Shanghai Art Center debuts China's first Constellation system

This Meyer Sound solution is installed in the main theater. The acoustic characteristics have been created with 160 full-range self-powered enclosures and lower frequencies are reproduced by 16 compact subwoofers.

The Nine Trees Shanghai Future Art Centre, open to the public at the end of 2019, is the crown jewel of arts and culture of China's most populous city. Located in Fengxian District and nestled deep in a forest reserve, the center's organically inspired structure houses three theatrical spaces equipped with Meyer Sound sound reinforcement systems. The largest auditorium is the first in China to use a Constellation active acoustic system.

The new complex was conceived from the outset to offer a broad spectrum of cultural and entertainment activities, welcoming both Chinese and international artists from different disciplines.

The task of designing and building the right spaces for this task was carried out by the Shanghai EPC agency., led by General Counsellor Le Shengli and with the main technical assistance of Zhu Shijie.

The project directors previously conducted research by visiting several new theaters in China and abroad., and soon determined that an active acoustic solution would be best suited to the desired diversity of representations..

After evaluating the available systems, they ended up looking at Constellation and decided to consult with the Chinese distributor of Meyer Sound, Shanghai Broad Future Electro-Technology. In Spain this brand is distributed RMS Proaudio.

“Constellation offers greater flexibility and convenience for future operations and accommodates a broader spectrum of show programming. In addition, when comparing with alternatives, we think it could bring a purer and more immersive listening experience than others could offer.”, explains Zhu Shijie.

Constellation is installed in the main theater, that has the capacity to 1.200 spectators on two levels. The balanced acoustics of the room, with a reverberation time of some 1,2 Seconds, can be improved with times of up to a few 7 Seconds. The subtle characteristics of the reverberation envelope can be altered by adjusting the warmth, strength and brightness.

During commissioning and adjustment, were created 11 presets for different performance requirements, with additional ones open for future needs.

The desired acoustic characteristics are created by a total of 160 full-range self-powered enclosures (Ashby-5C, Ashby-8C, UPM-1XP and UPJunior-XP) and the lowest frequencies are reproduced by 16 compact subwoofers (12 UMS-1XPSM and 4 MM-10XP).

To capture the acoustic environment, 56 Miniature condenser microphones are distributed throughout the space. Between microphones and speaker output, the D-Mitri digital audio platform, composed by 21 Modules, provides digital signal processing, with five modules (one for each reverberation zone) dedicated to housing the patented VRAS acoustic algorithm. The theatre stage, of 30 meters deep, is covered by a dedicated Constellation zone that functions as a virtual acoustic shell.

For direct sound reinforcement, the main theatre has a system consisting of arrangements of 13 Meyer Sound Leopard venues, alongside 4 subwoofers 1100-CFL. They are also deployed, as subsystems for fillers and delays, a total of 4 UPQ-1P enclosures, two UPQ-2P, two UPM-1P and 14 MM-4XP, along with 6 MJF-210 Stage Monitors.

Mounted on the proscenium, hidden behind a grid, there is an LCR system configured with 12 JM-1P speakers and four UPQ-1P offering, respectively, far and near field coverage. Three Galileo Galaxy processors 816 enable system control and optimization.

Since the inauguration of the center, the Constellation system has been used for a variety of genres, including symphony orchestra, drama and musical theatre.

“In addition to the available acoustic presets, we can adjust the parameters to meet the needs of the interpreters. The operation of the system is stable, sensitive, with natural reverb and pleasant sound. More importantly,, it cannot be perceived that the reverberation comes from the electroacoustic system”, li yiting clarifies, Technical Director of Operations.

As for the Leopard-based reinforcement system, Li comments that “although it is relatively compact and lightweight, has great power. It doesn't just sound clean, it also improves the intelligibility and clarity of sound”.

Smaller scenarios

The two smaller spaces of the complex are also equipped with Meyer Sound reinforcement systems.. The multifunctional theatre of 500 seats has a system based on 12 Lina enclosures and six subwoofers 750-LFC, that can be blown up or stacked on the ground, as needed for the event in question. Two UPA-1P speakers complete the system, six MJF-210 stage monitors and one Galaxy processor 816.

The theatre of 300 Seats is covered by two Meyer Sound CAL speakers 64 and two 750-LFC subwoofers, two UPJ-1P speakers, six MJF-208 stage monitors and one Galaxy processor 816.

The overall design of the entire center was done by the French firm Frederic Rolland International, with the design of the theater by Thomas Yee of Studios Architecture, based in San Francisco. The physical acoustics of theatres, optimized for Constellation in the main auditorium, was performed by Joseph Myers, president of the acoustic consulting firm Kierkegaard.

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