The LG Arts Center, which is located in the west of Seoul, South Korea, features two performance venues – a 1,335-seat multipurpose theatre, the LG Signature Hall, and a black box theatre named the U+ Stage. Both venues, designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, are equipped with loudspeaker systems from d&b audiotechnik.
Multi-configurable sound solution
A d&b audiotechnik Y-Series and T-Series speaker system has been installed in the Signature Hall, which can be configured in either Concert Mode or Classic Mode. The U+ Stage is served by d&b audiotechnik 8S loudspeakers, which can be used as part of a full d&b Soundscape system for immersive and surround sound productions.
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The LG Arts Center Seoul is located in the Magok neighbourhood of the city and is fast becoming the Korean capital’s foremost technology and cultural hotspot. d&b audiotechnik Korea first became involved in plans for the new facility in 2020, working closely with London-based Theatre Projects and the Center’s directors.
The LG Arts Center has about 20 overseas tour performances out of about 30 planned productions a year. In order to get the level of performance we need, we specified the optimal sound equipment, the most universally preferred in technical riders, explains the Center’s Sound Manager, Bum Hun Lee.
The Signature Hall
Inside the main LG Signature Hall, Lee and his team opted for 24 d&b audiotechnik Y8 and Y12 loudspeakers rigged as left-right line arrays, with 13 T10 loudspeakers as a central array. On low-end duty are six flown V-SUB subwoofers – three per side – and two SL-SUB subwoofers stacked one per side. d&b D80 amplifiers power the Y-Series and subwoofers, with the T10 loudspeakers fed by D20 amplifiers. A series of d&b Vi10P and 44S ultra-compact flush mount loudspeaker cabinets provide delays in the stalls and first balcony, with Yi10P loudspeakers on delay duty for the second, upper balcony. There is also a surround sound system of 58 d&b 5S loudspeakers and eight E6 loudspeakers, while on stage M2, M4 and M6 wedges are used for monitoring.
The speaker systems installed in the Signature Hall allow for added flexibility. Concert Mode uses the left-right Y-Series and central T10 line arrays, while in Classic Mode, the left-right line array speakers are hidden within the proscenium arch, while each performance uses six d&b Vi10P point source speakers and delays.
"We decided to use the slightly smaller Y8 and Y12 loudspeakers in The Signature Hall simply because there are not many performances that require a larger size, and moreover, the compact Y-Series fits well into the hall’s proscenium arch without overwhelming it, keeping everything looking good", comments Bum Hun Lee, Sound Manager, LG Arts Center
All the audio systems in the Center are delivered from the sound console to a d&b DS100 Signal Engine and DS10 audio network bridge via Dante, enabling effective management and operation of audio signals transmitted to speakers.
“The loudspeakers in the Signature Hall are outputted through the DS100”, explains d&b Korea’s Henry Lee. “The d&b En-Scene and En-Space software options are not used in this space – only matrix functions are used – and reflecting the fact that the new LG Arts Center is the busiest concert hall in Korea, the matrix allows 168 speakers to be quickly adjusted as desired”.
In the Signature Hall, the main line arrays had to be hidden during classical performances. We needed a speaker system with high enough punch to fill the vast 1,335-seater space, but at the same time the loudspeakers needed to be compact enough to be hidden in a small space. Some doubted the output of an 8-inch line array speaker, but we simulated the space using ArrayCalc to reassure officials, adds Henry Lee.
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Over in the multi-configurable U+ Stage black box theatre, the d&b Soundscape system consists of five Yi10P loudspeakers, four Y-SUB subwoofers, six 5S loudspeakers on rear delays, ten 44S loudspeakers for front-fills, six 44S on three-per-side delays, ten 8S and two 10S-D loudspeakers on left-right surrounds. There are also eight 4S loudspeakers on rear surrounds, six 8S loudspeakers on ceiling surrounds and three further 8S loudspeakers used for stage support. M6 and M4 stage monitors are provided, with the entire system powered by D20, 10D and 30D amplifiers.
“The Black Box Theatre is a space that gives creators an opportunity for free imagination”, says Bum Hun Lee. “I wanted to make it a space where you can freely design and use the direction and sensibility of the sound you want even when doing acoustic design”.
En-Scene and En-Space
The U+ Stage black box theatre is equipped with d&b Soundscape, with both En-Scene and En-Space software modules provided. Whatever the seating and stage configurations, the team can utilize Soundscape to move the sound objects to optimize the listening area and audience experience.
En-Scene is connected to the sound console and controlled via OSC. For En-Space treatments, six 8S loudspeakers were added to the ceiling of the auditorium and three 8S loudspeakers were added above the stage. Various classical and experimental performances are held in this space and Soundscape perfectly satisfied our need. The reverberation time was 0.9 (500 Hz), which was less than expected. By applying the En-Space system, this reverberation time is adjusted and used according to the performance. When using En-Space, the default reverberation time was set to 1.5 seconds, says Henry Lee.
“We are expecting Soundscape to help with a lot of sound design-focused productions in the future", says Bum Hun Lee. “And alongside d&b Korea, we’re happy to offer help in operation, maintenance and additional composition”.
The new LG Arts Center Seoul has already held international performances, including from the London Symphony Orchestra, Paris Opera Ballet’s Giselle and a concert by American jazz musician Wynton Marsalis.
