Mobile gaming company Supercell, known for popular releases such as Clash of Clans, Hay Day and more recently Boom Beach and Brawl Stars, recently moved into its first custom-built offices in Helsinki, Finland that’s designed and built from the ground up and outfitted with nearly 500 Genelec loudspeakers have across the building, including some 300 Smart IP networked models.
“When we started to build the company’s new home, we needed to reimagine the spaces where we work,” says Markus Haikonen, head of AV and broadcast at Supercell. “We needed rock-solid AV project management, which is what Akukon did for us. We also needed a lot of help with the design, which Akukon and Audico did together.” Akukon handled the facility’s acoustical design while Audico supplied the systems design and integration.
“In designing these spaces – especially the team spaces and the meeting rooms – it was essential that they are easy to use and easy to monitor, and fit our needs. It also goes without saying that quality is really important to us,” continues Haikonen. “From an audio point of view, Genelec was an ideal choice, especially the new Smart IP loudspeakers. We’ve always been great fans of Genelec and use their loudspeakers throughout our offices globally, so it was a natural choice for this project as well. When we heard about Smart IP with its built-in DSP, we immediately saw that it would be a great fit for our team space and meeting room designs where there is no centralized DSP. We also wanted the reliability and flexibility offered by the Smart IP concept.”
Terhi Salo, technical specialist at Audico, adds, “Of the 500 Genelec loudspeakers installed all around the building, a little over 300 of them are 4430 Smart IP loudspeakers, while the rest are other Genelec active loudspeakers that have been repurposed from Supercell’s previous offices. Smart IP loudspeakers are ideally suited to large, complex installations like this because all you need to plug into the loudspeaker is one Ethernet cable. With that cable you get power, audio and the ability to control the loudspeaker and its DSP. Having them networked has been a huge help in configuring the system, especially during the commissioning phase when it was super-handy to be able to access the loudspeakers’ DSP remotely. For example, during the testing period, if anyone reported a problem in a certain area, I usually already knew what the problem was before my colleague on site got in the room.
“Regarding room setup and configuration, we have a variety of different spaces which required different approaches,” Salo continues. “For the Team spaces and the medium-sized Zoom rooms where the audio system is straightforward with just two Genelec loudspeakers, we used the speakers’ in-built DSP for EQ and volume control. In the larger rooms with more gear, we used Smart IP Manager to update the firmware of the loudspeakers, while everything audio-related is handled by the Q-SYS processor from QSC and then sent to the loudspeakers. The IP addresses were set up with a custom script created by my colleague, and the speakers were named in Dante Controller. Finally, now that the system is up and running, monitoring is carried out via the Genelec API using a custom Audico software.”
In the two largest meeting rooms, Genelec’s “The Ones” coaxial three-way loudspeakers have been deployed as the main system, with 4430 Smart IP loudspeakers utilized for Voice Lift and as a delay system for the main speakers. A Voice Lift system uses a combination of strategically placed microphones and loudspeakers to subtly amplify speech, so that a person speaking on one side of a large room can be heard at the same level at the opposite side of the room – even if they’re 30 meters away. Genelec systems also grace the main lobby, the gym, the cafeteria, and the staff entertainment facility. Many of the loudspeakers were subsequently painted in custom colors to blend with the Supercell décor.
“It’s been a great project, and we’ve been lucky to work with some amazing partners,” concludes Haikonen. “It’s also been a long journey from when Genelec gave us a privileged first view of the Smart IP prototype, and then as soon as the first units were available, we started testing our design concept in our previous offices, right up to implementing it on a massive scale in our new building. It was a challenge for everyone involved but the results speak for themselves. We can all be proud of what we’ve achieved.”
