TiMax reinforces the acoustics of the Farnese Palace for the representation of 'Tosca’

For the representation of Tosca in the Farnese Palace a multi-channel sound system was designed using the solutions of D&b audiotechnik, the processor TiMax SoundHub and the console Digico.

In the courtyard of the Farnese Palace of Piacenza, the star representation of the Notte d'Opera a Palazzo this year was a representation of Tosca by Puccini. The natural acoustics of sixteenth-century architecture were enhanced with force and naturalness by the immersive prowess of TiMax spatial sound processing.. To complement this nice spatial amplification and ensure complete immersion in the show, a virtual scenography was created on the façade of the building.

Federico Bianchi was the person in charge of designing the multichannel sound system of d&B, directed the processor TiMax SoundHub and mixed the show on a Digico console.

By maximizing social distancing to ensure a safe environment for artists, musicians and audience, the placement of the distributed speaker system was hindered by an unconventional stage assembly. This caused the speaker positions to be irregular, but TiMax integrated them into an immersive sound field, object-based and seamless.

Although Bianchi admits that covering the wide area of the public was the biggest difficulty, the stage space also represented a challenge for the design of the sound system. An orchestra of 55 musicians stood in front of the opera performers on the main stage, while a large choir was placed on the side.

“The wide non-traditional space of the three musical sources forced to find solutions to keep each element mixed and in perfect synchronization with each other.. It would have been impossible without TiMax to ensure localization and intelligibility for everyone present.”, says Bianchi.

On-site assembly was quick thanks to TiMax PanSpace's automatic calculation function. Bianchi was able to pre-designed the offline system, plotting the speaker system topology and locations in PanSpace, and then rendering the spatial mappings of the stage and surround sound at the push of a button.

The main system consisted of five point-source d speakers&B, distributed to cover the width of the stage, assisted by five front fills and four subwoofer units.

Three delay speakers provided a supporting spatial reinforcement for the last rows. Four more anchor speakers were added to the front stage structure between the main stage opera singers and the orchestra, to increase the voices on stage and their precise location. To enhance the enveloping mix and create an environmental spatial reverberation, eight surround sound speakers were placed on the sides and behind the audience.

Producers initially resisted the use of amplification, for fear of creating an unnatural sound, but finally the authentic and transparent localization and immersion created by Federico Bianchi's TiMax spatial mix had the full approval of all.

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