Originally constructed in 2010 at a cost of £31m as one of the 2012 London Olympics host venues, it has now undergone an upgrade to its installed sound system in preparation for hosting the recent ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships.
First, OBA fitted Martin Audio's new CDD installation series on the terrace, meeting rooms and meeting room balconies, before providing their own MLA Compact rental system for the six-day Championships televised around the world.
OBA director, Phil Clark says, "The building is now being developed as a multi-purpose space for functions, including team building, but the former sound system had been specified for speech only by the main contractor rather than a specialist pro audio company.
"As the Centre moves forward into a standalone commercial entity from its lottery grant funding, it needed a sound system that operated more comprehensively so Fieke Reijntjes (Lee Valley's head of corporate services) contacted us to complete this upgrade. Because Martin Audio had launched CDD, with its revolutionary Coaxial Differential Dispersion technology, we thought this high profile venue was a perfect match for this brand new product."
As the upgrade progressed, OBA removed the old amplifiers and processing and two thirds of the speakers. The new system is now divided into 16 zones served by 22 amplifier channels using powerful processing, while the signals are transported over a Dante network, and offer iPad style control from a fixed position at Reception. A further tablet was supplied, all on a complete closed audio network, offering the staff complete flexibility to walk around the venue and adjust levels and sources.
OBA selected five CDD10 (10"), spaced under the balcony eaves to serve the terraces, while two independent meeting rooms have also been fitted with a pair of smaller CDD6 (6.5"), positioned near the projectors for background music; a local input has been provided for each room so the users can either choose BGM or local input source all via a dedicated digital wall panel. Each of these rooms also contains a balcony where music is fed by a pair of CDD8 (8"), linked to both of the internal systems.
OBA have provided cabling infrastructure to allow three further Martin Audio CSX118 (1 x 18") subs to be added to the terrace entertainment area, while they will also be specifying further CDD10's and CSX118 at the Lee Valley Ice Centre in Leyton, which falls under the same administration.
As impressed with OBA's professionalism as they were unimpressed by the line array that had been temporarily installed for the 2012 Olympics, the British Canoeing Union (BCU) then requested MLA Compact to run along the course for the six-day long ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships to relay commentary both to the crowds who filled the temporary stands, and live to air.
The BCU brought in events company MLS, who not only contracted OBA to provide the sound reinforcement but also Great Big Events, who provided the onsite commentary.
(Jim Evans)
