"I have been with the circus for 30 years. In Finland circus began to engage with modern lighting about 20 years ago, sound about 10 years later. I've been looking after the Sirkus audio system for the last four or five years. By profession I'm a performer, but I've worked with sound since I was a teenager, I have done live mixing, studio recording, all sorts.
"I already had a good experience with d&b audiotechnik loudspeaker systems, I had used the d&b C systems with B2-SUBs before, but now we wanted something more compact and faster for touring. We make over 250 shows in the touring season, and believe me, being this far north the Finnish touring season doesn't last that long, about seven months. We weren't looking for power; we wanted something different for our audiences."
The circus had other important considerations, not least the horses, "The tent accommodates 1200 people and my idea was for the sound to appear natural, exactly as if it was coming from the position of our live orchestra. The orchestra is positioned above the ring entrance. My concept was for a d&b T-Series rigged stereo either side near to the band."
NØrager approached Tero Hölttä at msonic Oy (the d&b distributor for Finland), "We modelled the tent space and arrived at three T10 each side," said Hölttä. "That's enough of a line array to create the inherent hundred and five degree horizontal pattern, and we have enough elevation being up at orchestra height to shoot above the ring floor avoiding most microphone problems."
NØrager saw the system design in clearly defined technical terms. "The directivity is so good there's little energy into the roof, so we don't get that pumping off the fabric, even at higher SPLs. The 105 degrees of the T10 covers the main audience, then we fill the fine outer audience at the sides with a T10 each side in point source mode, laying on its side to produce 35 (h) by 90 (v). It fills the space perfectly."
(Jim Evans)
