The Gardaland Theme Park in Verona, Italy, one of the oldest theme parks in the country with more than two dozen rides as well as a variety of attractions and shows, has been outfitted with new audio distribution, processing, monitoring, and real-time system control throughout the entire 50-acre park via several Symetrix components.
Gardaland’s audio system had significant problems, with wear and tear of the components in place and the lack of flexibility of signal distribution posing issues that couldn’t be resolved. It had become difficult for the technicians to evaluate the state of the audio signals in the various areas of the park.
The project was led by Eurolab SRL Managing Director Alberto Colombo in collaboration with Sisme SPA Sound Engineer Simone Santarelli. At the core of the new approach, fiber optic lines link seven technical rooms in various parts of the park and are used to carry 16 tracks of synchronized audio throughout. A Symetrix Radius NX 12×8 processor with a four-channel analog input expansion card brings those 16 channels of audio into the system, provides audio processing as needed, and transmits the audio over the park’s Dante network.
Symetrix xOut interfaces (seven xOut 4 and one xOut 12) in the park’s various technical rooms convert the Dante network audio back to analog audio for the 40 channels of zone amplification. Designed for use with Dante-enabled Symetrix DSP units, the xOut 4 and xOut 12 are configured using Symetrix Composer software.
The software allows Gardaland’s technicians to configure the entire audio network from anywhere in the park, with SymVue control interfaces providing control over all input and output processing, network routing, and paging. The custom SymVue interface provides Gardaland’s AV Technicians with simplified system control as well as the ability to have the features of the interface modified or expanded as needed.
Symetrix’s web-based Event Scheduler provides Gardaland with automatic activation of each zone’s audio when the park opens in the morning and automatically deactivates each zone when the park closes. Park staff can access the Event Scheduler with a web browser from any phone, tablet, or computer to make temporary or permanent schedule adjustments as needed.
“The system has allowed us to obtain a truly optimal result, thanks to the great reliability of the Symetrix products and the simplicity of configuration and management through the Composer software,” says Santarelli. “Symetrix products and technology made it possible to create a scalable system, suitable for any future audio expansions in the park.
“Our favorite thing about Symetrix is the excellent scalability and flexibility in large systems that allows us to manage complex installations very easily,” he concludes. “We’re very happy with the result and with the trust that our customer has placed in the Symetrix brand, identifying these products as the perfect solution for the renovation of the Gardaland Park.”
