Sydney's ANZ Stadium relies on a standard concert audio system with d&b

With an innovative concept, the ANZ Stadium in Sydney, benchmark in Australia, has launched a system for concerts, attended by some 80.000 people, Really powerful and complete with vibrant bass in this reverberant space with d equipment&b.

This idea, that audio engineers have implemented with varying levels of success over the years, by correctly placed delays, proper arrangement steering and good alignment, Now take on a new dimension in a fixed installation, and especially with the magnitude of the Australian ANZ stadium.

As Simon Davies has pointed out, General Manager of ANZ Stadium, "Any well-managed venue seeks to maximize its use and, when the potential of sport has already been exhausted, other types of mass spectacles must be considered. Stadiums often host large rock concerts, and ANZ is no exception, And the sound systems that the organizers of these shows bring to our venue are really powerful, but they are intended for temporary use during tours".

Fixed installation

The only times when systems of this power are installed in stadiums is when major sporting events are held, like the Olympics, or in the case of this stage, when the Rugby World Cup or the Australian Rugby League Grand Finals were held (NRL). "That was the case with the London Olympics, in which the great sound of the opening ceremony had a great impact, but these systems are also temporary," Davies explains. So we wondered: why don't we install this kind of system permanently in the ANZ stadium and, in addition, We make it affordable? That is the task we set ourselves and I believe that we have achieved both objectives".

Both Davies and the team that manages the ANZ stadium, under the direction of MD Daryl Kerry, they were lucky that the designer of the sound system for the London Olympics is Australian. "Scott Willsallen (author of some images of this news) began working in this type of facility at the Sydney Olympics and, Over the years, has collaborated with ANZ Stadium on special events that have been held here and where the previous sound system was used", Davies points out.

Precisely the knowledge of the enclosure, in addition to the objectives proposed by the ANZ team "allowed us to establish very strict specifications, and Willsallen didn't even flinch. The main constraint of those specifications was to use the pre-existing rigging points and all the cable infrastructure of the previous PA system.".

Commitment to quality equipment

The main idea of the project, as Davies summarises it, is that "we preferred to invest our money in the hardware of the new system than in the infrastructure. Our customers don't value infrastructure, they take it for granted that it will be good, but what they live directly, that is, the sound, Vision and comfort, they are of the utmost importance".

In the tender prepared by Willsalallen, the eighteen best professional audio manufacturers in the world were invited. "Representatives from each of the brands expressed interest in receiving our feedback," Davies recalls. We reviewed their initial proposals and they responded to our comments. In addition to the extensive study process carried out by Stefan Goertz, Application Support d&b in Germany, I also took a comprehensive approach to the installation process. It's normal for installers to forge relationships with specific brands of speakers, But that doesn't mean that the best installer for the project collaborates with the best manufacturer, that is why I decided to separate them in the bidding process. This is how we get the best installer and the best equipment".

Once the decision was made, Willsallen defined the installation precisely and more than four hundred loudspeaker cabinets were hung in the final design&b of the ANZ Stadium roof. "The system that was finally installed was based on the medium-sized line array system of d&b, the V-Series, specifically the Vi8 installation models, Vi12 and Vi-SUB, and the system was supplied by the Australian distributor of d&b National Audio Systems (NAS) and it was installed by the integrator The PA People", Specifies.

V-Series Potential

The V series of d&b won for several important reasons, not only because it sounded the best that day, as Simon Davies points out: "When I started thinking about revamping the system in the early 1990s, 2012, Shane Bailey, NAS Director, suggested the new V Series of d&b in installation variant Vi. From the point of view of the stadium requirements, Vi speakers have several essential features, especially the fact that they are totally passive".

Given the constraints of rigging points and pre-existing cable infrastructure, "We had a limited circuit of only eight channels at each point. The fact that we are passive speakers means that we could put more cabinets in each position, which is a great advantage. Most arrays cover 130º in the vertical plane, so it offers many advantages by being able to place more boxes. In addition, The Two Types of Full-Range Speaker, Vi8 and Vi12, to 80 and 120º horizontally, respectively, proved to match the overall seating patterns perfectly. In addition, cardioid Vi-SUB is also passive, so that if a single box fails, there is no loss of cardioid behavior from the other SUBs in that particular arrangement. Only one circuit to drive two Vi-SUBs: It's an elegant solution".

This new system was also presented to several directors of the five sports federations that frequent the ANZ, to show them its advantages and potential, with a positive result. As Davies assures, "The system of d&b was the best choice. I'm not an expert, but the testing and presentation process convinced, placed this system far above all others. About fifty sporting events are held here every year, at least six are full and a third are full and a third are full 35% of the capacity, so all the managers were very interested. For them, It's an added bonus to have the ability to communicate even more excitement to the game. What all sports have in common is that people attend competitions because they want to have fun. By being able to communicate directly through the high-quality sound system that Scott has installed, We have a means of enhancing fun and excitement. That is the mission of ANZ Stadium and we believe that this is the future of sport.".