CLIENT
Done + Dusted
LOCATION
Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, KSA
YEAR
2024
PROJECT TYPE
Opening Ceremony / Entertainment
Scope
Full loudspeaker and audio control system design for a live broadcast entertainment event and a world-title boxing match.
Services Provided
- →Audio System Design
- →Control System Design
- →Live Mixing
- →Replay Systems
- →Systems Engineering
- →Project Management
The Brief
The brief was to design and deliver complete loudspeaker and control systems for the Riyadh Seasons Opening Ceremony (RSOC) and the high-profile boxing event that followed. The audience experience had to match the scale and ambition of the creative, while meeting the technical requirements of a live broadcast, VIP attendance, and an array of international performers.
The Challenge
The venue presented a host of acoustic and logistical hurdles. The Kingdom Arena is a large steel structure with little-to-no acoustic treatment and is particularly unforgiving with its broadband reverberation time. To complicate things further, a major construction project to increase audience capacity was underway during installation and rehearsals.
Access to the centre of the pitch, home to boxing ring, and of course any elements overhead, was severely restricted to protect the real grass surface, which needed continual watering and UV lamp treatment. This meant that critical elements of the PA system couldn’t be installed until just before the event.
Add into the mix the multiple stakeholder groups with sometimes competing needs, from sports broadcasters to artist production crews, boxing promoters to royal protocol, and the challenge for everyone was as much diplomatic as it was technical.
Our Approach
Auditoria joined the project at the concept stage, working closely with the Done + Dusted creative and technical teams and PSBL content designers. The show design called for two distinct sound fields: one focused around a traditional stage setup for the ceremony, and another in-the-round configuration for the boxing match. Both needed to be seamlessly integrated and responsive to live broadcast demands.
To handle the dual-purpose nature of the event, we designed a matrixed system that could switch from ceremony mode to sports mode with separate delay times and source routing for each audience zone. All loudspeakers were simulated in Soundvision to ensure optimal coverage and intelligibility.
With so many moving parts and overlapping interests, we kept communication central. Our experience navigating complex projects with multiple stakeholders meant we were able to remain adaptable and ensure the creative goals stayed front and centre.
Technical Highlights:
Audio Design
6 arrays of K2 at stage-end (92 elements in total), 2 flown KS28 sub arrays, 46 ground-stacked KS28
KARA II and Syva front fills
6 flown L2/L2D arrays and 2 flown L2D arrays around the boxing ring
4 KARA II arrays inside the jumbotron screen for centralised front fill
Central flown KS28 sub-cluster also inside the jumbotron screen
2 delay arrays in each the East and West grandstands (8 K2 each)
VIP delay system: 10 arrays of KS21 over A15 Focus and Wide
Nearfield VIP: 2 5XT with SB10i per stereo pair
34 channels Shure Axient Digital and Sennheiser 6000
20 channels Shure PSM1000 IEM, 4 channels Sennheiser SR2050
60 IEM bodypacks to accommodate dancers and artists
Dual-engine DiGiCo Quantum 7 consoles each for FOH and Monitors
A mirrored pair of DiGiCo Quantum 225 consoles for Sports FOH
Redundant DiGiCo Optocore networks for signal transport between all consoles and the broadcast interface
AVB primary signal distribution to the PA with AES fallback
DirectOut Prodigy matrixing for flexible delay handling
Show Control Design
Dual-redundant Ovation replay system for the ceremony
Dual-redundant QLab replay system for Sports
The Results
Despite the venue’s acoustic challenges and shifting infrastructure, the audience experience was powerful, clear, and energising, whether you were seated in the arena or watching from around the world. The touring engineers for major artists were genuinely impressed with the sound we achieved in what would usually be a very difficult space.
From the outset to the final note, the system delivered exactly what was needed for each moment of the show. The flexibility of the audio design ensured smooth transitions between stage performances and live sports broadcast without missing a beat.
Acknowledgements
Our Client
Done + Dusted (Creative & Technical)
PSBL (Content Design – Nick Troop and the team)
Our Team
Sound Designer – Scott Willsallen
Systems Engineer – Martin Dineley
FOH Mix Engineer – Simon Fox
Monitor Engineer & Project Manager – Ethan Curry
Ceremony Replay Operator – Joe Callister
Sports Replay – Luis Miranda
FOH Support (Sports) – Martyn Ward
Our Supplier
Clair Global UAE
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