CLIENT
People Creative
LOCATION
Zayed National Museum, Abu Dhabi
YEAR
2025
PROJECT TYPE
Live Event / National Day Ceremony
Scope
Immersive audio system and show control design for a bespoke temporary stage and grandstand
Services Provided
- →Immersive audio system design
- →Show control and timecode hosting
- →Orchestra and FOH system design
- →Systems engineering
- →Audio replay and programming
- →Broadcast audio integration
- →On-site commissioning, systems engineering and mixing
The Brief
Auditoria were engaged by People Creative to design the immersive audio and show control systems for Eid Al Etihad 54, the UAE’s official 54th National Day ceremony, staged at the newly completed Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi.
The brief was to deliver a fully immersive audio experience within a purpose-built grandstand and stage, set against the museum’s striking architecture, which itself opened to the public the following day. The ceremony was attended by the UAE’s leadership and distinguished guests and also marked the debut performance of the UAE National Orchestra (UAENO).
The aim was to create an immersive audio experience that would support the show’s narrative and remain completely discreet within an intricately designed scenic environment.
The Challenge
Designing for live orchestral performance in an outdoor setting always brings complexity, but this year’s venue introduced a new set of challenges. The audience and stage were arranged within a shallow, sunken amphitheatre carved into the surrounding landscape, offering beautiful sightlines but limiting traditional loudspeaker deployment.
From an audio perspective, preserving gain-before-feedback for the orchestra within such a bespoke layout was critical, as was maintaining complete synchronisation across lighting, projection, drones, fountains, broadcast and performer systems through a fully resilient timecode network.
The museum site itself was also undergoing its final stages of completion in the weeks leading up to and during rehearsals. The project programme was tightly compressed, with limited time to transition from build to technical rehearsals, all while still delivering the level of refinement and wonder expected of a UAE National Day ceremony.
Our Approach
As the architectural intent for the venue evolved, so too did the audio design. Early concepts based on frontal ground-mounted coverage were set aside as it became clear that the shallow grandstand geometry required a different solution.
Auditoria developed a full nearfield stereo system across the entire 800-seat audience area, providing every listener with a localised, full-range stereo image supported by distributed low-frequency reinforcement. This approach allowed the system to deliver impact and control without the need for visible loudspeaker arrays in the stage environment.
Far-field left and right systems were integrated into the museum façade to provide scale and depth for key musical and cinematic moments, while rear surround arrays enveloped the audience.
Auditoria acted as the timecode host for the entire production via dual-redundant Ovation replay systems, delivering clean, fully redundant timecode to all departments. Lighting, drones, fountains, video projection, orchestra cueing, broadcast and control rooms all relied on the accuracy and stability of this system.
While the venue geometry drove much of the early design development, a late creative addition during final rehearsals saw the inclusion of three dispersed cast groups positioned across the stage and surrounding gardens within a scene featuring cultural chants.
To support this, Auditoria added a wide left and right ground-stacked K2 system on the audience edge of the museum moat, carefully positioned to remain visually hidden in the deliberately unlit landscape. The music stems delivery for this scene was also altered by Musicom to allow allowing each group to be spatially localised within the additional sound field.
The result created a wonderful theatrical moment, with voices emerging naturally from their physical positions within the landscape.
Technical Highlights:
Audio Design
537 L-Acoustics 5XT for nearfield stereo, powered by 128ch of LA12X amplifier
46 Syva Low for nearfield LF extension
36 SB10i for nearfield LF extension
A far-field left and Right arrangement at the museum facade, each with 2x KS28 and 3x K2
A far wide left and right arrangement on the grandstand side of the water’s edge, each consisting of 2x KS28 and 3x K2
Four rear surround arrays of KIVA II
A nearfield surround fill for the central leaders’ section consisting of 22x 5XT
A replica nearfield arrangement in the audio systems control room for remote mixing and monitoring, consisting of 6x 5XT, 2x X8, one Syva Low and one SB15m
Two mirrored single-engine DiGiCo Quantum 7 consoles for FOH
One dual-engine DiGiCo Quantum 7 console for Orchestra mix
AVB Primary path to the PA via DirectOut Prodigy devices, with an AES backup via Optocore
A standalone Optocore loop with dual-redundant end points delivering MADI streams between Replay/FOH/Orchestra/Broadcast
Dual-redundant end points at all critical locations via the DiGiCo Optocore loop, delivering timecode and program to all departments
DirectOut Prodigy devices handling main/backup input signal switching from dual-redundant SD Racks for FM transmitters and IEM transmitters
Soundvision modelling used throughout the design process
Show Control
A pair of dual-redundant Merging Ovation systems for audio replay and timecode host, each delivering 128ch of MADI to FOH/Orchestra/Broadcast
RF Tx & Rx node for Aerialist IEMs and safety talkback
The ceremony unfolded across five chapters:
Zayed the Listener, the Human
Imprints of the Land
Road to the Union
Building a Nation
Our Museum, Our Nation
A recurring “radio” motif guided the audience through time, allowing the story to move between generations and key moments in the nation’s history. Localised sound effects were central to this structure, from the opening car journey across the dunes to the delicately detailed pearl-diving sequence, where breath, water and movement were carefully layered with projection, drones and live performance.
The UAENO’s debut performance formed the emotional core of the evening, including their inaugural rendition of the UAE National Anthem.
The Results
Eid Al Etihad 54 delivered an immersive experience that combined orchestral performance, sound design and large-scale visual storytelling within one of the UAE’s most significant new cultural landmarks.
The nearfield design ensured exceptional control and musical impact for every listener, while preserving the integrity of the venue’s architecture and scenic intent. Despite intense timelines and evolving creative demands, the audio systems performed with complete reliability throughout.
Acknowledgements
Our Client
People Creative
Our Team
Ethan Curry – Sound Designer
Scott Willsallen – Sound Designer
Richard Sharratt – FOH Mix Engineer
Simon Fox – Orchestra Mix Engineer
Luis Miranda – Replay Operator
Martyn Ward – Replay Operator
Martin Dineley – Systems Engineer
Our Supplier
Clair Global
Creative & Production Partners
Tim Elliott – Artistic Director
Gavin Robins – Creative Director
Alfred Khouris – Associate Director
Musicom – Music
Eden Mulholland – SFX Sound Design
Bruno Poet – Lighting Design
Moment Factory – Video Content Design
WonderWorks
Simon Jones – Production Director
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