The recent four-day INOTA Festival in Várpalota, Hungary, a joint initiative between the European Capital of Culture (this year Veszprém-Balaton) and the electronic music scene of Budapest (Electronic Beats) that was held on the site of a former thermal power plant named Inota, saw Martin Audio partner BG Event deploy MLA loudspeaker arrays on the Power Plant main stage as well as the Turbine Hall, with MLA Mini arrays in the Heating Room.
Located a short distance from Lake Balaton in Várpalota, the venue was the largest industrial investment in Hungary back in the 1950s, with its three unique cooling towers. Closed since 2001, and set on a 225,000-square-meter facility, the INOTA Festival brought the staggering 6,000-square-meter Turbine Hall back to life along with the Boiler Room and Community Centre.
Providing coverage across the approximately 50 x 20m Power Plant Area were hangs of nine MLA with an MLD Downfill at the base. This was underpinned by 16 MLX subwoofers in a castellated cardioid array and six MLA Compact for frontfill. Martin Audio XE500 wedges were provided for monitoring.
The Turbine Hall saw a similar hang configuration for the main PA but with 16 MLX subs in a castellated cardioid array, and two MLA Compact for frontfills. DJ booths were provided in the form of four WPS on a single SX218 sub per side. Finally the Heating Room was equipped with a four-set MLA Mini rig, with four CDD-LIVE 12 for fills and eight SX218 providing the LF extension in quad setup.
These spaces featured more than 100 live performances, including DJ Seinfeld, Extrawelt, Daniel Avery, Overmono, Lebanon Hanover and Ellen Allien.
Reviewing the challenges faced, BG Event’s Balázs Szentiványi, states: “In the Turbine Hall, we were projecting 50 meters, and ‘Hard Avoid’ was programmed in the software to taper down at the end of the hall, so that an already difficult venue — full of columns and walls — would not echo. Once the room was full of people, we managed to achieve an SPL of 102-103 dB LAEQ5 almost without reflection, and due to the sub arrangement without any cancellation or acoustic excitation on the stage where there were multiple turntables.”
Since the Turbine Hall was situated directly behind main stage, BG Event placed the entire stage area only in Hard Avoid to achieve added quiet at this location. “With this solution a very dynamic soundscape was created,” Balázs continues. “For example we were able to make the harp soft and also the female singers.” Conversely, with Nils Frahm headlining on the outside stage, the production company needed to pay particular attention to reflections and feedback on stage. “With MLA and a cardioid MLX system, we were able to achieve a result we would probably not have been able to with systems of other manufacturers.”
As far as sound control went, a good outcome was achieved, he concludes: “At the two large locations, we were able to maintain constant coverage and a sound pressure of 98 to 100 dB(A), while at the external measurement points, we were able to keep within the maximum limit of 55 dB(A). By complying with those thresholds we did not disturb the tranquility of the people living in the area!”
BG Event’s technical support team included Miklós Ábrahám, monitor tech (Power Plant Area stage); Daniel Kerezsi, stage tech (Power Plant Area stage); Roland Nagy, stage tech (Power Plant Area stage); Tamas Patko, stage tech (Power Plant Area stage); David Rikk, FOH tech Turbine Hall; Andras Vancsay, stage tech Turbine Hall; and Kristóf Neuverth, Power Plant Area stage FOH, festival system tech.
