It was clear to Tim Speight and Jon Berry of sound contractor RG Jones Sound Engineering (suppliers of sound systems for the Club), that installing a distributed system would not be a viable option; as the limitations on possible loudspeaker positions and cable routes would have compromised the performance of a distributed system enough to render it useless. So an innovative approach was required.
"The distributed approach was not an option," said Berry, "so we started thinking about possibilities for a point source system, but designing a point source system that was capable of throwing the 100m across the bowl whilst at the same time containing the sound within the bowl to prevent noise nuisance to neighbouring courts and residents.
"After our experiences at St Paul's Cathedral with Duran Audio's DDS beam steering technology we asked them what their AXYS Target/Intellivox ranges may be able to offer. The 3D predictions they came back with convinced Tim and I that this would be a viable option for a temporary installation."
Tim Speight went on to explain: "We then decided to do a demonstration to the client, The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, its umpires and the BBC to collect their views on the system's final design ahead of The Championships. Due to the unavailability of Centre Court this took place in Court Number One. The demo was a success and all parties agreed that this should be the solution for Wimbledon 2007"
"For the installation a total of 30 AXYS Target U16 mid/high units and four AXYS Intellivox DS1608s were installed. The area taken up by the loudspeakers was very compact (helped by the built in DSP and amplification) and the system was invisible to the untrained observer. The fact that the U16's were effectively ground stacked at the back of the east stand made the rigging very easy; all we needed was a small enclosure to protect the units from the inevitable rain."The result was very impressive and there were several comments from officials that this was the best sound that had ever been achieved in centre court."
For more on the installation at Wimbledon, see the September 2007 issue of Lighting&Sound International magazine.
(Jim Evans)
