The Sri Sathya Sai Premamrutham ashram, India required a sound system that maximised intelligibility, therefore were provided with an L-Acoustics Kara system. Provided by the French manufacturer’s Certified Distributor Provider for India, New Delhi-based HiTech Audio Systems.
Sri Sathya Sai Premamrutham’s, Bharat Kumar explained: “The project is a milestone and the audio install was a prime consideration, we didn’t want anyone to blame the acoustics of the hall for bad sound; rather, we wanted a company that could fix the acoustic environment with their system. We found out about L-Acoustics and thought they could provide the solution we needed, then we discovered there was only one authorised distributor for India – HiTech Audio.”
The installation comprises a main left and right PA with six Kara and three SB18 subs per side flown in a cardioid pattern next to the Kara, with a centre fill of three Kara. To accommodate the enormous size of the venue, delays of four Kara and two SB18 subs per side were added.
Rajan Gupta, Managing Director of HiTech Audio Systems added: “As the India distributor of L-Acoustics, we wanted to provide the best system to our client; one that would deliver the consistent audio quality they required, the auditorium has a high reverberation time and we wanted to achieve a very precise sound, particularly for music, to create a soothing spiritual ambience. A Kara system would allow us to do this.”
J Davis Prosound & Lighting, which has provided AV and lighting installations across India for over two decades, assisted HiTech Audio with the installation. Santana Davis, owner of J Davis Prosound & Lighting said: “L-Acoustics systems are based on a total solutions approach including all enclosures, rigging, amplification, and DSP, this results in a highly predictive, standard system with control and monitoring that satisfies the performance requirements of the venue.”
The expansive interior of the auditorium, which measures 60 x 40 metres features a high ceiling that houses hundreds of LED lights. This presented an additional challenge as there was a lack of rigging points, which needed to be created during the two-week installation period.
HiTech’s Senior Application Engineer, Kallol Nath said: “The venue is a highly reflective zone with a reverb time of 4.5 seconds. This was the biggest challenge as we have to provide direct sound to the congregants who visit the auditorium. To ensure a clean, natural sound throughout the prayer hall we have also installed eight 5XT as front-fills and two X12 as side-fills positioned directly under the main PA and at a close vicinity to the stage.”
L-Acoustics Application Engineer, Germain Simon, who provided the system design using L-Acoustics Soundvision modelling software, also travelled to Muddenahalli to assist with final testing and tuning of the system.
Kallol added: “From the pre-installation stage, experts from L-Acoustics were involved in this project, they designed the entire system installation in Soundvision. This was helpful to me when I was performing the installation as I had a clear picture of the sound flow across the auditorium.”
While the project was not without its challenges, Santana explained: “Everything sounds clearer, fuller, and the auditorium engineer is getting a better picture of the sound in the venue.”
Kallol concluded: “I know that nothing comes easy in our profession, but with L-Acoustics the end result is always marvellous, now devotees can experience a truly tranquil sound in this sanctuary.”
