CLIENT
CSA (Moscow)
LOCATION
Gazprom Arena, St Petersburg, Russia
YEAR
2019
PROJECT TYPE
Live Music Event – World Record Attempt
Scope
Audio system design and coordination for the world’s largest orchestra
Services Provided
- →Audio system design and simulation
- →Microphone capture strategy
- →Operator control system
- →Monitoring and FOH system tuning
- →FOH, Monitors and Broadcast mixing
- →Replay Operators
- →Systems engineering
- →Broadcast mixing and recording support
- →Rehearsal planning and time alignment strategy
The Brief
Anthem Day set out to do something that had never been done before: assemble and perform with the world’s largest orchestra, aiming for over 8,000 musicians playing together inside the vast Gazprom Arena. Organised by the team at CSA, this spectacular one-off event would be verified by Guinness World Records and broadcast to a live and television audience.
Auditoria were brought on board to develop a comprehensive plan to coordinate, monitor and mix the audio for this enormous ensemble, all within the cavernous, acoustically challenging indoor stadium.
The Challenge
Creating a musical experience with over 8,000 musicians is a challenge in any setting. Doing so in an indoor arena with a 12-second reverb time, with broadcast-quality sound and audience expectations to match, pushed the boundaries of live audio design.
We were tasked with solving multiple challenges simultaneously:
- Deliver precise timing and pitch references to thousands of players
- Provide monitoring for a 300-piece core orchestra and 300-voice choir
- Capture a clean, intelligible mix for both live and broadcast contexts
- Suppress the reverb in the space to make the performance workable
- Seamlessly manage hundreds of microphones and signal paths
Our Approach
At the heart of the project was a 300-piece core orchestra, placed on a central stage in front of the LED wall. This group was heavily mic’d to give us a clean, phase-coherent sound source that could anchor the mix and support the wider ensemble.
Surrounding this were the remaining 8,000 musicians spread across the stadium floor. Overhead, we deployed an extensive pipe grid at 11m height for suspended microphones, while a 25m high truss grid housed the audience mics and lower bowl loudspeakers. A full carpet was laid on the arena floor to reduce reverb time by approximately 3 seconds, an essential acoustic intervention for performance clarity.
Technical Highlights:
Audio Design
Loudspeaker Systems
To provide time-aligned monitoring and reinforcement for such a vast space, we deployed four interrelated systems:
- Front fill system: 16 x L-Acoustics 5XT reinforcing the core orchestra for the local mass orchestra
- Overhead monitoring: 40 x L-Acoustics X8 on a pipe grid at 11m height
- Lower bowl system: 10 hangs of 10 x L-Acoustics KARA + 1 x SB18 from the 25m truss grid
- Upper bowl system: 12 hangs of 10 x L-Acoustics KARA + 3 x SB18 in cardioid config
In total:
220 x KARA
40 x SB18
40 x X8
36 x 5XT (including choir monitors)
Microphone Strategy
Each of the four primary sources was captured differently:
- Core Orchestra: DPA bugs, Schoeps section mics, plus AKG, Shure and Sennheiser microphones for specific instruments
- Mass Orchestra: Large diaphragm cardioid microphones mounted on the grid 11m above the floor
- Choir: Neumann section microphones capturing the choir of 300 arranged in two rows
- Audience & Room: Shotgun microphones suspended from the 24m truss
This approach allowed us to isolate the essential sound of the performance while preserving the grandeur of the massed orchestra and ambient crowd.
8 x DiGiCo SD7 consoles
8 x SD-Racks for inputs
3 Optocore networks
MADI connectivity using DD4MR-FX interfaces
Submixes for orchestra and choir were created on three SD7s, passed via Optocore to a second network feeding mirrored SD7s at FOH and Broadcast, plus a dedicated SD7 for monitoring. A third network provided system control and additional I/O, including 10 Optocore X6R-FX interfaces and another pair of SD-Racks.
The Results
The Guinness World Record was not only achieved, but the performance itself was a resounding success. With smooth monitoring, precise time alignment and a clear broadcast mix delivered to a captivated audience.
Anthem Day stands as a bold example of what’s possible when creativity, technology and detailed planning align.
Acknowledgements
Our Client
A huge thanks Andrey, Nadia, Evgeniya, Yura and the whole team at CSA for trusting us with this tricky project. Congratulations for producing such a successful event and winning the record.
Our Team
Scott Willsallen designed the systems and led the team with James Lee as our technical consultant. Our operational team consisted of Fabio Venturi on orchestra and choir submix, Justin Arthur on FOH, Andy Rose on Broadcast, Andrea Tesini on Monitors, Luis Miranda on replay and Martin Dineley looking after systems.
Our Supplier
Congratulations to Giulio Rovelli and the whole team at Agora for preparing, shipping and installing a world-class system with world class crew. Thanks to James Breward for taking care of comms for the project.
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