SINGAPORE – The Marina Bay Sands features a light and water spectacle dubbed "Wonder Full" that is a 360-degree sensory experience choreographed to an original score. For the attraction's audio needs, an Electro-Voice large-format line array system has been installed.
Laservision, a local technology installer, spent three years to develop Wonder Full, using a team of 100 specialists in architectural, design, creative, musical, engineering, technical and IT resources from its Hong Kong, Australian and Singaporean offices.
Three large water screens illuminated by high-definition video projection and optically pumped full color laser systems face the audience at the Event Plaza – Marina Bay Sands' venue with adjustable platforms. Nearby media towers help to envelope the audience in surround sound, special effects and dynamic lighting.
"For this project, Laservision wanted a high-impact surround sound system which would be able to cover approximately 40 meters," said Bryan Davidson, Bosch's senior engineer/manager for permanent installations, who has worked with Laservision on a number of installations. "It also had to have a very low profile so as not to obscure the water fountains.
"I built a model in EASE, finally settling on the Electro-Voice large format line array system, including two vertically stacked E-V XVLS delivering a tight vertical dispersion allowing sound to be thrown across water to the audience area while not spilling into other areas," Davidson added.
The E-V XVLS loudspeakers are a custom-made waterproof version and also deploy E-V's hydrophonic grille cloth, which stops water from entering the box. Each water screen has two XVLS loudspeakers.
A deck area that can seat 10,000 people can transform into three different orientations: a flat deck, or either elevated or declined at the front. The audio system needed to work in each configuration and Davidson spent a lot of time tweaking the system to achieve its full potential.
"I placed four E-V XLD281 compact line array cabinets, plus an E-V X-sub subwoofer in each media tower, which gave me the 7.1 surround sound," said Davidson. "These also employ the E-V hydrophobic grille cloth. I consulted with Dave Carlson from E-V in Burnsville, MN, in order to work out the exact grille perforation requirements so that the sound could exit correctly and the cylinder didn't resonate."
All loudspeakers are powered by 21 Dynacord H5000 amplifiers, each with its own RCM26 remote control module. This is all networked together via three NetMax N8000 networkable matrix systems, which allow audio distribution while also delivering full remote monitoring and supervision of the loudspeakers. Audio was distributed from the main control room to two rack locations via Cobranet interfaced by Laservision proprietary show control system, which delivers the 7.1 feed.
"I used SysTune to align the system," stated Davidson. "It has a plug-in mode for NetMax so I can open up SysTune and look at the frequency response, etc., in one window, while in the other window I can have the relevant EQ block in NetMax open so I can do real-time tuning as I walk around the area." The software platform IRIS-Net is used to control and supervise all of the amplifiers, NetMax's and loudspeakers connected to them under a user-friendly GUI.
For more information, visit: www.electro-voice.com.
