Einstein Hall gets smart with Renkus-Heinz
- Details
Named after Albert Einstein, who was born in Ulm in 1879, the CCU’s Einstein Hall features a movable stage and proscenium for use as an orchestra pit or stage extension. The venue’s vast wood-panelled walls, towering ceiling and tiered balconies create a stunning view toward the main stage. While architecturally appealing, these characteristics lead to acoustic challenges.
With the new audio system, the city of Ulm, property developer of the CCU, wanted to deliver a high-quality sound experience to every seat in the house and employed the audio consultant office HF-Medientechnk to design the new audio system with a special emphasis on the spoken word. Live music - including full orchestral performances - also feature in the venue.
HF-Medientechnik modelled the acoustics of the hall with EASE software and auditioned several loudspeakers to find the best solution for the was chosen. At the same time, the system was compact enough to allow the use of additional mobile equipment of external event promoters at the sides of the stage without any restrictions.
The ICLive digitally steerable array system from Renkus-Heinz is a versatile loudspeaker system intended to be used in higher-output applications. The system provides designers with the headroom, steer-ability and directivity needed to deliver consistent coverage and clarity for large, acoustically difficult spaces.
ICLive loudspeakers use Renkus-Heinz BeamWare to form tailored beams of sound that, when directed toward the audiences, are steered away from other surfaces that may cause unwelcomed echoes and reverberation. ICLive brings together high-performance acoustical components and powerful software in practical, modular systems that virtually disappear in most applications. The result of the system is a convincingly homogeneous sound field.
fein.media, the integrator for the project installed the technology and Renkus-Heinz´ German distributor MediasPro configured and commissioned the speakers. Two ICLive loudspeaker arrays and two ICLX-118S subwoofers located on each side of the stage now provide uniform sound coverage across the hall. The main loudspeakers are supported by a mix of more than 30 Renkus-Heinz self-powered CA61 and CA81 loudspeakers in the space in front of the stage, as stage monitors, below the balcony, in the foyer, and as monitors in the control room.
“For locations such as Congress Centrum Ulm, the loudspeaker solution should provide not only great audio but also allow flexibility of events and at the same time help maintaining the architectural integrity of the space,” notes MediasPro’s Michael Voessing, Renkus-Heinz distributor in Germany. “With architecturally unobtrusive sound solutions from Renkus-Heinz we were able to create an acoustically beautiful space.”
