CLIENT
FiveCurrents
LOCATION
Baku, Azerbaijan
YEAR
2015
PROJECT TYPE
Live Event / Ceremonies
Scope
Stadium-wide audio design and delivery for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the inaugural European Games
Services Provided
- →Full audio system design and commissioning
- →FOH, broadcast and monitoring system architecture
- →Redundant signal transport design
- →Replay and RF systems integration
- →On-site operation and technical leadership
The Brief
The first-ever European Games took place in Baku in 2015, with spectacular Opening and Closing Ceremonies hosted at the newly built Baku National Stadium. Creative direction was led by Dimitris Papaioannou, known for his acclaimed work on the Athens 2004 Olympic Ceremonies.
Auditoria were commissioned by FiveCurrents to design and operate a full stadium audio system for both Ceremonies, including FOH, monitors, broadcast, replay, and signal infrastructure, supporting a complex creative vision across a 65,000-seat venue.
The Challenge
Delivering high-fidelity, consistent coverage in a brand-new stadium, while ensuring absolute audio redundancy, was at the heart of this project. With the scale and ambition of the Ceremonies, the technical systems needed to be powerful, resilient, and invisible to the audience.
Broadcast sound quality was under particular scrutiny, as the event was broadcast live to millions. Balancing crowd response, music, speech and ambient effects across such a vast environment demanded exceptional coordination between systems and operators.
Our Approach
Drawing from our experience on large-scale international ceremonies, including Sochi 2014, we developed a fully redundant system architecture based on a robust Optocore network, with mirrored analogue backup.
At the heart of the design was a comprehensive L-Acoustics loudspeaker system that provided full bowl coverage from ground-stacked and flown arrays. All core systems were designed for dual operation, with mirrored control surfaces and replay rigs for seamless switch-over in the unlikely event of failure.
Our team worked in close collaboration with FiveCurrents and the broader creative and technical departments to ensure the soundscape supported every moment, whether intimate or grand, with absolute clarity and impact.
Technical Highlights:
Audio Design
Loudspeaker System
- 228 x L-Acoustics K2
- 132 x SB28 subwoofers
- 12 x K1-SB for low-frequency support
- 6 x ground-stacked arrays per side for lower and middle bowl
- 6 x delay arrays for upper bowl coverage
- Additional reinforcement with ARCS II, KARA, and fill loudspeakers including 12XT, 8XT, 5XT, and 108P
FOH & Broadcast Control
- Dual DiGiCo SD7 consoles for FOH, monitors, and broadcast
- Key outboard gear including TC M6000, Cedar DNS-8D, Drawmer S3, Distressors
- 40 audience mics, with various types to capture the crowd across tiers
- Broadcast handled on a pair of SD7B with supplementary pair of SD9B for effects and ambient mics
Show Control Design
Replay & Signal Transport
- Redundant Fairlight systems with HP Z840 workstations and Crystal Core processors (256 channels per PC)
- Operated by Steve Logan and Luis Miranda
- Signal network based on Optocore, with MADI integration across all major nodes
- Full analogue fallback network mirroring all primary paths
The Results
The Ceremonies were widely praised for their immersive audio experience, both in the stadium and on international broadcasts. Our work was recognised with a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Live and Direct-to-Tape Sound Mixing, an honour shared with the broader technical and creative teams.
Baku 2015 marked a significant milestone in large-scale event sound design, demonstrating what’s possible when clarity, resilience, and creative fidelity are placed at the core of system architecture. The event laid a strong foundation for future European Games and further cemented Auditoria’s reputation for delivering world-class audio on the global stage.
Acknowledgements
Our Client
Thanks to our friends from FiveCurrents for getting us involved in the project. Congratulations to the creative team for developing such a great set of ceremonies and to the technical team led by James Lee and Nick Eltis for making it happen.
Our Team
Scott Willsallen designed the systems and led the team consisting of Richard Sharratt on FOH, Steve Logan and Luis Miranda on Replay, Justin Arthur looking after systems and Andy Rose and Griff Hewis on Broadcast.
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.
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