The Rotmain Center in Bayreuth (Germany) is the
commercial centre of the city in Franconia famous for its annual Wagner
festival: around 80 businesses, shops and cafes make up the sprawling modern
shopping mall. In addition to being a great place to shop, the Rotmain Center
is also used for a variety of other events, including concerts, fashion shows
and performances of all kinds. Since recent events had demonstrated that the
existing sound reinforcement system was no longer adequate to the increasing
demands being placed on it, those responsible decided to invest in a new audio
system. For the design, planning and implementation of the new system, they
brought in the Bayreuth firm of Schwankl Sound & Service.
In view of the diversity of uses to which it would be
put, it was clear from the start that what was needed was a flexible sound
reinforcement system: a system capable not only of generating plenty of SPL
when reproducing music but also of achieving a high level of intelligibility.
Nor was that all. “As well as delivering first class acoustic performance, the
system had to satisfy a number of aesthetic criteria,” recalls Bernd Schwankl,
the managing director of Schwankl Sound & Service, “and since the budget
was limited, the price-performance ratio also had to be excellent.” In the
light of all these considerations, the best solution, it became clear, was the
Vertical Array System from DYNACORD.
The acoustic performance of the line array loudspeaker
system from DYNACORD proved to be its trump card. “In addition to the clarity
of the sound,” recalls Schwankl, “its dispersion pattern was of crucial
importance. In the vertical plain, at 40°, this is relatively tight, but the
horizontal radiation angle of 90° is wide.” This coverage angle was ideal to
suit the unusual architecture of the Rotmain Center. The building is highly
reverberant – rather like the vault of a church. “The two-tiered mall is
crowned by a dome,” explains Schwankl, “and this, combined with the bare
concrete and glass walls and the ceiling height of three and a half meters,
posed a considerable challenge.”
To ensure even coverage, the team from Schwankl Sound
& Service installed four DYNACORD TS 400 loudspeakers on the parapet of the
first floor. These were arranged in a fan formation, with each speaker covering
an area of up to ten meters to the left and right of the stage. To ensure
plenty more pressure was available if needed in the bass, a subwoofer from
Electro-Voice was also included in the design. “Most of the audience is
generally in front of the stage,” says Schwankl, “so we opted to fly the
subwoofer from the lower edge of the balustrade.” The result is described as a
“beautiful, full sonic image.” Sound reinforcement to the periphery is provided
by two DYNACORD D 8 full-range boxes, with two Electro-Voice power amplifiers
driving these and the subwoofer, and a further pair dedicated to the TS 400
loudspeakers. A DYNACORD DSP 260 Sound System Manager adds the advantages of
uncomplicated and efficient digital signal processing.
Not long after the installation, the system had its
baptism of fire with two events following in quick succession. The manager of
the Rotmain Center, Isabel Belka, draws a positive balance: “We are very
satisfied with the new loudspeakers. The sonic image is exactly as we had
imagined it.”
