In Macau, Asia’s Largest Building Invests In Audio For Flexibility
The new Venetian Macau resort, said to be the largest building in Asia and the second largest in the world features over a million square feet of meeting, convention and exhibition space, and casino facilities housing 800 gaming tables and 6,000 slot machines.
A key entertainment space within the resort is the Venetian Arena which, within a short time of opening, has become one of Asia’s premier live events venues. in addition to sporting events such as the NBA China games, the Sampras-Federer tennis challenge and the Clash of the Titans heavyweight boxing event.
The Arena has invested in its own sound equipment due to prohibitive hire costs locally, opting for a highperformance audio system featuring Meyer Sound self-powered MILO line-array loudspeakers.
“We decided to buy our own equipment because it’s very expensive to hire systems here,” noted Julian Souter, live events technical manager for the Venetian. “I would have spent the purchase price after about a halfdozen events. Also, by owning the system, I can monitor its use and maintenance.”
According to Souter, the key factor favoring a MILO-based system was the wide range of events at the venue. “The MILO is an exceptionally versatile system that we can use for anything from heavy metal to classical,” he observed. “That versatility is critical when one system has to do it all.”
The Arena opted for a high-performance audio system featuring Meyer Sound self-powered MILO line-array loudspeakers. layout. “Having self-powered loudspeakers is a great advantage as it reduces setup time,” added Souter. “It also gives us a cleaner look with fewer cables.”
In addition to the 30 MILOs and six MILO 120s, the Venetian’s Meyer Sound system also includes 24 700- HP subwoofers for low-frequency support. A dozen each CQ-1 and UPA-1P loudspeakers are available as needed for front- and side-fill subsystems. A Meyer Sound Galileo loudspeaker management system provides DSP, matrixing and signal distribution. With the aid of the MAPP Online Pro acoustical prediction program, Souter and his staff have built a library of array configurations and Galileo settings to accommodate the varied production needs in the arena. The arena’s in-house system also includes 96-input versions of both Digidesign’s Venue-D and Yamaha’s PM1D digital mixing consoles.
Elsewhere at the resort, some 20 compact Meyer Sound M’elodie line array loudspeakers are used for different events in the Venetian’s ballrooms. When exceptionally high-power levels are required there, MILOs are deployed as needed. In the more intimate Venetian lounge, live music is heard nightly through a system comprising four UPA-1P loudspeakers and four USW-1P subwoofers.
