16 April 2009

ILIVE INSTALLED IN INDONESIAN PRESIDENTIAL PALACE

Indonesian installation firm, Kairos Media Pamuja, was appointed to convert the sound system within the Istana Merdeka Presidential Palace in Jakarta from the existing analogue installation to a digital solution. Covering the Palace’s public areas - which comprise the terraces, dining room, Hall of Indonesia reception room and auditorium - the company selected Allen & Heath’s iDR and iLive digital systems to manage audio control and distribution.

“Two major problems we encountered were the impractical analogue system and the fragile nature of the 100 year-old building,” comments Kairos Media Pamuja’s Yosua Yan Heriyanto. ‘We realised that the only option available was to install a Digital Steering Array (DSA) speaker system with a digital mixing console connected via EtherSound.”

An Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing system – comprising an iDR10 MixRack and iLive-112 Control Surface – is installed in the main auditorium for mixing live events, with a 16 in x 16 out iDR-8 DSP mixing processor managing audio distribution to the five zones.

“In addition to managing audio from the master controls on the iLive Control Surface, audio in any of the five areas can be controlled entirely by the iDR-8 unit, without having to access the surface in the auditorium. Furthermore, iLive and iDR can be controlled remotely over WI-FI on a laptop using the iLive Editor and iDR System Manager software, so sound engineers can make adjustments in any of the five zones,” explains Mr Heriyanto.

the Istana Merdeka Palace in Jakarta

EAW DSA speakers were also selected for the refurbishment in the acoustically-challenged terraces and the Hall of Indonesia where the President delivers his speeches. The dining room required detailed analysis as it is adjacent to the private Presidential rooms, and sound needed to be directed away from these rooms.

The grand auditorium, where the President occasionally invites bands to perform, is adorned with paintings of previous Presidents and furnished with 200 golden-lacquered chairs. A camouflaged speaker system is mounted on the white pillars, with RCF subwoofers hidden from view under the stage, and Teakwood diffusers - the only kind of wood that suited the palace construction – have also been added. The speaker system is connected via EtherSound to the iLive system.

“This is new technology to Indonesia,” explains Mr Heriyanto. ‘It’s the right equipment for a President who enjoys and appreciates sound. The auditorium sounds so classy, particularly when delivering articulated speech and hosting strumming jazz bands,” concluded Mr Heriyanto.