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Ateis Resolves a Sticky Wicket at The Brit Oval
The gentle sound of leather against willow is the traditional sound of cricket but with new style competitions like the recent ICC World Twenty20 a lot more noise and excitement is generated these days. This suits the fans but not all of those living near the major grounds, so loudspeaker and PA/VA equipment specialist Ateis UK is using its loudspeaker technology to produce the necessary sound levels from public address systems and keep the local Residents happy at the same time.
At the Brit Oval in south London the company has achieved this by installing three of its Messenger L loudspeakers, which have substantially reduced the amount of sound coming from the ground during matches. "There's more audio accompaniment to cricket matches these days and games like those in the Twenty20 often take place in the evening under floodlights, so there's more chance of annoying the neighbours than with a more traditional match that starts at 10am and finishes at 6pm," explains Neil Voce, sales director of Ateis UK.
Ateis was brought in by acoustic consultancy Sharps Redmore, which was working at the Brit Oval to reduce noise levels reaching nearby flats and comply with new licensing regulations. Tests were held at the Brit Oval involving a variety of loudspeakers and the Messenger was selected for the job because it reduced the level by up to 15dB, while still delivering the required volume to the stands.
The three Messenger L units are spread across the back of the Peter May stand, which is nearest to the majority of surrounding homes. The Messenger produces a tight, 7-degree "beam" of sound and can be precisely positioned using the DSP lobe control. The loudspeaker lobe centres at the Brit Oval are angled down at 24 degrees, which Voce says has solved two problems at the same time. "The controllable directivity of the Messenger means that the back-spill from the loudspeaker is pushed down at the same angle and doesn't travel straight back to the windows of the flats," he explains. "Because the sound is pushed down into the stand it is not propagated across the field of play, which makes interviewing players on the pitch easier and prevents the delayed sound from reaching seats on the opposite side of the ground."
Clive Stephens, operations director of the Brit Oval, comments: "We want to provide the best possible coverage and quality to everyone who comes to watch cricket at the Brit Oval but we also realise that not everyone who lives nearby is a fan of the game, so we try to ensure that local residents are not disturbed or annoyed by sound coming from the ground. We value our position in the local community and the new Ateis loudspeakers have allowed us to ensure that what happens inside the Brit Oval stays there."
25th June 2009
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