The Noevir stadium, which was set to host major games for the upcoming Rugby World Cup last summer, was overdue an audio upgrade. In order to meet the requirements of such a prestigious venue, the integrator for the project, Shigeyoshi Ariga, specified a total of 24 Powersoft X8’s, 6 Ottocanali 12K4 DSP+D’s, one Ottocanali 8K4 DSP+D and one Ottocanali 4K4 DSP+D amplifier platforms.
The X8’s are used to accommodate the line array systems, while the Ottocanali 12K4 DSP+D are used as an auxiliary speaker for the upper tiers in order to cover any dead space. The 8K4 DSP+D has been included to accommodate any temporary speakers, and 4K4 DSP+D is mainly used to drive the Hi-Z speaker line and monitor speakers in the operating room.
Between them, these amplifiers power a sound system primarily designed to play audio that is related to video content shown on the screens during football and rugby matches, as well as distributing various announcements.
The mixer and playback equipment are hidden away in a sound operating room, while the amplifiers are stored in two separate areas. All audio transmission between the operating room and the amplifiers room is taken care of via Dante.
New sound system allows user to change functions and behaviour of the system with the click of a mouse. Remote control capability. System better protected thanks to limiters and crossovers. Better flexibility and scalability, bulletproof hardware and user-friendly software.
In-house system engineer and operator, Fumiaki Yuasa, commented that the stadium was very difficult to control from a tuning point of view, as it has a lot of reflective surfaces that all get mixed up together. Within ArmoníaPlus, the Raised-cosine filter was particularly helpful to manage this aspect under the group function.”
Noevir Stadium’s retractable roof was another obstacle for the team to overcome, as Yuasa stressed out: “I tried to create the best conditions with the roof open, which was as complex task because of resonance points at certain frequencies. By using ArmoníaPlus, I was able to create grouping functions in order to turn this complex system into an easy-to-understand one, which in turn allows me to carry out my work more efficiently.”
A key tool in this regard was Powersoft’s proprietary software, ArmoníaPlus. He said: “What I like most about ArmoníaPlus are the Interactive Tuning and Limiter functions. Interactive Tuning in particular is great, as it allows me to fine-tune the synchronisation with Smaart v8, which a lot of engineers are currently using, as well as making adjustments while looking at the screen and keeping the system quiet. This is a unique feature and an innovative way to reduce stress on engineers on site, something that has maybe been overlooked by other amplifier platforms.”
Noevir Stadium is an incredibly prestigious venue, having hosted parts of the Japan-Korea FIFA World Cup and serving as home to Andrés Iniesta’s J1 League club Vissel Kobe and rugby union Top League team Kobelco Steelers. The stadium was also chosen as one of the venues for 2019’s Rugby World Cup.
With such high-profile events to cater for, only the very best products will do. For the integrators of this project, the ultimate choice for amplification was Powersoft.
The audio systems in a modern venue like Noevir Stadium have to be able to handle spoken word, music playback and even commercials,” explained Powersoft’s business development manager for fixed install, Marc Kocks.
“When designing or refurbishing an audio system in a stadium, you have to ensure that it is able to offer both flexibility and scalability. A good place to start is by selecting DSP- and Dante-enabled products, as they allow users to change the function and behaviour of the system with the click of a mouse. At the same time, powerful limiters and cross overs found on Powersoft amplifier platforms allow to keep the system protected under all circumstances.”
Powersoft’s bulletproof hardware and user-friendly software were both key selling points for integrator, Shigeyoshi Ariga. He said: “Interactive Tuning in particular is great, as it allows me to fine-tune the synchronisation with Smaart v8, which a lot of engineers are currently using, as well as making adjustments while looking at the screen and keeping the system quiet. This is a unique feature and an innovative way to reduce stress on engineers on site, something that has maybe been overlooked by other amplifier platforms.”
Ariga also singled out the Live Impedance Monitoring feature of ArmoníaPlus as being a major strength in applications such as the one at Noevir Stadium.
He commented: “Since the impedance frequency characteristics of the load can be visualised and stored by letting the test signal and pink noise flow, the state of the speakers after one or two years can be checked remotely. I believe this will be of great use to us for future maintenance.”
