DiGiCo Quantum drives Red Bull Arena
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In addition to the implementation of new open-concept spaces and renovations to existing premium areas, Red Bull Arena recently saw its audio systems infrastructure enhanced with the installation of a DiGiCo Quantum225 mixing console paired with a new Dante-native DQ-Rack.
John Nicklas, the venue’s AV engineer, calls the desk the “steering wheel” of an entirely new sound reinforcement system in the form of an L-Acoustics A Series PA, all integrated by leading AV system design and integration firm Diversified. “You wouldn’t want to drive a Corvette with the steering wheel of a golf cart, right?” asks Nicklas. “That’s why we needed the new DiGiCo Quantum225 - it’s the perfect high-tech steering wheel for our state-of-the-art new loudspeaker system.”
Nicklas says the Quantum225, which is now the primary mixing console for all of the venue’s audio operations - including pre-recorded music before, during and after matches, for live performances such as the singing of the National Anthem and half-time productions, and to support the content shown on the venue’s two new 1,325-square-foot displays - was chosen for a number of reasons.
Those include its compact footprint that still offers 72 input channels, 36 busses, and a 12x12 full-processing matrix, as well as its flexible routing and other operational innovations.
“We began looking at the Quantum225 as we had already made the decision on the L-Acoustics sound system and the two seem to go together so well in so many sports-related installations,” Nicklas explains. “Plus, even in the midst of so many supply-chain problems worldwide, DiGiCo said they could have a Quantum to us in two weeks, and they did,” he says.
“It’s exactly the console we needed,” adds Nicklas. “I always say that I’d rather look at something than look for something, and with the intuitive layout of the Quantum225, anything that we would ever need to get to quickly is immediately accessible. Plus, the sonic integrity of this desk combined with the new PA system is just fantastic. You’d really have to work hard to get a bad sound out of it all. We’re so happy to have DiGiCo and L-Acoustics on the team. They’re both major-league improvements for us.”
