AV system integrator Bond Communications was recently charged with replacing and retrofitting a sound system serving the ballroom at the seven-star Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, which features a marble grand entrance and gold leaf atrium overlooking the Persian Gulf.

The ballroom can accommodate up to 2,800 people, with Bond Communications devising a system serving the space as a complete unit, or in three separate, divisible modes, with simple control and operation.

The system also had to be sufficiently flexible to deliver high spec intelligibility across the frequency spectrum for presentations but also be capable of concert style reinforcement from a conventional left/right stage system, when the venue hosts live entertainment.

Bond decided that a combination of Martin Audio OmniLine scalable micro-line arrays, in conjunction with a Martin Audio W8LC compact line array, would meet the coverage challenges.

Richard Maunder of Martin Audio Dubai-based distributor VTI, as well as Peter Child, Martin Audio Applications Engineer, were brought in to provide design support and EASE program measurements.

“It was decided to use line array loudspeakers for the main front-of-house system as these have more ‘throw’ than a conventional loudspeaker and the dispersion pattern is very predictable thus offering more control over the large coverage area,” explains Child.

Normally, to cover a distance such as the length of the ballroom, a long line array, accurately articulated and flown, would suffice and delays would not be needed. However, with the relatively low ceiling height, a different approach was required.

A shorter, five-box array of W8LC’s each side, has been supported at the bottom of the hang by a single W8LCD Downfill box to maintain clarity, impact and fidelity; the addition of four delay points, comprising time-aligned W8LCDs, evenly distribute the sound further down the room.

Used only as required (rather than part of a permanent install), this delay system maintains the tonality and dynamics of the system.

Although mounted discreetly behind an acoustically transparent cloth the W8LC would generally function more than adequately as a full-range system. However, also incorporated into the design are eight WS218X dual 18-inch subwoofers (four per side) providing low-end extension that can be used as required.

For stage monitoring, 10 Martin Audio LE1200S floor wedges have also been supplied.

In conference mode, 12 clusters of 16 OmniLine enclosures now provide the playback. The design consists of two OmniLine columns at each end of the three conference sections so that the point of focus can change based on the physical location of the presentation.

This approach ensures that intelligible speech and high quality music playback are delivered as unobtrusively as possible.

OmniLine was set up using the system’s dedicated optimization software. Child first worked out the calculations in the OmniLine software before exporting an XGLC file for later use in the EASE program.

“It was then just a case of inserting each of the 16 hang OmniLine GLLs into their correct locations in the EASE model and importing the XGLC file which automatically applied the correct inter-cabinet angles and EQ, as determined by the OmniLine software.” he says.

The system is powered by Martin Audio amplification, with the WS218X subwoofers driven by a pair of MA18Ks, the main FOH system and W8LC/LCD delays are run from a total of 18 MA5.2Ks, and the OmniLine system is assigned to nine MA6.8Qs.

System control is via four mix racks housing Symetrix CobraNet-enabled SymNet Express DSP (configured 12-in/4-out)..

The DSP is set it up so that each room can be used in its single configuration — and as further rooms were added, the installer created a separate output on the console to provide full functionality over all four zones. “The system needed to be really flexible because it would be used for different events,” he adds.

Any input can be routed to any zone and the zone assigned to the main system. It will also automatically send the delay taps to the time-aligned OmniLine arrays when the system is used in presentation mode. The OmniLine arrays also help bring out the HF of the installed W8LC system, and boost the intelligibility, given the length and shape of the room.

Martin Audio Website