Roy and Roddy live: d&b’s SL-Series brings the words of the Irish legends to every seat.
Irish football legend Roy Keane and the award-winning novelist Roddy Doyle recently completed three dates ‘In Conversation’ at arenas in Belfast and Dublin. Ensuring every word uttered by these beloved icons was clearly heard at every seat – and fielded by Co. Wicklow-based sound specialist and d&b partner Acoustik – was an SL-Series solution from d&b audiotechnik.
The Intelligibility Challenge
When two such celebrated figures come together to speak, intelligibility is essential – and all the more so in venues of this size. The over-riding goal is to keep the sound energy focused on the audience. That’s the challenge facing the sound team.
Working directly for client Aiken Promotions with overall responsibility for the sound provision was Mikam Sound, a long-established provider of production and rental services. Mikam’s Rory Aungier mixed at front-of-house, while Acoustik, headed by Will Fitzpatrick, provided the main arena sound solution.
“Doing a spoken word show is very, very unforgiving,” explains Fitzpatrick, “much more so than with music. Here, it’s seated – and every audience member is paying to hear it, right where they sit. You absolutely have to make sure every seat in the house is covered.”
The d&b SL-Series solution
Acoustik is a regular partner of Mikam Sound, frequently providing systems for large arena shows including these venues in Belfast and Dublin. “The d&b KSL/XSL combination is now our go-to system for shows of this size,” confirms Fitzpatrick. “We’ve been a long term user of d&b, and once we upgraded our stock to SL-Series, we never looked back.”
He adds, “The system’s rear rejection helped keep unwanted energy off the stage, and with ArrayProcessing we could ensure that coverage and tonal balance was kept consistent across the whole arena.”
The SL-Series solution deployed here comprised left and right hangs, each of 12 KSL, 12 XSL and four flown SL-SUB cabinets. The SL-Series’ cardioid behaviour is remarkable, says Fitzpatrick. “The directivity is so much more precise that, off axis, you need to be very accurate with your system design. That’s a comfort, because it means you’re confident that the energy is going where you want it to go.”
It’s a level of accuracy that can be precisely achieved with d&b’s ArrayCalc, says Fitzpatrick. “It’s a very useful, very accurate tool. What it shows us in modelling really represents what will happen in the real world. Combined with d&b ArraySight, we can be certain the energy is going where we intend it to go.”
In addition to the main system, front-fill duties are performed by eight of d&b’s compact and versatile 44S loudspeakers. “Because we were limited with space on the downstage edge, we needed a solution that would keep sightlines clear but still do what we needed,” Fitzpatrick explains. “The 44S is perfect for that. For its size, it really packs a punch.”
Mikam Sound’s Rory Aungier agrees, “They worked extremely well as front fills, especially with the rotatable horn helping us cover some trickier areas on the outer limits of the downstage area.”
On stage sound is provided via M4 monitors.
Access to Flexibility
“Along with the SL-Series, we also have the D90 and D40 amplifiers, which give us access to the Milan infrastructure,” Fitzpatrick continues.
“The SL-Series allows us to get more directivity where we need it, and more control – especially for something like this, where intelligibility is vital: every word, for every one of those 9000 people. It’s very important for us.”
Says Aungier, “KSL and XSL performed exceptionally well in this environment. Once aligned, there was very little EQ required, which made for super clear speech across the entire venue. The default cardioid behaviour of the boxes is a huge advantage, giving us the necessary rear rejection on stage and achieving a more natural conversation and interaction between Roy and Roddy.”
He concludes, “As usual, the support from Will and the crew at Acoustik was excellent. They’re highly experienced with deploying the system. Having that level of support alongside a great product makes delivering shows like this a breeze.”
