Allen & Heath GLD-80 and Qu-16 mixers were chosen as key components in the sound reinforcement system at the new Kraków Arena, which is now the largest such venue in Poland with a capacity of 20,000.
Konsbud Audio designed and supplied the sound reinforcement system for the venue, specifying three Allen & Heath digital boards.
A GLD-80 located in the venue’s primary control room serves as the main console, used for mixing and signal distribution between all audio systems. Two Qu-16 mixers handle supplemental duties, with one one in a mobile rack that can be used on the floor of the main hall and the other in the control room of a smaller, secondary hall.
“We decided to use GLD-80 and Qu-16 because of their compatibility and functionality,” states Piotr Jankiewicz, director of design and integration at Konsbud Audio. “Both mixers are compact and have the key features of a large console. They work with the same expanders and AudioRacks, so it is possible to use the same connections. Thanks to the dSnake protocol the connection is over a simple Cat-5 cable.”
Audio signals from various regions of the venue are fed to the GLD-80 via AR84 and AR2412 AudioRacks. The mobile Qu-16 is also compatible with the AudioRacks, giving it the flexibility to act as a secondary mixer or as the main mixer, managing the whole system.
Qu-Pad and GLD OneMix apps allow the audio team to control the mixers via iPad from anywhere in the venue.