Minto Hall, located in Bhopal, India, has undergone an extensive makeover and this included an overhaul of the audio systems deployed. The AV professionals tasked with the project selected Bose Professional products to meet the sound requirements of the convention centre.
Hari Rajan Rao, principal secretary of MP Tourism department and managing director of the State Tourism Board, emphasised the state government’s vision to resurrect the building back to its former glory: “Restoring the Minto Hall building with the latest in ultra-modern offerings, while preserving its heritage value and original grandeur was the primary objective.”
A carefully chosen selection of products from Bose Professional’s FreeSpace and ControlSpace series of products feature in each of the key congregation areas at Minto Hall. The spaces include the main hall, two meeting rooms, a committee room, a boardroom, and a roof-top dining space.
Aparjit Dhamija from Fortune Telecom, the integrator for the project, explained: “Partnering with Bose was a decision that was motivated by the brand’s long-standing reputation for delivering outstanding pro audio systems and services not just in India, but across the world. We found only Bose to have the kind of expertise in products, technologies, and design methodology that would meet and exceed our expectations – not just in terms of the sound performance, but also in terms of aesthetic appeal and maintaining the structural and visual integrity of the building.”
The main hall, which now functions as a multi-purpose space, needed audio that was flexible to enable the it to adapt to the needs of events such as gatherings, weddings and more. The technical team from Bose Professional worked closely with the venue’s management and principal architect, Puneet Sohal of Urban Systems, to understand the various nuances of the building’s architecture. This was followed up with analysis that involved a comprehensive acoustic modelling of the main hall.
Sohal shared: “We had clear guidelines to work by, of which the most critical aspect was ensuring that the structural integrity and architectural beauty of the building be maintained. This automatically posed several restrictions in terms of speaker placements; which was compounded by the fact that the hall space is inherently reverberant owing to its dimensions and structural composition. The integration team however, had a befitting answer to all the challenges. Their team of experts along with Bose Professional’s fantastic line of products eventually delivered a superlative sound system that provides great quality sound performance, all while sticking to the brief provided by the venue management.”
Following the physical mapping of the hall space, the design and integration team used Bose Modeler design software to identify key reverberation and peculiar reflection patterns, and subsequently narrowed down on the precise combination of RoomMatch loudspeakers, PowerMatch amplifiers and ControlSpace processors that would be used for the space.
Modeler also helped the team in determining the precise height of the FOH array system such that it cancelled any sound reflections, while ensuring that the audience seated in the balcony section enjoyed a clear line of sight.
Jitendra Bhardwaj, executive engineer at the Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation [MPSTDC], said: “The integration team have done a fabulous job with the sound system throughout the entire property; the main hall in particular, where the sound experience is absolutely fabulous. The convention space sounds so beautiful – the sound experience is truly immersive. Whether you’re seated at the balcony section or down at the main congregation space, the quality of sound is spectacular, and anybody who’s ever been a part of any function at the main hall will testify to this. at the main hall will absolutely loves the sound. Our audiences love the atmosphere in here, and it is so heartening to witness how deeply engaging the sound system actually is. Kudos to the entire audio team, and great commendation to Bose Professional for offering us such a wonderful solution.”
The auditorium’s system consists of Left- Right asymmetrical RoomMatch arrays, with the left array comprising RM602810, RM602820 and RM602840 modules, while the right array comprises RM286010, RM286020 and RM286040 modules.
Multiple units of the RMS 215 subwoofers provide low-frequency. Bose RoomMatch Utility loudspeakers, which use the same compression drivers as the main array speakers, have also been integrated within the space to further enhance the listening experience, with the RMU108 and RMU105 speakers deployed as stage monitors and stage front-fills respectively.
The balcony section features RMU206 multi-utility loudspeakers deployed at strategic locations.
The loudspeaker system at the main hall is driven by PowerMatch amplifiers PM8500 multi-channel amplifiers while processing and overall management takes place through the ControlSpace ESP-880 Engineered Sound processor.
In addition to the main convention hall, Bose Professional products are used across other areas of the premise as well, with a range of install specific products from the FreeSpace and ControlSpace series deployed throughout the three-floor expanse of the premise.
Sections like the lobbies and walk-throughs sport multiple units of the DS16F in-ceiling speakers. The plush rooftop restaurant, 1909 – The Crown of Bhopal, also features the compact FS3 surface-mount satellite speaker system complete with subwoofers. The loudspeaker system across all common areas including the restaurant are controlled through units of the ESP-880 engineered sound processor, and powered through PowerMatch PM8250 amplifiers.
Vibhor Khanna, country manager, Bose Professional India, said: “Minto Hall is a symbol of architectural beauty and rich heritage, and for us at Bose Professional to be chosen as their preferred sound partner is a matter of great pride. The cumulate of our technologically superior products and Fortune Telecom’s team of dedicated seasoned professionals has enabled us to live up to the faith that the management entrusted in Bose to deliver a truly world class sound experience for the new convention space. And the eventual sound experience there is something that everyone can be proud of. The Minto Hall convention centre is a shining example of a truly exceptional congregational space; and it is only befitting that the hall sounds every bit as spectacular as it looks!”