New sports arena „Aerocity“

High-quality sound in an arena is a difficult but possible task.

Sports arenas are well known to sound professionals for their extremely unfavorable acoustic properties – hard, sound-reflecting surfaces dominate in such structures, and the large volume of space allows these waves to travel long distances – this results in reverberation, which reduces the clarity of audible sound, and broadcast messages are difficult to understand even when broadcast at high volume.

The manufacturer AMC’s RC 8 acoustic systems were chosen for the main sound system of the Aerocity hall. These are sound projectors designed for extremely large spaces, ensuring uniform coverage with high sound pressure. 18 units of these systems were installed throughout the hall, the wide range of reproducible frequencies of which makes them suitable for both announcements and music playback. 6 units of Wharfedale PRO WLA-118SUB low-frequency acoustic systems were used for bass amplification, which are mounted on special brackets to the roof structure of the arena, so they do not block the view for spectators.

A special function in the arena sound system is performed by the Biamp TesiraFORTE AI digital sound processor, which is programmed according to the acoustic parameters of the space. This ensures the most efficient operation of the acoustic systems, eliminating the occurrence of resonant frequencies and compensating for sound delays between sound sources located at different ends of the arena. The result is significantly increased intelligibility of messages and clearer music at any volume level, anywhere in the arena.

For convenient use – a mobile sound operator’s workstation

Since the new sports arena is used not only for competitions, but also for athletes’ training, in order to effectively use the available space for the sound operator’s work, the equipment is installed in a mobile equipment cabinet. When sound reinforcement is not required in the arena, unused equipment can be removed. The cabinet is equipped with an analog Allen & Heath ZED-14 mixing console, an audio player, as well as two units of digital Shure QLXD series wireless microphone receivers. The advantages of digital radio microphones in large spaces are obvious – they not only ensure high quality of transmitted sound, but are also more resistant to interference caused by mobile phones, of which there are certainly many in an arena that can accommodate 1,000 spectators during events.