Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena steps up with d&b audiotechnik.
Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena has completed a major new sound system installation using the latest technologies from d&b audiotechnik – including GSL, KSL, XSL and SL-SUB products from the SL-Series, plus the very latest CCL. Fast, flexible and rider-friendly, the d&b system delivers consistently great sound to every seat, regardless of the event format . . .
Setting the Scene
As one of the Middle East’s leading entertainment venues, Dubai’s 17,000-capacity Coca-Cola Arena competes in a challenging market. The venue’s operator, Legends Global (formerly ASM), understands that 21st century venues need to be truly ‘multi-purpose’. Today, that means harnessing the very latest technologies to be highly adaptive, offering the highest quality sound solutions, quickly and efficiently, for a wide range of event styles and formats.
In this demanding field, it’s also essential for an in-house sound system to be rider-friendly – such that the vast majority of incoming artists and technical teams will be happy to use it, with full confidence.
Setting Objectives
The arena opened in 2019, but it soon became clear that the specified sound system did not fully meet the demands of a busy, modern, multi-purpose venue. The search began for a solution that could be expanded and adapted as needed, rigged and de-rigged quickly and efficiently, to serve the wide range of events hosted by the arena. It should also help to address the venue’s acoustical issues – for example, reducing reflections from the glass-fronted hospitality suites and avoiding the need for costly acoustic treatments. And, to ensure it was rider-friendly, close attention was paid to who was using what, and where.
Eventually, the choice was made. Malcolm Giles, the Arena’s Senior Director of Venue Management, explains, “d&b is known for being one of the best audio systems globally; it has technology that is ahead of other brands and is allowing us to address our acoustic issues.”
The Solution
The specification draws heavily on the extraordinary full-bandwidth directivity of d&b’s GSL, KSL, XSL and SL-SUB products from the SL-Series, plus the new Compact Cardioid Line Array (CCL). The first product in d&b’s new CL-Series, CCL builds on the proven, ground-breaking low-frequency cardioid behaviour of SL-Series systems and introduces this all-important directivity control to a smaller line array system.
One of the world’s top live sound engineers, Marc Carolan (Muse) supported the system commissioning and tuning. He says, “Consistent coverage is critical. I’ve been a long-time d&b user, and I know I can rely on their systems to deliver coverage as promised. Tonality is equally important: GSL in particular feels like a musical instrument - it has a very natural, musical quality that allows the art to really shine.”
He adds, ”Of course, many venues and stadiums are far from acoustically perfect, so the challenge is to deliver music directly to the audience without overloading the room with unnecessary energy – and d&b provides fantastic tools to model and design systems so we can deploy energy thoughtfully and efficiently.”
Of the new CCL, he adds, “Despite its compact size, the CCL still delivers cardioid control down to the lowest frequencies, which is remarkable. It slots in perfectly with the larger SL-Series cabinets, meaning we can provide effective cardioid solutions for any space, maintaining intelligibility and clarity from front to back.”
Conclusion
The completed system meets all of the venue’s requirements: powerful, controlled, flexible, efficient and trusted, it provides a consistent, high quality audio experience throughout the venue.
“At d&b we work with the world’s top tours, venues, and artists,” says General Manager of the Middle East office in Dubai, Brad Maiden, “and it’s been a pleasure to help create this benchmark for entertainment in the Middle East. The installation of our flagship SL-Series further elevates Coca-Cola Arena on the global stage, as a venue known for technical excellence and world-class quality, something we’re thrilled to be part of.”
“We chose d&b for the simple reason that it’s one of the market leaders, a brand that the technicians and the leadership team really believe in,” concludes Mark Jan Kar, the arena’s General Manager and Senior VP of Entertainment, Content, and Programming for Legends Global. “Collectively, we want the ‘five star’ of everything – and for us, this is the pinnacle of audio.”
