CLIENT
Done + Dusted
LOCATION
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
YEAR
2018
PROJECT TYPE
Ceremonial Event
Scope
Audio system design and control for the official unveiling of The Founder’s Memorial
Services Provided
- →Loudspeaker system design and modelling
- →Signal distribution and control architecture
- →Show control system programming and operation
- →On-site system calibration and FOH support
- →FOH Mix engineer and Replay operators
The Brief
Commissioned by Done + Dusted, the inauguration of The Founder’s Memorial in Abu Dhabi was conceived as a moving tribute to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE. The event blended spoken word, original music, voice recordings, and video in a poetic ceremony that honoured his legacy and leadership.
Auditoria was invited to design and implement the event’s sound system, ensuring every word and note resonated clearly with the audience, while remaining respectful and unobtrusive in the setting of this beautiful national monument.
The Challenge
Held at The Constellation, a striking suspended sculpture composed of over a thousand geometric elements, the event’s location posed a number of acoustic and aesthetic challenges.
The primary aim was to deliver crisp, intelligible speech reinforcement for over 600 guests without disrupting the monument’s visual presence or overwhelming the delicate musical and vocal elements. Balancing multiple layers of content, music, voice recordings, live narration, and interviews demanded an adaptable and highly distributed system.
The physical space also required careful integration of loudspeakers, control equipment, and cabling in ways that would remain hidden from view, with absolutely minimal impact on sightlines or the audience experience.
Our Approach
Our approach began with developing a distributed sound system to ensure even coverage and low latency across the entire audience area.
A ground-stacked L/C/R system using L-Acoustics K2 handled the music and sound design elements. A central sub array of SB28s, discreetly positioned beneath the stage, provided low-frequency support without visual intrusion.
For speech, we deployed a dedicated centre channel comprising individual L-Acoustics KARA elements mounted between the stage steps to act as a zero-time reference. This fed a matrix of over 600 distributed loudspeakers, a combination of L-Acoustics 5XT and JBL Control Series, ensuring one speaker for every two guests. This configuration gave the spoken word content presence and precision, without being forced or artificial.
Technical Highlights:
Audio Design
Loudspeaker System
- Main arrays: 2 x ground-stacked arrays of 6 x L-Acoustics K2
- Sub array: 6 x SB28, hidden below stage
- Centre voice system: Discrete KARA elements between stage stairs
- Distributed system: 300 x 5XT and 300 x JBL Control speakers across audience seating
Audio Control
- Dual-redundant DiGiCo SD5 consoles at FOH
- Replay system inputs via MADI
- Signal distributed via a network of DiGiCo SD-Racks and Optocore devices to LA-Racks throughout the site
Show Control Design
Dual-redundant Ovation systems by Merging Technologies
128-channel outputs via Horus interfaces, operated via Avid Artist and custom KVM system
Pre-programmed by Steve Logan, operated by Martyn Ward for the show
The Results
The result was a seamless and immersive audio experience that supported the emotion and precision of the production without drawing attention to itself. Every guest, regardless of seating, received crystal-clear speech and rich, unobtrusive music reinforcement, allowing the story of Sheikh Zayed’s life to unfold naturally and powerfully.
From a technical standpoint, the system operated flawlessly. The distributed speaker model proved ideal for both coverage and aesthetic subtlety, while the robust show control setup allowed for tight synchronisation across complex content layers.
Done + Dusted’s production was widely praised, and we were proud to support their vision in delivering a moment of such national significance.
Acknowledgements
Our Client
A huge thanks Ian, Simon, Hamish, Nick and the whole team at Done + Dusted for involving us in this project. Congratulations on delivering a really amazing project that was a joy to deliver.
Our Team
The Audio system was designed by Scott Willsallen. Our team also included Richard Sharratt on FOH with Steve Logan and Martyn Ward on replay.
Our Supplier
Thanks to Andy Jackson and his team from Delta Sound Dubai for supplying, installing and maintaining our small but complex system for this important event.
Related Projects
