CLIENT
Done + Dusted
LOCATION
ANB Arena, Riyadh, KSA
YEAR
2026
PROJECT TYPE
Live Event / Awards Broadcast
Scope
Audio system design, show control and audio production, for the main theatre and Lavender Carpet
Services Provided
- →Loudspeaker System Design
- →Show Control and Timecode Integration
- →Front of House Music Mixing
- →Presentation Mixing
- →Monitor and Orchestra Mixing
- →RF Coordination and Wireless Systems Design
- →Replay and Music Editing
- →Systems Engineering
- →Project Management
The Brief
Auditoria were engaged by Done + Dusted to design and deliver the audio and show control systems for the Joy Awards 2026, broadcast live from ANB Arena in Riyadh.
Often described as the Middle East’s answer to the Grammys, the Joy Awards is one of the region’s most ambitious live television productions. For 2026, the brief centred on delivering an engaging in-room experience for the audience while maintaining pristine broadcast capture across a 3.5-hour live show with no commercial breaks. Flexibility, redundancy and the ability to react quickly to last-minute changes were essential.
This marked Auditoria’s fifth consecutive year as sound designers for the Joy Awards, bringing a deep familiarity with the format alongside a willingness to keep evolving the approach.
The Challenge
The scale of the show presents a unique set of demands. Several performances, rapid changeovers, high-profile presenters and artists, and a live-to-air broadcast environment leave no margin for error.
For 2026, the complexity increased further. The team made the decision to split music and presentation mixing across separate consoles and operators. This allowed greater control during transitions and ensured the show could sit comfortably within the available channel capacity while still offering breathing space when the schedule tightened.
The venue geometry and audience layout also opened up opportunities to think more ambitiously about spatial coverage, encouraging the team to explore surround and immersive techniques alongside traditional stereo delivery.
Our Approach
Auditoria worked closely with Done + Dusted and the wider creative and technical team to develop an audio strategy that balanced spectacle with control.
The operation was structured around clearly defined roles, with dedicated engineers for music, presentation, monitors, orchestra and replay. In total, 13 Auditoria team members were embedded across the project, reflecting the scale and intensity of the production.
For the first time on a Joy Awards project, the team experimented with active acoustics using an L-Acoustics Ambiance system. The goal wasn’t to deploy it as a headline feature, but to properly understand what active acoustics could offer within a temporary live event environment.
As Scott Willsallen explains, “We were experimenting with active acoustics to understand what it might give us in a temporary event setting. It proved to be extremely effective, and we learned a huge amount about how and where it could be used in future projects.”
Alongside this, the team implemented a surround loudspeaker design that took advantage of the arena’s geometry, enhancing immersion for the in-room audience without compromising broadcast clarity.
Technical Highlights:
Audio Design
Main PA: Stereo L-Acoustics L2 system, each side comprising one L2 over one L2D with three KS21 subwoofers per side plus an LFE consisting of six KS28
Six surround arrays, each with one L2D
Stage front fill: Two KIVA II arrays per side (six elements each), supplemented with SB10i for low-frequency support
Overhead coverage: 26 L-Acoustics X8
Onstage monitoring including flown X8, X15 coverage within moving LED cylinders, and A15-Wide sidefill arrays
Separate FOH consoles for music and presentation mixing:
-
- Dual-engine DiGiCo Quantum 7 (Music FOH)
- Dual-engine DiGiCo Quantum 7 (Presentation)
Dual-engine DiGiCo Quantum 7 for orchestra mix
Dual-engine DiGiCo Quantum 7 for monitors
DiGiCo Quantum 326 for the Ya Sham theatrical performance
DiGiCo Quantum 112 for RF line checking
Two L-Acoustics L-ISA II processors
DirectOut Prodigy.MP units delivering AVB and MADI to PA networks
Show Control
Dual-redundant Optocore network carrying MADI between Replay, FOH, Monitors and Broadcast
88 channels of radio microphones using a mix of Shure and Sennheiser systems
Auditoria’s first deployment of Sennheiser Spectera for host microphones and IEMs
45 channels of IEM transmission, predominantly Shure Axient Digital IEMs
Audio Production
Dual-redundant multichannel Reaper recording systems
The Results
Joy Awards 2026 delivered a high-energy broadcast, creating a shared experience for the audience in the room and millions watching live across the region.
The audio systems supported the pace and variety of the show, from intimate presentation moments to full-scale musical performances by international artists including Katy Perry, Robbie Williams, Il Divo, Angham and more. The surround design and active acoustics testing added depth to the in-room experience while maintaining the clarity required for live television.
Reflecting on the project, Scott Willsallen notes, “This is one of our biggest projects of the year. Four hours live to air, some of the biggest acts in the world, and a team of 13 people from Auditoria alone. What makes it work is how responsive and supportive everyone is of each other. It’s a great example of what a collective effort can achieve, and Done + Dusted are an incredibly supportive client, which makes a real difference.”
Acknowledgements
Our Client
Done + Dusted
Our Team
Scott Willsallen – Audio Director
Ethan Curry – Project Manager & Presentation Mix Engineer
Ben Milton – FOH Mix Engineer
Luis Miranda – Replay Operator
Joe Callister – Music Editor
Martin Dineley – Systems Engineer
Phil Down – Monitor Mix Engineer
Merlin O’Brien – Ya Sham Mix Engineer
Simon Fox – Orchestra Mix Engineer
Martyn Ward – Rehearsals Operator
Lavender Carpet Team
Greg Kershaw – Project Manager
Scott Harrison – Systems Engineer
Simon Sayer – Orchestra Mix Engineer
Martyn Ward – Mix Engineer
Our Supplier
Clair Global
Image Credit
Stufish
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