Pittsburgh Arts, Regional Theatre, New Work, Producing, Copyright, Labor Unions,
New Products, Coping Skills, J-O-Bs...
Theatre industry news, University & School of Drama Announcements, plus occasional course support for
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni.
Pro Sound Web: Once L-Acoustics was selected as the loudspeaker of choice for the sound system at the Olympic Stadium for the Olympics and Paralympics at London 2012, the collective team faced a huge task.
I’ve been curious about the sound system used for the Olympic Games since I watched them on TV back in August. This article does a great job of explaining both the system used and some of the thought process that went into its design in an in-depth but still accessible way. The Olympic Games pose a very unique set of challenges that must have been fun to work around. The stadium is enormous, and given the live music portions of the opening and closing ceremonies the sound quality and coverage has to be exceptional. The physical logistics including suspension from a huge tension grid, weathering the elements for four months, and aesthetic concerns were also taken into consideration with the design of the system. This article doesn’t spend much time talking about it, but networking effectively with news stations must have been another big consideration when the system was designed. I can’t think of any other entertainment even that poses the same unique challenges as the Olympic ceremonies, and creating a sound system that makes all of the considerations necessary for the success of the games must be an enormous task. The quality and elegance of Willsallen’s system is evident in his more thoughtful considerations such as the 6db attenuation around the media area and the attempt at a stereophonic experience for audience members.
Wow! Providing a good sound system for the London Olympics Opening Ceremony, and subsequent sporting events must certainly have been quite the challenge!! The entire world had their eyes focused on this one venue, so it must have been pulled off perfectly. As stated in the article, they needed sound equipment that was, "predictable, reliable, and produced excellent sound," and it seems like they made very good choices. It's also interesting to consider the placement of the equipment, especially regarding the circular set up of the venue.
2 comments:
I’ve been curious about the sound system used for the Olympic Games since I watched them on TV back in August. This article does a great job of explaining both the system used and some of the thought process that went into its design in an in-depth but still accessible way. The Olympic Games pose a very unique set of challenges that must have been fun to work around. The stadium is enormous, and given the live music portions of the opening and closing ceremonies the sound quality and coverage has to be exceptional. The physical logistics including suspension from a huge tension grid, weathering the elements for four months, and aesthetic concerns were also taken into consideration with the design of the system. This article doesn’t spend much time talking about it, but networking effectively with news stations must have been another big consideration when the system was designed. I can’t think of any other entertainment even that poses the same unique challenges as the Olympic ceremonies, and creating a sound system that makes all of the considerations necessary for the success of the games must be an enormous task. The quality and elegance of Willsallen’s system is evident in his more thoughtful considerations such as the 6db attenuation around the media area and the attempt at a stereophonic experience for audience members.
Wow! Providing a good sound system for the London Olympics Opening Ceremony, and subsequent sporting events must certainly have been quite the challenge!! The entire world had their eyes focused on this one venue, so it must have been pulled off perfectly. As stated in the article, they needed sound equipment that was, "predictable, reliable, and produced excellent sound," and it seems like they made very good choices. It's also interesting to consider the placement of the equipment, especially regarding the circular set up of the venue.
Post a Comment