A sound reinforcement system to support “Lessico Italiano,” a multi-part temporary exhibition created and produced by Palzom Films held at Galleria Sacconi, which is located inside the Vittoriano in Rome, Italy, incorporated a variety of loudspeakers all driven by Powersoft amplification in a project managed by AMP di Fabrizio Dovidio working with AudioFactory.
“The head of audio of Palzom Films, Alessandro Di Maio, asked us for an audio system with three main characteristics,” explains Oreste Parmentola, AudioFactory’s CEO. “It needed to be visually discreet, have high sound quality, and have the capability to be remote controlled. We were encouraged to design a state-of-the-art system using our own products. To do this, we chose to use our DESIGN product line, which has been conceived with this kind of venue and audio requirement in mind.
“Furthermore, using Dante audio streaming flux through the network was a substantial improvement in terms of reduce complexity of wiring and increase audio quality and reliability,” he adds.
The system was comprised of a number of AudioFactory’s DESIGN loudspeakers, including the D04 4-inch and D06 6-inch loudspeakers, the latter with drivers and differential horns, and DS10 10-inch subwoofers. Audio power came courtesy of two Powersoft Ottocanali DSP + Dante, five Quattrocanali DSP + Dante, and a pair of Duecanali DSP + Dante amplifiers.
“We needed a lot of channels distribute along the exhibition, with five positions hidden from the visitors’ view,” explains Alessandro Giuliani, AudioFactory’s R&D engineer “The Powersoft products were perfect to cover all the requirements of the project: high quality sound, low fan noise, adequate sound power, and overall remote control.”
Further, the high-voltage rail and low-impedance driving capabilities of the amplifier platforms were key in driving the 16-ohm D04 loudspeakers, which were used one per channel or in parallel (up to six per channel) according to the installation requirements. The system was tasked with covering 20 different zones with input from 20 different sources distributed along the exhibition path, with the main challenge being to place the loudspeakers without interference between adjacent areas that could compromise intelligibility.
“After the mounting phase we really appreciated setting up the system through the use of Powersoft’s ArmonìaPlus software, which allows us to tune the system smartly and quickly while walking through the exhibition path in the company of the composer and director,” Giuliani says. “Dividing the exhibition in areas with ArmonìaPlus groups meant we could easily apply a custom EQ and level setup for each zone.”
“Luckily, we were able to work with a professional in-house sound engineer who understood the real problems of this kind of installation,” Parmentola adds. “He was also able to act as a bridge with the production help us reach the final result.”
The team also developed software to give in-house operators the ability to switch the system on and off by sending messages through the local network. “The Powersoft team gave us all the information we were looking for to develop the third-party software needed to accomplish this task,” Parmentola concludes. “Since then, the production has congratulated the entire team on their rapid action in installing the equipment and setting it up to meet all the initial objectives in such a short period of time. This was also beneficial to the other departments (structural, video, lighting, security and so on), allowing everyone to work to the best of their abilities on this complex exhibition.”
