Götz Berge, owner of Lichtwerk Berlin who were responsible for the lighting and sound elements of the event, commented: "With a concert stage in the centre of Berlin, and especially in a cultural place like the Museums Insel, we've had to deal with a lot of specific requirements for the audio specification. A number of problems had to be addressed, including limited SPL leakage to surrounding buildings and the fact that SPL inside the adjacent Berliner Dom (Berlin Dome) had to be as low as 50dB. At the same time, sound pressure on the concert ground itself had to be up to concert standards. Additionally, the type of music, which featured numerous acoustic instruments, also required maximum sound quality and fidelity. Not an easy task, considering the numerous buildings' reflections around the concert ground.
In March this year we asked Alcons Audio if they could provide a solution. As the company was just starting up, I didn't expect a positive reaction, but Tom Back and his team took up the challenge to have the system ready by August. They've done an amazing job."
Philip de Haan and Jeroen Fortanier were the R&D engineers responsible for the development of the system. We've been looking at line array advances for quite a few years now," explained de Haan. "Knowing that our pro-ribbon transducer know-how would offer an ideal solution, we knew this was a good opportunity to finally put our ideas into development. Although to many people, ribbon technology seems a 'fit-to-function' solution, the flat isophasic wave-front generated by a ribbon transducer doesn't allow J-shaped array curving. For the required curved isophasic wavefront, we still had to develop a special wave-guide configuration, though the ribbon's cylindrical wavefront gave us ample advantages in the design of course. Our RBN601 6" ribbon transducer, a powerful ribbon driver, was also designed with line array application in mind. Interested people were able to watch our developments through the website, though this only represented a general overview of the painstaking and detailed process."
Another problem was that Berge and his team were not able to use PA wings for the first weekend of the concert series. "Once there, though it was set-up in no-time and we simply flew the two rigs in the trussing of the main stage without any problem. The total system of eight cabinets per side is very compact (only 2m high, 70cm wide), so we could do this without obstructing sightlines."
Christian Struwe, a trained Meyer and V-Dosc operator, was FOH engineer at the event: "I'm very familiar with line array technology and have worked with a large number of different systems. When Götz told me what system would be used, I had my doubts, as I was not familiar with Alcons, nor its pro-ribbon technology. But after hearing the first tones of the system, I was impressed. The sound pressure and musicality from such a compact system really is excellent and it has amazing throw for even the highest frequencies. Also, it sounds as if the system, with its high transient response, is less sensitive to the influences of the wind."
The Ribbon line array system will be used in a large number of concerts in Europe, ranging from rock/pop to classic and will see its official market debut at the PLASA Show in London on Stand FF80.
(Ruth Rossington)
