AUDIO
86 AUDITORIA 2019 VOLUME ONE
ensuring compliance with noise restrictions.
The new d&b SL-Series is another example – the
company considers its full-bandwidth directional
control a major milestone in fulfilling its mantra
of ‘More art, less noise’.
“Noise is a huge issue, and the d&b toolkit
gives a commensurate advantage to our partners
and customers,” says Harman. “NoizCalc has
become an entry point into conversations, where
venues will use a sound system based on its
ability to model noise immission. It’s a similar
story with the SL-Series, which keeps the sound
where it is wanted.”
Closer ties
Harman notes that the changing landscape of
business and technology extends even to the
relationship between manufacturer and venue.
As the need for quality, flexibility, predictability
and compliance rises, so venue operators have
come to require a greater connection with the
technologists whose solutions they invest in.
“Today, we must work not only with our
partners – the system designers, specifiers and
consultants – but also be available for our end
customers,” says Harman. “They increasingly
need the assurance of having the manufacturer
at the table, of understanding how the technology
works, how to apply it and run it. It’s no longer
enough to rely solely on their integration partner.
Those partners remain important influencers,
of course, but we have built a new business
development function to work more closely with
consultants to offer that higher level of support
that clients need.”
In meeting the challenges of a changing world
and delivering the solutions and partnerships
that its clients expect, d&b audiotechnik is
transforming itself into a globally present creator
of audio technology and solutions for the venues
of the future. n
www.dbaudio.com
DS100 matrix, readying the venue for the future
implementation of d&b’s immersive sound
solution, Soundscape. As competition for
leisure spend drives the delivery of increasingly
memorable, stand-out shows, the venue’s
management has put audio quality, technical
flexibility and improved audience experience
at the heart of its business model.
Noise pollution
Soundscape is one example of new technologies
developed by d&b to improve audio
performance, consistency and efficiency. Another
implication of urbanization, with all those
millions living cheek-by-jowl, is an increasing
focus on the control of pollution, including noise
pollution – and here too d&b provides a
technology solution.
“There is a general tendency that society
wants to limit every kind of immission, including
noise immission from transport, factories and so
on,” says Harman. “With live sound, at openair
events and in venues near to residential
areas, for the audience the sound is art, but for
the surrounding area, it’s noise. So, there are
stricter controls from municipalities and event
organizers need to prove that they can comply
with these limits.”
Here, d&b audiotechnik’s NoizCalc emission
modeling software can play a valuable role.
“NoizCalc allows system designers to do the
simulation, the planning, before the event,” says
Harman. “They know which equipment to bring
so they don’t need to shuttle cabinets back and
forth, and they can integrate the process into the
existing d&b workflow.”
Efficient compliance
In this workflow, system designs are configured
in d&b ArrayCalc, which simulates the audio
performance, while NoizCalc predicts off-site
noise immission. This setup is designed to
provide an efficient, time-saving method of
Top: The Royal Albert Hall
in London has a flexible audio
system to support its full and
varied program
Above: Focused on quality,
the Sydney Opera House
invested in a d&b solution
QUALITY
OVER
ECONOMY
Clients’ needs are
changing. A detailed
survey by d&b of end
customers’ criteria in
choosing an audio
solutions partner
delivered some
interesting results.
“The top scores,
the most important
factors, are not price,
or discounts, or profit
margins,” explains
Amnon Harman.
“They are product
performance,
technical support and
aftersales service. It’s
about manufacturer
competence and
representation. Price
is a consideration,
of course, but it is
further down the list.”
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