Providing sound reinforcement for a live TV casting show is one of the most demanding tasks in the audiovisual industry. The sound for the audience and the broadcast feed must perform flawlessly, while all equipment has to remain completely out of the cameras' field of view.
At the same time, the studio must preserve the atmosphere of a genuine live event despite the technical constraints inherent to this type of production.
For a major production at the Coloneum studios in Cologne, with an audience of around 1,300 people, dBTechnologies, in collaboration with MMC Studios, developed a fully flown sound system based on the VIO series, capable of meeting all these requirements with a single integrated solution.
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The Cologne studio seats 1,315 spectators. The production featured a live band during parts of the show, the simultaneous use of headset and handheld microphones, and permanently open judges' microphones. At the same time, the requirements were clear: no loudspeakers visible on camera, no floor subwoofers or monitor wedges on stage, while still delivering powerful, even sound throughout the audience areas.
System design and architecture
A TV production presents several challenges simultaneously: keeping the cameras' sightlines clear, avoiding acoustic shadowing, separating the broadcast audio from the sound heard by the audience and, above all, achieving high gain before feedback, even with permanently open microphones, explains Jochen Gotzen, Technical Director at dBTechnologies.
Jens Szczygieleski, from Atlive and project implementation manager, adds: "The consistent tonal character of the VIO series was its greatest advantage. We were able to combine different models freely without introducing tonal differences, and we flew the entire system to keep the floor clear and the equipment out of the camera shots".
The various systems were supplied through the VIO Rental Network. Main coverage was provided by 24 VIO L1610 line array modules deployed in three arrays. The stalls and perimeter areas were covered by 26 VIO L1608 units arranged in six smaller arrays, complemented by four VIO X310 point-source loudspeakers and four VIO X205 delay speakers. On stage, six VIO W12 loudspeakers provided monitoring.
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The system design and aiming were carried out in advance by MMC's Martin Antulov and Marius Dimke using EASE Focus, allowing coverage, level distribution and frequency response to be optimized for all audience areas during the simulation phase.
"Our goal was to provide every spectator with a consistently high-quality listening experience, regardless of where they were seated. Thanks to careful planning and the capabilities of EASE Focus, we were able to tailor the system precisely to the venue before load-in. It is always rewarding to see the work carried out during simulation reflected later in such homogeneous and transparent sound reproduction", say Antulov and Dimke.
Low frequencies as the acoustic reference
The core of the design focused on low-frequency reproduction. Since floor-mounted subwoofers were not an option, a central flown cluster consisting of eight VIO S118 subwoofers was installed. Arranged in an arc and configured symmetrically or asymmetrically depending on their position, the system directed low-frequency energy precisely towards the audience.
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The subwoofers serve as the acoustic reference for the entire system. All the other loudspeakers were time- and phase-aligned to the flown cluster so that the entire system operates in perfect synchronization. This improves sound accuracy and significantly increases gain before feedback, a crucial factor when the judges' microphones remain permanently open and the audience is highly engaged, explains Gotzen.
Control and monitoring with Aurora Net
The system is networked through Aurora Net and operates over a redundant A2Net network. As all VIO systems are active and incorporate their own onboard DSP, no external processors or additional matrix systems were required; only signal routing had to be implemented.
Using Aurora Net, every loudspeaker could be monitored individually, grouped by audience zone, precisely adjusted for delay and frequency response, and continuously supervised throughout the production.
"Every loudspeaker is networked, each one has its own DSP, and the entire VIO family shares the same phase response", explains Szczygieleski. "This makes the transitions between the main system, the stalls, the delay lines and the fill speakers exceptionally smooth. For the audience, the impression is that of a single sound source, even though multiple systems are operating simultaneously throughout the venue".
As FOH engineers, what we value most about this system is its combination of control and consistency. In a live TV show, where there are no second chances, it gives us the confidence that the system will perform exactly as planned, conclude Antulov and Dimke.
This project demonstrates how it is possible to deliver a homogeneous, high-performance sound system even under the demanding conditions of a live television production through careful analysis of the requirements, the right system selection and positioning, multiple simulation stages and meticulous on-site tuning. Throughout the entire process, maintaining a clear acoustic objective remains the key to success.
Images: MMC Studios. Copyright: dBTechnologies.
