The sound amplification and public address system
At the center of the Pustertal valley, Bruneck, stands the new Bruneck Arena, designed to host training and competitions of many winter sports, public skating, school sports, and even cultural events and gatherings.
CeZ studio’s design blends into the surroundings with a total area of more than 35 thousand square meters, 10 thousand of which are covered, and hosts a wide variety of winter sports, from field hockey to ice skating, figure skating, ice skittles to curling and broomball. It is an extremely flexible facility that required the design of a sound system suited to its large size and capable of adapting to different uses, from pre-show to public announcement. The AV project was implemented by Leitner Electro with Biamp, Shure, Powersoft technologies and Prase support.
“Arena Bruneck’s audio project required careful selection of the sound system,” commented Daniel Niederkofler, designer for Leitner Electro. “The wide range of possible uses requires the power that excites during a music show, such as one that anticipates field hockey games, and the functional intelligibility that is essential in an arena that hosts such a large audience.”
During the design phase, many electroacoustic analyses were carried out to understand the real technical requirements of the facility and the reverberation levels, which were unavoidable despite the acoustic treatment due to the large ice surface. The committee judged the possible sound reinforcement solutions basing their choice strictly on the audio simulations and studies done, so as to ensure the most effective and performing coverage.
A combination of Biamp Community speakers was chosen for the project: the IV6 line array and R1 horns. In the many analyses done, both stood out for the best sound performance, and also for a linear and unobtrusive design, as well as indestructible construction features. In an ice rink where the average temperature during the year is -4°, sound diffusion qualities are indeed not the only element to be weighed. Biamp Community’s speaker lines are designed to withstand the most inhospitable environments over time, without any alteration in sound quality. They are unafraid of low temperatures and continuous use, and they are also unaffected by high humidity levels and high temperature range
“The audio clusters were positioned respecting architectural constraints and the need not to obstruct the view of the totem pole from the grandstands,” added Luigi Schiavone, PM of the project for Prase Media Technologies. “Twelve IV6 Community clusters with 18″ overhead subs are suspended at the perimeter of the field covering the grandstands, with careful positioning of the lowest speaker in the array to mitigate reflection on the plexiglass wall surrounding the field. We finalized the calibration by taking advantage of the flexibility of the Armonia Plus software, managing the entire audio system through the DSPs on board the Biamp ALC amplifiers. The FIR presets ensured an excellent starting point in the calibration activities of the sound system, in an acoustically unfriendly environment.”
Through the graphical user interface, the system is intuitively managed and monitoring of amplifiers can be done in a timely manner
© Jürgen Eheim_Progress AG
Concealed at the base of the LED totem pole, Biamp Community R1 black-colored horns provide audio coverage for players on the field. The model allows for functional and reliable sound dispersion without even being noticed.
“We chose to rely on Biamp for the complete audio solution,” continued Niederkofler, “Being able to work with processors, amplifiers and speakers from the same manufacturer ensures perfect compatibility and the best possible technical result, smoothly facilitating all phases of the project and speeding up the set-up time.” Indeed, the time factor was not trivial in finalizing the audio system. The hanging of the audio system from the ceiling had to be completed before the ice was laid, a factor that narrowed the useful time window.
© Jürgen Eheim_Progress AG© Jürgen Eheim_Progress AG
“Even in this aspect, relying on one manufacturer [Biamp] shortened the time, achieving both customizations and a single dedicated air shipment,” added Riccardo Uliana, Prase sales account manager.
Rounding out the audio equipment on the field is a Shure ULX-D wireless microphone system, useful for presenting teams, competing athletes or giving the floor to judges. The system provides robust wireless transmission that leaves no room for signal loss even in an RF-saturated environment such as a sports center the size of Arena Bruneck.
“All parties are extremely satisfied with the success of the sound reinforcement solution. The technologies chosen simply ensure that athletes and audiences can fully experience the excitement of sports. Even as a System Integrator, it is truly gratifying to have realized such an important project, and one that, above all, placed the quality and experience – including the sound experience of the sports center’s users – as a top priority. “concluded Daniel Niederkofler.
The main technologies implemented
- Line Array Biamp Community IV6
- Biamp Tesira Forté DAN AI
- Biamp ALC Amplifier
- Furman CN3600SE
- Shure ULX-D wireless system, SM58 capsule, UA8 antenna
- Shure CVG18DRSBC and MX418DN gooseneck microphones
- Shure ANI4INBLOCK Dante Audio Interface
