Kundcase

Springwell Audio Services recently visited the site of IFK Norrköping to see and hear the results of a recent collaboration with Septon Electronics AB and Musikservice i  Norrköping AB.

Springwell Audio Services was responsible for the electroacoustic modelling of the winning bid using the industry standard software package EASE (Electroacoustic Simulation for Engineers). The design goal was to meet the criteria set by project consultant and leader, Mikael Bergvall of MICAB.

Computer simulations involve the construction a 3 dimensional wireframe model which details the dimensions and types of surface materials of the subject building. Once defined, the designer is able to try out several possible system layouts and can also quickly substitute different models of loudspeaker. Comparisons can be made between frequency response, coverage, maximum sound pressure levels, speech intelligibility and much more.

The  freedom to change the design before anything has even been installed is a significant cost saving and risk management for buyers and installers. A high degree of confidence can be placed in the simulations. There is always a certain amount of adjustment to be made during installation but the results are generally very similar to the predictions.

The Norrköping IFK arena combines a voiced alarm function with the main public address system in the main stands. The system complies with European EN60849  requirements as well local Swedish recommendations.

BSS Soundweb London digital signal processors handle the distribution and processing of audio around the arena. A self healing redundant digital audio network ensures that the system is always available for general announcements and more importantly, emergency or evacuation messages.

The audio signal is retained in the digital domain all the way to the amplifiers by employing AES/EBU digital transmission from the BSS frames to the Crown I Tech amplifiers. This minimises the opportunity for noise to enter the audio signal chain.

It was great to see and hear the system finally in place after all the hard work that was put in at the design stage.  Often it is difficult to get to grips with the scale of the building when working in the computer model. Only when you visit the finished site does it really sink in.

This was an ambitious undertaking by Norrköping Football Club and I believe they have succeeded in setting a very high standard for sound quality in sports arenas in Sweden.