action to tender whispers - to a breathtaking new level. The pressure to succeed with stakes this high must be massive, but as you’d expect, the crew retained an air of quiet determination. As Alessandro laconically put it: “It’s an honour to be involved in an event such as this, but when you finish one job, it’s on to the next. That’s simply the nature of what we do.” TPi Photos: Nicolò Nisi & TPi www.cineconcerts.com www.planetservicesm.eu www.k-array.com/en