Three-act opera presented at The Vache estate in Buckinghamshire supported by an immersive soundscape for audiences of up to 200 utilizing TiMax SoundHub spatial reinforcement guided by TrackerD4 stage trackers delivered by TORUS 8 and FP4 loudspeakers.
A cast of seven members of operatic company Vache Baroque (plus narrator) recently delivered Pergolesi’s 1735 three-act opera L’Olimpiade on the grounds of The Vache estate in Chalfont St. Giles, Buckinghamshire, UK, supported by an immersive soundscape for audiences of up to 200 per performance utilizing elements of the TiMax spatial platform working with Martin Audio point source loudspeakers.
The production was under the direction of Laura Attridge, while the 17-piece orchestra, led by Jonathan Darbourne, helped deliver an interpretation of this Olympics-style story, from authentic early music instruments. Audience members were seated al fresco under a stretch canopy, which simulated a purpose-built concert hall that was achieved by judicious use of reverb and delay.
At the hub of the approach was TiMax SoundHub spatial reinforcement guided by TiMax TrackerD4 stage trackers worn by the performers, and played out through a series of discreet loudspeakers. The challenge had been to provide sound reinforcement without any evidence of amplification attained by rental partners 22live working with technology from within the Focusrite Group.
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) who sought adequate sound. “The fact that Vache Baroque is a charity, and the money they raise enables them to undertake valuable outreach work for schools in the area, was reason to get involved. We were delighted that with 22live we could ensure high production values.”
Already involved in the process was Harder’s 15-year-old son, Elijah (who has been mixing local musicals and shows), and the journey began. The first port of call was experienced operatic and classical sound designer Simon Honywill, who has a long relationship with Focusrite brand Martin Audio.
Honywill drew up a specification, with an audio visualization “model” constructed in Martin Audio DISPLAY (3D) predictive software before the TiMax PanSpace entered the workflow. The loudspeaker locations were then “recognized” 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.
To retain the purity of Baroque opera and the integrity of the traditional instruments, Honywill says 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.”
He also determined that the most obtrusive loudspeakers would be the discreet pair of TORUS 8 mounted on poles either side of the pros arch (the pair of designated SXCF118 subwoofers were already recessed out of sight). This formed a foundation from where the sound from the orchestra would emanate. However, the bulk of the reinforcement was delivered by compact FlexPoint FP6 and FP4 loudspeakers distributed across the multi-layered staging areas.
FP4s provided front fills, while further forward, a row of four FP6 primarily handled vocal image reinforcement. An additional 24 FP4s on poles were arranged in an audience surround delay system; some were 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 about 6 dB.
TiMax director Robin Whittaker says, “We were basically playing audio dominos with the various wavefronts through the space, getting them organized within a time window which was constantly being modified as people moved around.” TiMax ensured everyone heard the loudspeakers a tad later than any voice or instrument, thus perceptually localizing to the performance. TiMax TrackerD4 constantly maintained this imaging as performers moved around the stage.
All loudspeakers were powered by six multichannel iKON iK81 DSP amplifiers and controlled from a Yamaha DM7 digital console, supplied along with the DPA microphones, Shure Axient wireless systems and control racks by 22live. It was in the DM7 that the reverbs were generated. “We used the X-Verb reverb and onboard Rupert Neve compressors; a bit of multiband compression as well,” Whittaker adds.
Honywill adds, “The trackers were crucial to maintain the illusion of the sound system not being there. 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 auditorium rather than a back garden.
The show had required 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,” he explains. “And at no point did I even stop to consider that we had to EQ the PA; because it just didn’t need it.”
Dom Harter states, “Effectively there were only 12 reverb-only loudspeakers; 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; it 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 themselves are phenomenal.”
And Jonathan Darbourne, Vache Baroque artistic director and co-founder, concludes, “Outdoor performance of traditionally acoustic music comes with many considerations, not least when Baroque-era instruments are being used. The sound team were extremely sensitive to balancing amplification with authentic effect which was very impressive.”
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