One of Europe’s most desirable aprés-ski venues, L’Abarset, recently completed the installation of a carefully considered sound system from d&b audiotechnik. In this spectacular mountainside location, with its strict residential noise regulations, the off-site sound levels had to be taken very seriously
Sitting in the mountain-ringed principality of Andorra, serving clientele of the Pyrenees’ largest ski resort, Grandvalira, L’Abarset is known for fine-dining and great parties. With a busy program of late-night DJs and live music throughout the ski season, it needs – perhaps more than most venues – to balance its entertainment reputation with environmental responsibility.
The challenge, which was not simple, was taken up by the technical production company Onlivelighting, led by Toni Prats and Toni Torres. Their task: to match the quality of the sound to environmental sustainability, regulated by precise regulations. “We chose d&b because it’s user friendly and meets the DJ’s demands,” says Toni Prats. “We wanted to seamlessly integrate the loudspeakers into the unique architecture and to do so we used a distributed sound system for even sound coverage, where they will have less visual impact. However, we had to pay particular attention to any potential effects on the natural environment” – concluded Prats. “The solution was d&b’s NoizCalc package. In fact, with the d&b NoizCalc software, we were able to ensure that environmental noise pollution was reduced to a minimum.”
NoizCalc is noise prediction software designed to work with d&b audio systems, and allows you to accurately predict sound propagation at outdoor events thanks to the international calculation standards CNOSSOS-EU, ISO 9613-2 and Nord2000. By importing system settings directly from ArrayCalc and geodata from Google Maps and OpenStreetMap, NoizCalc is a precise and reliable tool in every location and in every type of environment.
Toni Torres, in fact, declared: “The NoizCalc analysis included all the areas adjacent to the venue, including nearby hotels and residential areas, and showed us where problems related to noise pollution could arise. Thanks to these predictions, we added point sources to reduce the pressure of the main system while obtaining the same pressure in the listening area.”
Sound reinforcements were necessary both inside the venue, in the restaurant area, and on the terrace where guests gather to enjoy the shows. Inside, d&b 8S speakers and 18S compact subwoofers were installed. Outside, the choice fell on the V series and Y series point sources, with the B6 subwoofers hidden in the architecture of the room. All speakers are powered by 40D amplifiers and control of the system is via R1 remote control software and an R90 touchscreen. Even considering the rather extreme weather conditions of L’Abarset, the challenge was not easy but, as Toni Torres said, “the d&b team has always been the brand’s greatest asset, and even on this occasion it supported our projects. Thanks to everyone’s efforts, we have provided a solid, qualitative and sustainable solution” which – in the words of Àlex Orúe, Hospitality & Corporate Business Director at operator – leads L’Abarset to present itself as “the reference aprés-ski at European level.”
