Creating a comprehensive audio system that works for both small- and large-scale activities is complex. Find out how AVKraft was able to bridge the gap and create a system that can scale to any level.
St Joseph’s College, located in Kerala, India, resides in an area where performance, music and art is ingrained at the deepest level. This drove the college to develop its own multipurpose indoor stadium for both sport and artistic use. The venue has completed its first ‘phase’ of development, boasting a powerful system.
Father Bony Augustine, St Joseph’s College administrator, clarified: “This space has a 14,000 square metres floor area that can host multifunction events and programmes. We decided that we needed a good sound system. We began searching for a consultant, some parties submitted their proposals and designs, but our committee was not satisfied. I was introduced to AVKraft and, after seeing the system proposed, we had a clear idea of how to proceed.”
AVKraft was selected to bring clear, comprehensive and quality audio to the new indoor stadium, installing a complete Harman solution throughout the entire venue. The audio system relies on a powerful and reliable JBL sound system to provide the needed atmosphere for the lively venue. Mathew George, AVKraft, stepped up to the plate with extensive experience both as a live sound engineer and a fixed installation expert, bridging the gap between the two kinds of audio required.
George explained: “Being a live sound engineer, I know what is needed for an event. Everything from the cabling to the input points was designed by me. I am currently involved with the systems integration but my background in sound engineering and live engineering really helped me with this project.”
Approaching the site, AVKraft was confronted with the daunting challenge of making a mixed install and live sound system operate flawlessly no matter the requirements of the venue, be it for a small sports crowd or a packed-out performance to a massive crowd. The gargantuan size of the venue meant that George had to approach the project smartly, carefully balancing the flexible needs of the venue within the budget constraints.
George said: “It’s a huge site. I did the CAD drawings and the EASE simulations, tested lots of speakers and decided to use the JBL line arrays. I selected the JBL VR series line arrays and focused on the audience area and adjusted the levels accordingly.”
AVKraft installed a total of eight JBL VRX932LA-1 12-in passive line arrays, four on the left and right sides respectively to serve as main fill. Six JBL VRX918S-1 18-in subwoofers are deployed to serve as delay, supported by two Crown XTI6002 2Ch power amplifiers.
George said: “On the left there are two subwoofers, on the right there are two and the rear side has two additional subwoofers. The rigging issues made me install the subwoofers under the stage. I was recommended to place them on the centre of the ceiling, but after running numerous simulations, I came to the conclusion that it was best to keep them under the stage.”
This system provided the coverage necessary to support any event of any size as George explained: “There are no dead spots. However, when the installation was carried out, the flooring was already finished, so the cabling proved to be highly challenging. In the end, we had to run the cabling through the ceiling, which was 14m in height and 45m across. I bought 1,850m of cable.”
George went the extra mile to deliver for his client as he continues: “One problem was followed by another as the expensive cable wires had to be repurchased because the stadium flooring had already finished and the wiring of the stadium did not align with what was planned. So, the 400m length of high-quality cable wire imported from the US was rendered useless. An additional 1,100m of wire was needed to complete the cabling. I had to procure 1,300m locally made cable of similar quality as that of the US imported wire at the same price, which was an absurd plan. But I somehow pulled it off. After the cabling was all done, the next step was to install and rig the sound system. For this, I outsourced the whole rigging simulation and planning to a US-based technician. He did the rigging simulations with the help of simulation software. That helped deliver the best possible installation solutions. With the limited manpower that I had, I proceeded to install the whole audio system.”
Transmission is handled by BSS Blu-100 DSP, with the DSP selected for its ease of use and accessibility. George explained: “Lots of different people will be operating this complex system. I locked the system so that regular users don’t have access to manipulate the system. It supports us as a systems integrator and also guarantees that we can deliver the perfect output for different events.”
To cover such a wide space, AVKraft provided two AKG Dynamic Mic D7 C S wireless microphones and two AKG WMS470 presenter wireless sets, enabling speaking options for any kind of event size hosted at the venue. The microphones were thoroughly tested with no reception issues throughout the entirety of the enormous venue. Special attention had to be paid to using the right products for various sized events. The stadium can use JBL Eon One Pro for sports announcement purposes instead of using the entire full system.
George said: “I installed JBL’s Eon One Pro [portable seven-channel PA system] for the sports events at the venue; They don’t need to switch on the complete system, they can use the wireless microphones and the Eon Pro and take it wherever they want.”
The stadium’s green room is also completely covered with intelligible sound, with AVKraft installing two JBL Control 28-1 passive loudspeakers with a Crown XLS1002 2Ch power amplifier for additional reinforcement. Additionally, AVKraft provided four JBL VRX915M 15-in passive loudspeakers as stage monitors, supported by two Crown XTI6002 power amplifiers. The system can be controlled by a Soundcraft SI impact digital mixing console, with AKG K72 headphones and a D5 C S talk back mic for real-time control and manipulation of the system.
The project was not without its challenges and found itself hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. George explained: “Every project was affected. This project was completed one week before the transportation lockdown. I asked St Joseph’s College for advance payment last year, because I could predict price hikes due to shortages caused by Covid-19 and that allowed us to proceed with the project without any hassles.”
George added: “My distributor, Cinetekk, was also very supportive. They wanted a small amount of money to confirm the material delivery and we were able to complete the project [on time].”
AVKraft was able to deliver a complete system that works flawlessly and will go on to support additional development at St Joseph’s College, forming the backbone of the AV experience on site.
Father Bony closed: “After the inauguration we were using this Indoor Stadium for many purposes, especially for sports programmes where we were using both systems. George was able to solve any issue or difficulty with the audio system, and, with phase two and phase three of our project coming up, we will consult him in advance. We are happy that everyone is satisfied with the audio system, the small audio system was George’s idea, and it is very useful for us.”
He concluded: “I’m proud that we selected the right person. We are planning to have events on campus post-Covid and in future, we are planning to rent the stadium out for mega shows as well as our own mega programmes on campus. This stadium can be used for any small or large purpose and will fulfil our requirements for the next 10 years at least.”