d&b audiotechnik xA-Series delivers directional acoustic control for At-Thohir Mosque projections in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The At-Thohir Mosque in southern Jakarta, Indonesia launched a permanent audio and video mapping installation in late 2022. The initiative sees colourful imagery projected onto the façade of the newly constructed, architecturally striking mosque each evening. The content tells the story of the life and values of the late automotive magnate Muhammad Teddy Thohir, after whom the Mosque is named, in three-part, 20-minute segments. The projected visuals and accompanying sound design were created by renowned Indonesian multimedia studio Sembilan Matahari.
The AV installation was commissioned by the Thohir family, who built the mosque in memoriam of their father. It was created to extol his principles of the importance of family, respect, education, and strong character. The dynamic projections are based on Indonesian cultural and Islamic geometric patterns, and are designed to uplift and inspire. They have proven to be a hit with the local community, on social media and are now something of a tourist attraction.
The visuals were created by Sembilan Matahari’s Mr. Adi Panuntun, with the narrative soundtrack, music and sound effects team led by Fauzan Rahman Gautama and Way Dwi Arifian. The voiceover is performed by Yusa Bella Putra. Innovative Jakarta-based contractor Albeta collaborated with Mr. Adi Panuntun to specify a loudspeaker, subwoofer and amplification solution for the project, noting that the sound system would be permanently installed in two towers in front of the At-Thohir Mosque, be exposed to a range of weather conditions and is located adjacent to a main road. The system needed to fill the outside localized area with rich, high-quality sound to complement the powerful and energetic visuals and ensure a positive listening experience.
During the project design, Gendri and his team compared the specification of a number of loudspeaker manufacturers, opting for d&b 10AL-D WR loudspeakers from the xA-Series, and d&b 18A-SUB WR high performance subwoofers, powered by d&b 10D amplifiers.
“A line array system would have been too large within the space and we would have needed eight cabinets to achieve what we can with far fewer d&b 10AL-D units,” Gendri continues. “These models also enabled the artist and video mapping engineer to have a lot more flexibility in where to place their projectors, minimising the impact in the towers. Combine this with the light weight of each loudspeaker and the d&b sound quality and we have the right solution.”
Rigged open air in the towers, the projectors are protected from the elements and the loudspeakers required rain and wind protection, too. To achieve this, Gendri chose the Weather Resistant (WR) option of the d&b 10AL-D loudspeakers, which provide an IP55 rating and ensure continuous operation in changing environmental conditions. “They have a very robust build quality, which is perfect,” says Gendri. “We’ve already had weather where the towers were engulfed in heavy rain and there was water all around the speakers, but they continued to work just fine afterwards. Not all brands offer weather resistant versions of their speakers, so we were happy to discover that d&b does.”
The Albeta crew worked with d&b audiotechnik APAC to utilize the d&b ArrayCalc simulation software during the design and set up process. Using this, they could predict performance and create a three-dimensional representation of the listening area in front of the Mosque.
“The d&b team has been amazing, especially our local d&b expert Andreas [Ariandono] who has supported us from start of the project to help deliver the product on time,” adds Gendri. “We’re very happy with the results.”
