Art Ramos Studio has provided the sound system for the 2018 Independence Day Parade in Belarus, choosing Community’s new IV6 modular vertical array, DiGiCo mixing and QSC Q-Sys networking.
The system was supplied to Beltelecom, the national telecommunications company of Belarus, with system design by Art Ramos Studio to Beltelecom’s specification. It will be used for successive annual Independence Day Parades and other national events in Belarus.
The system had to provide audio for a large number of zones, including the Presidential grandstand’s performance area, nine seated spectator stands, standing areas between the seated stands and spectator areas along the route approaching the performance area.
‘The redundancy was excessive, but that was required due to the high level of the event,’ Anton Streltsov, Deputy Director of Art Ramos Studio, explains. ‘The system is based on the Q-Sys Core 510i using two redundant cores. There are two redundant IP networks, with two-way redundant O-ring optical connections for each.
‘Each pair of the QSC CXD-Q amplifiers has one additional redundant amp, with our own engineered and manufactured custom boxes for automatic switching of amplifier output from one amp to a redundant amplifier in the event of a failure. The loudspeakers automatically receive the signal from the redundant amp without the need to change any cabling. The system is controlled from a pair of DiGiCo S21 consoles, one main and one backup and, even if the whole Q-Sys network were to fail, the mixing consoles can switch from feeding the signal through the Q-Sys Dante to analogue audio directly to the CXD-Q amplifiers, so the audio doesn’t stop.’
The Community IV6 modular vertical arrays, used for the performance area in front of the Presidential grandstand, are one of the first of the all-weather version to be deployed. The system has two arrays, each comprising eight IV6-1122 wide-dispersion 12-inch two-way array elements, flown at either side of the Presidential stage. Groundstacked below each array are two IV6-118S 18-inch subwoofers. IV6 incorporates physical- and acoustic-shaping tools that allowed Art Ramos Studio to tailor the arrays to the performance area. This included use of each cabinet’s Passive Acoustic Optimization module and Ease Focus 3 to calculate the ideal passive array parameters for each loudspeaker.
‘The sound quality, SPL and response consistency throughout the listening area is exceptional,’ Streltsov says.
The long-term all-weather capability of the loudspeakers was an important factor in the design of the system as, to allow for extensive rehearsals, it is installed for around a month each year. The seated areas are a mix of covered and open stands with raked seats. For the covered stands, Art Ramos Studio chose Community IC6-2082WR weather-resistant high output dual 8-inch two-way loudspeakers, flown under the canopy. For the open stands, where the loudspeakers would be fully exposed to the elements, they used all-weather R.5-Max 12-inch high performance coaxial two-way loudspeakers. The standing areas, between the stands and along the route, are covered by R.5HP compact three-way loudspeakers, which are optimised for high output voice-range. These are mounted on the roadside’s existing lighting posts.
‘Beltelecom’s previous system was also Community,’ Streltsov concludes. ‘It had served them well for over 20 years, but the company’s latest products have allowed us to bring new standards of performance and coverage. We have not only designed a system that will provide the ultimate in reliability, but a system that delivers outstanding audio quality across all areas. We are very pleased with the results and have received great feedback from both our customer and visitors to the event.’
