With Soundscape an immersive audio experience can be created, where the listener perceives sounds as coming from any number of points all around a room, elevating the realism and the experience. For live music and stage performances, the possibilities move far beyond stereo and L/C/R loudspeakers, delivering amazing dimensional audio imaging, sound clarity, and control. For the Malmö Opera audience, the team achieved optimum coverage by splitting the front fills into five separate sections; with no traditional center channel in the system.
With Soundscape and the En-Scene and En-Space applications, the team can control and manage every loudspeaker independently for optimum performance. The system is amplified and processed with a set of d&b D80, 30D and 10D amps, four DS10, two DS100 processors, AL60, 24C/E, 24C, 8S, E5, 4S, Y-SUB, SL-SUB and Q10 delays. The old Q system, that was the main PA before to upgrade, is now used as a 22 single channel fold back above the stage.
Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the theater closed in April of 2020. After the upgrade and installation, the team actually commissioned the system over Zoom. The theater held a grand opening and premiere in early September for a 50-person, in-house audience and a live online audience, with great success. They have continued streaming content throughout the pandemic.
The main challenge for this installation was that the Malmö Opera House had strict standards for its sound system. They wanted to make sure every single seat in the house received excellent sound, requiring better than 95% coverage for every seat, including those way in the back and on all sides. The sound design team also faced significant challenges when sorting out how to adequately cover the orchestra pit and the stage itself. The orchestra pit and stage are designed in a semicircle configuration, with the pit being several meters below the stage. It is also absolutely essential that the performers and orchestra hear each other as accurately as possible.
Malmö Opera brought in project manager Paul Suchanek and a team from ARVA to design and install the system. For Arva, as well as the team at Malmö Opera, the excellent quality and directional control offered by d&b Soundscape combined with A-Series loudspeakers provided a solution to many of these challenges. With Soundscape an immersive audio experience can be created, where the listener perceives sounds as coming from any number of points all around a room, elevating the realism and the experience. For live music and stage performances, the possibilities move far beyond stereo and L/C/R loudspeakers, delivering amazing dimensional audio imaging, sound clarity, and control.
The d&b sound system at Malmö Opera met all of the venue’s demanding requirements with ease. The system lifts every musical element in a production and exceeds the theatre’s sound expectations of providing 95% coverage for every seat in the house along with the orchestra pit and stage itself. The house engineers were able to learn how to work the system and adapt to it quickly with no problems. The sound team even reported that they have seen a reduction in how much time it takes to tweak and reset for performances and that their work is easier, faster, and more efficient, and they deliver a great sound.
Malmö Opera, a beautiful, classic performance center with one of Europe’s largest stages and seating for 1,510, has become more diverse over the years, accommodating a range of musical productions, operas, dance, and classical performances. When new management took over Malmö, they once again turned to d&b audiotechnik to elevate the venue to new heights. In keeping with the theater’s goal of being a truly unique performance center, a new Malmö Opera management team brought with it a new vision for the Opera House, one in which it would offer technical excellence in the form of an immersive sound experience for audiences.
This is the largest Soundscape theatre installation to date and has made such a difference to the Opera House. The system has gotten excellent feedback from audiences who can finally hear how musical arrangements are truly meant to sound. The house engineers at Malmö Opera were able to adapt to the new system quickly as well with no problems. The venue and audiences have reported outstanding sound quality with the use of almost any components. Not only did this system help Malmö Opera to reach their sound goals in the theatre, but also allowed them to keep the music alive for audiences during the pandemic. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the theater had to close in April of 2020. After the upgrade and installation of Soundscape, the team was able to commission the system over Zoom for audiences with the same excellent sound quality. Paul Suchanek was also impressed with d&b’s system strength and company strength, stating that d&b’s service and support were excellent.
