CLIENT
Possible and Done + Dusted
LOCATION
Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
YEAR
2023
PROJECT TYPE
Major international ceremony and sporting event
Scope
Sound design and technical delivery for the live opening ceremony and broadcast event
Services Provided
- →Audio system design and optimisation
- →Loudspeaker system deployment and calibration
- →Front-of-house and monitoring engineering
- →Playback and show control systems
- →Sport and ceremony audio integration
The Brief
Auditoria was contracted to deliver the sound design for the Opening Ceremony of Riyadh Season 2023, an extraordinary live event produced by Possible and Done + Dusted, staged just before the headline boxing match between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou.
The brief called for an immersive, high-impact audio experience that would engage both the in-venue crowd of 26,000 and a global broadcast audience. The opening ceremony needed to seamlessly transition into the world-class boxing production, with no compromise on technical execution.
The Challenge
The event was staged in the brand-new Kingdom Arena, a 26,000-capacity venue built in an astonishing 60 days. With construction still ongoing during load-in, the audio team had to work around live building works, extreme heat, and desert dust, all with a significantly compressed pre-production schedule.
Multiple technical departments were under pressure to deliver on time, and the venue’s size and configuration meant there was no room for error when it came to coverage, clarity and localisation.
Our Approach
To meet the demands of a dual-purpose event, opening ceremony followed by elite-level boxing, we designed a split loudspeaker system, one centred around the boxing ring, and another at the far end of the arena for screen-based localisation.
We knew that strong vocal, music clarity, and localisation to each performance area across all seating areas would be critical. Our team deployed a well-planned design of speaker arrays to provide smooth, consistent coverage, carefully tuned for the challenging acoustic and architectural conditions of the venue.
We also implemented two fully independent audio workflows, one for the ceremony and one for the sporting production. These ran on separate consoles and replay systems but were unified through a centralised network for seamless handover and operational control.
Technical Highlights:
Audio Design
Main Loudspeaker System
At the heart of the audio system were six L-Acoustics K2 arrays, flown in pairs on the East, South and West faces of the central stage. Each array used 15 K2 elements, 90 in total, all powered in pairs with amplifiers flown above.
Down Fill Systems
To ensure the closest seats didn’t miss a beat, we installed eight A15 arrays focused on the first few rows. Most arrays used a pair of A15-Focus above an A15-Wide, with the North array extended with an additional A15-Focus to accommodate a larger audience area.
Corner Fill Arrays
Four arrays of Kara II were placed at the corners of the system to fill horizontal gaps between the main K2 arrays. Each array consisted of nine Kara II, configured with narrow horizontal dispersion to keep the energy focused where it was needed.
Sub-Bass Array
Low frequency energy came from a single, powerful KS28 sub-bass array, 12 units stacked centrally under the main loudspeaker grid to deliver tight, impactful low end.
End Stage System
To support visual content on the main LED screen, we added a second loudspeaker system at the far end of the arena. Two arrays of 16 K2 and eight KS28 subwoofers provided precise localisation to the stage and screen content.
Audio Control System
We used two DiGiCo Quantum 7 consoles, one handling the ceremony, the other the sports mix. Inputs came via multiple DiGiCo SD Racks, and outputs were routed to LA-Racks across the venue via an Optocore network.
Show Control Design
For playback and show control, we deployed dual-redundant Ovation systems by Merging Technologies. Each setup included a custom-built Windows 10 machine running Ovation, a Horus interface delivering 128 channels via MADI, and dedicated Ovation keyboards for operator control.
The Results
The ceremony was a success, culminating in one of the most widely anticipated sporting events of the year, the Fury vs Ngannou fight, with the audio playing a central role in both the atmosphere and broadcast experience.
Acknowledgements
Our Client
A huge thanks to Simon, Rachel and Holly for involving us in this project. Congratulations to the whole team and Possible and Done + Dusted for creating and delivering an amazing opening to Riyadh Seasons.
Our Team
The Audio system was designed by Scott Willsallen. Our team also included Simon Fox and Ethan Curry on consoles, Martin Dineley on systems, Joe Callister and Luis Miranda on replay.
Our Supplier
Thanks to Giulio Rovelli and his team from Agora for supplying, installing and maintaining the system for us. Thanks to Matt Oliver for managing the team throughout the project.
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