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Soundweb London Solution for Carl Benz Arena

One of Germany’s most impressive new sports and leisure parks can be found in the automotive capital of Stuttgart. Here, the mighty Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadium in NeckarPark, home to VfB Stuttgart FC, has been joined recently by the 15,500-capacity Hans-Martin-Schleyer concert hall, and the Porsche and Carl Benz Arenas — all linked by a giant concourse, with common parking facilities.

Soundweb London DSP devices from BSS Audio, a Harman International Company (NYSE-HAR), are responsible for the signal distribution across this complex.

Much of the NeckarPark development, including the Carl Benz Center (which houses the Arena), has been financed by one of the most important private investors in Stuttgart, Rudi Häussler of the Häussler Group. In addition to the Arena, the Carl Benz complex contains the four-star Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, a supporters’ shop, fitness centre and restaurant as well as being the base for VfB Stuttgart’s youth academy.

While all these neighbouring facilities function independently, under separate management, the future could theoretically see them linked on a CobraNet digital backbone, using networked Soundweb London devices.

Both the Porsche Arena and Hans-Martin-Schleyer Halle, equipped by the company Hellwig Tonanlagen, already use a Soundweb London CobraNet network which allows audio to be transmitted in each direction. But more recently it has been the new Carl Benz Arena that has given Germany’s Harman Pro distributors, Audio Pro Heilbronn, and installation company, Aveo GmbH, cause to celebrate. Between them they have masterminded the fit-out of the 2,000-capacity (1500 sq metres) multi-function venue with a HiQnet system using CobraNet to give it infinite flexibility.

The Bodnegg-based integrators have traditionally specialised in the high-end residential market. But their general manager Wolfgang Huber also has a strong pedigree in the professional market, and it was he who contacted the Heilbronn distributors. Mr. Huber explained that the Arena, which measures 55 metres long, 28 metres wide and 12 metres high, would need to accomplish much more than host social functions for VfB Stuttgart and take live feeds from the stadium on match days. In order to gain maximum utilisation (and revenue) it would also need to be optimised for conferences, congress meetings, small fairs, product launches and musical theatre.

Dirk Hartmann from Audio Pro Heilbronn’s project team was aware that the long rectangular side fronting on to the stadium was constructed entirely from glass, and that to have the audio firing in different directions (as requested) in this reverberant environment, it would be almost impossible to create a series of acoustically-optimised presets.

“Essentially, the venue wanted a portable rack which could be used in either of the FOH positions or back in the control room, and the ability to use the PA in both directions depending on the function. To change location they wanted to install the loudspeakers on the wall and fire in the direction of the glass wall — but we fought against it.”

Hartmann proposed a fully-redundant system based around Soundweb London, designed around two stage positions and several options at FOH. While a pair of Soundweb BLU-80 devices reside in the FOH rack, two BLU-32 devices provide I/O expansion in the stage rack, with a third BLU-80 situated in the control room.

Nine JBL VRX932LA constant curvature line array enclosures are divided into three clusters to form an LCR system above the stage, powered by eight Crown CTs 3000 amplifiers, fitted with the PIP-USP3/CN module for inter-connectivity. Eight optional JBL VRX918S subs and SRX712M floor monitors have been supplied, along with a 6-channel AKG WMS4000 UHF wireless mic system.

Audio is available via CobraNet throughout the entire arena, with D/A and A/D signal conversion carried out by Soundweb.

Soundweb London system presets include the bidirectional communication, the use of the system both with and without subs and use either with the digital mixer or an optional Crestron QuickMedia system for non-technical staff; this contains an 8 x 4 matrix mixer and bypasses the need to mix microphones from the console.

“There is a little bit of delay and compensation for the room and of course all the loudspeaker management takes place within Soundweb London,” Dirk Hartmann explains. “It is perfect for speech intelligibility and we can control the system with HiQnet System Architect to give the customer an extremely flexible system.”

The use of HiQnet means that all control, monitoring and recall of presets can be carried out using the computer notebook on top of the FOH rack running HiQnet System Architect.

In the control room rack are CD and DVD playback devices and audio/video recording options. The third BLU-80 handles the audio inputs and outputs for this (and any other media) as well as the mute function for the PA system, fitted with an ELA alarm. “There is contact closure over the evacuation system to mute the sound in the event of an alarm, as the loudspeaker system has its own automatic override,” explains the Soundweb London programmer.

The entire rig was prepared for final testing at Aveo’s facility and installed in time for the opening concert by Udo Jurgens. Audio Pro Heilbronn provided all operator training.

The Audio Pro Heilbronn team can reflect on a highly-satisfactory project in which an inherently live room has been tamed against all the odds. “Speech intelligibility is perfect, and the reason we have such a great speech transmission index is down to the placement of the VRX and the correct dynamics programmed into the BLU-80,” says Dirk. “In that sense Soundweb London is a lot more advanced than its predecessor and the functionality is outstanding.”

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Soundweb London Solution for Carl Benz Arena

22nd October 2007

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