A series of performances of Pergolesi’s 1735 three-act opera L’Olimpiade saw the old world meet the new when the cast of operatic company Vache Baroque were accompanied by a 17-piece orchestra using authentic early music instruments presented as an the immersive soundscape for audiences of up to 200 per performance.

Staged in the grounds of The Vache Grade II-listed estate in Chalfont St Giles, the seven performers plus narrator under the direction of Laura Attridge and orchestra led by Jonathan Darbourne performed al fresco under a stretch canopy to simulate a purpose-built concert hall. This was achieved through the use TiMax SoundHub spatial reinforcement and TiMax TrackerD4 stage trackers worn by the performers. The audio was played out discreetly places Martin Audio point source loudspeakers, inviting visitors to forget that they were seated outdoors in the rain – or even experiencing any sound reinforcement at all.

The challenge had been to provide sound reinforcement without any evidence of amplification. The fact that this was all deliverable within the portfolios of a single pro audio consortium – the Focusrite Group – along with their rental partners 22live, was also remarkable.

Dom Harter (Managing Director of the Focusrite Group’s live and installed sound brands) had initially been approached for assistance by a distant relative (and patron of the company), bemoaning the lack of adequate sound. ‘The fact that Vache Baroque is a charity, and the money they raise enables it to undertake valuable outreach work for schools in the area, was reason to get involved,’ he says.

Already involved in the process was Harter’s 15-year-old son, Elijah who has been mixing local musicals and shows. Harter’s first port of call was to experienced operatic and classical sound designer Simon Honywill, who has enjoyed a long relationship with Martin Audio, latterly merging the company’s loudspeaker systems with TiMax’s spatial audio, show control and stage-tracking technology.

Honywill drew up a specification for the sound system. His audio visualisation ‘model’ was constructed in Martin Audio’s Display (3D) predictive software, before the TiMax PanSpace entered the workflow (effectively making the spatialisation visible in the mind’s eye). The loudspeaker locations were then ‘recognised’ by TiMax. Honywill then instructed TiMax to automatically render the space with Image Definition spatial objects to define where he would want audio source objects to emanate from, both on-stage and in surround for upmixed ‘virtual room’ reverbs.

Sensing the purity of Baroque opera, and the integrity of the traditional instruments, Honywill rationalised that ‘with TiMax, we could develop a sound system that would basically disappear – it would simply lift everything and the imaging would remain true to life to what was taking place onstage. No-one would know it was there.’

The sound engineer allayed any fears among the ensemble by ensuring that the most obtrusive loudspeaker would be the discreet pair of Martin Audio Torus 8, mounted on poles either side of the proscenium arch with a pair of SXCF118 subs recessed out of sight. This formed a foundation from where the sound from the orchestra would emanate. However, the bulk of the heavy lifting was done by Martin Audio’s compact FlexPoint FP6 and FP4, distributed across the multi-layered staging areas.

FP4s provided front fill, while a row of four FP6 loudspeakers primarily handled vocal image reinforcement, while an additional 24 FP4s on poles were arranged in an audience surround delay system – some towards the stage as a dedicated reverb system for artistic and spatial distribution. This helped deliver a lift in level towards the back row of around 6dB.

‘We were basically playing audio dominos with the various wavefronts through the space, getting them organised within a time window which was constantly being modified as people moved around,’ explains TiMax Director, Robin Whittaker.

TiMax ensured the loudspeakers were heard later than any voice or instrument, = perceptually localising to the performance. TiMax TrackerD4 constantly maintained this imaging as performers moved around the stage.

The loudspeakers were powered by six multichannel Martin Audio iKon iK81 DSP amplifiers paired with a Yamaha DM7 digital console and DPA mics, Shure Axient radios and control racks by 22live. It was in the DM7 that the show’s reverbs were generated. ‘We used the X-Verb reverb and onboard Rupert Neve compressors … a bit of multiband compression as well,’ Whittaker says.

‘The trackers were crucial to maintain the illusion of the sound system not being there,’ Honywill continues. ‘And they worked brilliantly. Both musicians and singers absolutely loved it.’

The imaging and spatially upmixed reverbs created the impression that the opera was taking place in an impressive auditorium rather than a back garden. The show required delicate balancing at the mix position throughout – not only in levels, but in killing the reverb during dialogue and reintroducing it in during the singing.

‘Subtle adjustment of reverbs can make a huge difference in how convincing the sound system is,’ Whittaker says. ‘And at no point did I even stop to consider that we had to EQ the PA; because it just didn’t need it.’

‘Effectively there were only 12 reverb-only loudspeakers,’ says Dom Harter. ‘You don’t want to completely simulate the acoustics of a church because you’re in a tent, but if you don’t do something then it just sounds ridiculously dry. When the reverb speakers were pointed upwards it was almost impossible to hear them generating reverb. Iit was just washing over you from above, which is exactly what it would do if you were in a building. This was one of the best sounding concerts I’ve ever been involved with. It all starts on stage – and the musicians are phenomenal.’

According to Honywill, TiMax is the spatial device he has found most convincing: ‘It is the next step in producing what I would call true audio.’

‘Outdoor performance of traditionally acoustic music comes with many considerations, not least when Baroque-era instruments are being used,’ says Vache Baroque Artistic Director and co-founder, Jonathan Darbourne. ‘The sound team were extremely sensitive to balancing amplification with authentic effect which was very impressive.’