Built in 1979 as part of New Belgrade’s wave of large-scale modernist architecture, the Blue Hall at Sava Centar is one of the region’s most demanding acoustic environments.
With a capacity of 4,000 seats, the auditorium measures approximately 50 metres wide by 45 metres deep and features a stage volume comparable to many purpose-built concert halls.
Its original theatrical infrastructure — designed for a very different era of live production — presents rigging constraints that any touring production company would immediately recognise. In addition, at the centre of the stage opening stands a 20 x 11-metre cinema screen, the largest of its kind in the region, dominating both the visual and acoustic geometry of the room.
For decades, the venue operated without a permanent sound system. Visiting events brought in their own audio rigs, a workable solution until Sava Centar’s owners embarked on a major renovation of the Blue Hall, aiming to compete for the large-scale concerts and productions that had previously bypassed Belgrade in favour of technically better-equipped venues. Although a permanent professional audio system was not included in the original renovation plans, it soon became clear that it was essential.
Designing around the room, not just the brief
Sava Centar entrusted the design and implementation of the installation to two companies: Dicroic, an L-Acoustics Certified Provider and lead contractor for the project, and acoustic consultancy Acoustic Design, whose principal, Nemanja Stanojević, had been working with the investors since the project’s earliest stages.
The involvement of both companies was intentional: the complexity of the venue required both integration expertise and rigorous acoustic design from the outset.
The primary constraint was the cinema screen. Measuring 20 x 11 metres and spanning the full width of the stage opening, it came with a non-negotiable requirement from the owners: the sound system could not obstruct it visually. This ruled out a conventional centre-hung system and required the main left and right arrays to be positioned significantly farther apart, creating an immediate coverage challenge that would need to be addressed by a dedicated centre-fill system.
The main challenge was ensuring that the installation could accommodate the wide variety of events hosted in the Blue Hall. It was essential that the sound system did not visually compromise the cinema screen. That constraint influenced every decision that followed, explains Ivan Brusić, AV Manager at Sava Centar.
Beyond the screen, the venue’s original fly tower and rigging infrastructure — never intended to support large-format line array systems — introduced further challenges. The placement of the central KS28 subwoofer cluster required constant negotiation with the building’s architecture. Every possible position involved compromises, and the design had to account for them before a single loudspeaker was flown.
L-Acoustics’ recommendation of the L2 system was driven by its output capability, coverage control and versatility across different event types. The solution also offered a compelling return on investment: a single permanent system capable of supporting symphonic concerts, cinema screenings, theatrical productions and large-scale popular music events, eliminating the need to rent systems for every show.
“We presented the advantages of the L2 system to the investor and demonstrated that it could meet the requirements of every type of event hosted in the venue. Furthermore, the investment could be recouped within just two years through rental income”, adds Marko Fio, CEO of Dicroic.
Comprehensive Soundvision modelling before installation
With Dicroic leading the project and L-Acoustics Application Engineer Willi Klein involved from the outset, the team developed a complete model of the venue in Soundvision before defining any rigging positions.
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The geometry was highly complex: the main arrays needed to clear the screen; the KS28 subwoofer cluster had to fit within a fly tower not designed to accommodate it; and the centre-fill system needed to compensate for the distance between the main arrays.
Soundvision enabled the team to evaluate every option and quantify every compromise before installation began. The physical installation was completed in four to five days, with Dicroic handling preparation and rigging so that Klein could focus entirely on system calibration.
L2 Arrays, KS28 subwoofers and an A15 centre-fill system
The main system consists of two arrays per side, each comprising two L2 over one L2D, configured to provide uniform audience coverage without visually interfering with the cinema screen.
Twelve KS28 subwoofers are flown centrally above the stage. A centre-fill system comprising three A15 Focus and one A15 Wide cabinet covers the central audience area, complementing the coverage of the main arrays. In addition, eight X8 loudspeakers deployed as front-fills ensure consistent levels and intelligibility for audience members in the front rows.
The system is powered and processed by six LA7.16i amplified controllers, four LA12X amplified controllers and one LA4X. A P1 processor manages the Milan-AVB network connecting the controllers, supported by a secondary AVB path and a tertiary AES67 backup. This layered redundancy architecture is particularly well suited to a venue with an intensive and varied event schedule. The signal distribution infrastructure is completed by six LS10 network switches.
A permanent system for a demanding schedule
With the installation completed and the system fully calibrated, the Blue Hall now benefits from a permanent audio infrastructure that eliminates the logistical complexity associated with renting systems for every event.
The technical team has already gained complete confidence in the system, and the results achieved across a broad range of events have validated the design decisions.
The main benefit is consistency in quality and performance. From a technical perspective, we have significantly reduced the time and effort required to achieve results: there is no longer any need to transport, rig and tune a different system every day. Sava Centar has a long history as a regional hub for cultural events and performances, and this system provides a solid foundation for future development, says Brusić.
For his part, Marko Fio concludes: “The Blue Hall is now one of the two leading large-format venues in Serbia. This project brought together a highly complex room, exceptionally precise system design and outstanding support from the L-Acoustics team. The results speak for themselves”.
Image captions:
- LA_Sava_Centar_1 – Sava Centar installs L-Acoustics L2 to provide permanent, consistent sound in one of Serbia’s most complex venues.
- LA_Sava_Centar_2 – The L-Acoustics system design overcomes significant visual constraints in a venue built for a different era of production.
- LA_Sava_Centar_3 – It was essential that the L-Acoustics sound system did not visually compromise the venue’s cinema screen.
- LA_Sava_Centar_4 – The recommendation of the L2 system was based on its output capability, coverage control and versatility across different event types.
- LA_Sava_Centar_5 – Twelve L-Acoustics KS28 subwoofers are flown centrally above the stage.
- LA_Sava_Centar_6 – Six LS10 network switches complete the signal distribution infrastructure.
