When the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé hosts the opening ceremony and closing match of the postponed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations match subsequent 12 months, greater than 60 Powersoft Quattrocanali 4804 amplifiers will energy an all-new PA system.
Positioned within the eponymous suburb of Abidjan, the most important metropolis within the Ivory Coast, the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé is the nation’s nationwide stadium, being house to The elephantsthe Ivory Coast nationwide soccer staff. The 60,000-seat venue was inaugurated on October 3, 2020, when it was given the extra identify Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium (Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium), after the Ivorian president.
The necessity for a brand new sound system so quickly after the Olympic Stadium’s development got here after its authentic PA system—put in by the unique contractor, China’s Beijing Building Engineering Group (BCEG)—was broken by antagonistic climate circumstances. The brand new system was designed by Ricardo Castro, CEO of Portuguese AV consultancy RCOe, on behalf of native integrator Protech Distribution.
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Along with the 61 Quattrocanali 4804—of which he opted for the DSP+D mannequin, with Dante audio-over-IP networking—Castro specified 14 Powersoft Duecanali 6404 DSP+D amplifiers to lend further energy for the 104-loudspeaker system, which is split into 28 clusters to maximise audio protection throughout the stadium. A pair of Quattrocanali are bi-amped to every Group R2-66MAX speaker cluster, whereas the Duecanali are used to energy the Group IS8-215 subs.
All amplifiers, patchboxes and community switches are divided into 4 rack rooms, situated on the 4 corners of the stadium, to reduce the size of the cable connection to the loudspeakers. A Biamp TesiraFORTÉ DAN DSP is used as a Dante converter for the first audio supply to the amplifiers, in addition to for a four-zone paging system for safety and emergency bulletins.
Castro defined that whereas he’s usually manufacturer-agnostic, he knew when first approached by Inza Bamba, Protech’s managing director, with whom he has a protracted working relationship, that Powersoft amplifiers and Group loudspeakers from Biamp could be an ideal match for the new-look Ebimpé Stadium.
“Time was very tight, which I believe was the largest problem,” stated Castro. “I used to be given six months for all the pieces.” The set up was accomplished on time in Might, regardless of further difficulties recruiting suppliers and coping with a scarcity of elements and gear. On that entrance, “Inza managed issues very properly,” he added.
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To substantiate that the stadium operator had made the precise determination signing off on his design, Castro initially geared up 1 / 4 of the venue —considered one of 4 zones—with the brand new Powersoft–Group/Biamp system as a proof of idea. “I stated, ‘Let’s see the way it works,’” he recalled. “And on one of many days we had been there, stadium employees, consultants and shoppers all got here alongside and heard the system for themselves, and so they couldn’t imagine the distinction—in sound high quality, quantity and intelligibility—in comparison with the earlier system. It sounds unimaginable.”
Powersoft options engineering staff chief Davide Quarto—considered one of 4 individuals on website to configure and take a look at the brand new system, together with Castro, Bamba and John Caton of Biamp—stated that every one events had been proud of the help provided by Powersoft each through the set up and system set-up. “They strongly imagine within the added worth of Powersoft when supporting venture actions, from the design section to the system first run by a talented technical staff,” he feedback. “To them that is sturdy affirmation of why selecting Powersoft makes a distinction.”
Quarto provides that the stadium audio staff are significantly appreciative of the operator view interface provided by ArmoníaPlus, Powersoft’s system design and monitoring software program, because it limits consumer entry to the system configuration choices. “The client needed to have a system that may solely be monitored and safely operated,” he explains, “with restricted entry to the system, in order to keep away from harmful conditions like altering the EQ or presets and even unlinking an amplifier.”
“I’ve been working with Powersoft for over ten years—it’s a really dependable model and we all know their merchandise work,” confirmed Castro. “They’ve good experience, the help is nice, and their amplifier platforms are very dependable. Plus, their software program, ArmoníaPlus, is a should for us on the subject of getting all the pieces related and ensuring it’s all working correctly.