The new RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia, Italy, one of the largest outdoor music venues in Europe with a modular capacity of 10,000 to 103,000 people, is equipped with more than 400 of its namesake’s loudspeakers.
The recent inauguration of the arena featured a concert-event that celebrated Ligabue’s 30-year career — 2015, the Italian rock artist set a European record with 150,000 paid admissions for a single performance, also reinforced by RCF. The space, covered mainly by grass, includes all the services and amenities for event production, including a proper lawn slope of five percent and a “guitar pick” configuration divided into five main areas to help ensure optimal visibility and acoustics.
“RCF was born in 1949 in Reggio Emilia. From our Emilian town we have brought the excellence of Italian sound to an international level and today we are among the major players in the market,” says Arturo Vicari, CEO of RCF Group. “Giving our name to RCF Arena is a source of pride for us, but also a mission and a commitment. We have a strong bond with this region and we intend to take care of it in the best possible way. With the completion of this wonderful project, we bring innovation, technology, and our sound to our home in Reggio Emilia. It is a prestigious signature that does not hide RCF’s devotion in the continuous search for sound quality in this new music valley.”
“RCF Arena is equipped with the most modern technologies for the best concert performance,” adds Emanuele Morlini, RCF system designer who was assisted by Lucio Boiardi Serri (system engineer, RCF) and Fabio Capello (system assistant, RCF). “The RCF TT+ audio system, part of the flagship line of large systems for live events, consists of a main system at the sides of the stage, with four line arrays covering the front and a further 10 systems distributed on permanent metal towers (delay towers), which can also be used as supports for video and lighting equipment. The sound system is designed for the best sound coverage to each seat, no matter the distance from the stage. At the same time, the orientation of the system is optimized to ensure the lowest noise impact towards the inhabited areas of the city.”
Specifically, RCF deployed new GTX models distributed over four main arrays on the sides of the stage. Reinforcement for low frequencies comprises two arrays of suspended double 15-inch modules and sub-frequency reinforcement on the ground consisting of TTS 56-A double 21″ subwoofers. Along with GTX, additional 10 line arrays consisting of TTL 55-A modules are installed on towers. The GTX 12 line array and the GTX 15S low-range extension are part of the RCF line of TT + systems that have been designed for the debut of RCF Arena.
GTX 12 hass two 12-inch woofers in an axially symmetrical three-way system with a 4PATH waveguide, while the GTX 15S hanging module houses two 15-inch woofers in bass-reflex loading. The management of all parameters takes place through a new high-bit-rate floating-point DSP engine, the result of substantial research work by the RCF development team.
“We have been using RCF TT+ systems with Ligabue for many years, overcoming many acoustic challenges,” explains Alberto Butturini, the artist’s sound engineer. “It was a pleasure to mix with the GTX. It’s an audio system that will be heard for many years and will take RCF one step further in the concert sound industry. I was impressed with the quality of the high range and mid-bass. A superlinear and never-tiring audio system with excellent efficiency across the entire sound spectrum. “
The system will be part of a new range of loudspeakers that will be presented in 2023 and fully compatible with the RCF RDNet digital platform for remote control and monitoring. In addition to using high-end RCF Precision transducers made ad hoc, the system integrates and improves many of the hardware and software platforms introduced by the company in recent years.
“RCF audio systems have amplified the music of national and international artists in every corner of the globe,” concludes Vicari. “RCF sound is the intelligence and reliability of a company made up of passionate people. We just turned 70, and we still have a great desire to play and perform. Welcome to the RCF Arena.”
