We create memorable experiences through imagination and sound that amaze and captivate. It is no exaggeration to say that AV is an essential component of many visitor attractions today. But unlike the visual element, the audio must remain discreet - must be heard and not seen. The top requirement and challenge is ensuring the speakers can blend into surroundings - this is what we live for.
It is where our flagship Anakonda speaker shines. She bends like a snake, yet there’s no compromising on sound quality. There’s also a likelihood the sound needs to be dynamic, almost cinema like - enter our extensive range of compact subwoofers! Last but not least, made with premium materials, our solutions can withstand the wear and tear of outdoor exposure day in and day out
We love getting involved in attraction projects because they are so diverse, individualistic and fun!! Whether this be theme parks, resorts, zoos, museums or galleries. We look back at our favourite from around the world:
Rixos theme park, Turkey
The Challenge
The Land of Legends resort is a joint venture between Rixos Hotels and world-renowned creative specialist Dragone. The resort encompasses a theme park, waterpark and hotel; along with a shopping avenue, with a variety of restaurants. The resident Dragone show is a moving performance with a difference - it does not take place within a theatrical space. Instead, the performance spans the entire venue, from theme park to shopping avenue! Kicking off with a boat parade, also stopping at tableaux along the way, concluding with a grand finale at the gate. Sound designer Corrado Campanelli was presented with a lot of challenges during the design process with multiple locations to cover, he required a robust system that could handle some serious flexibility.
The Solution
A combination of Python-KP102 loudspeakers and Thunder-KMT12 subwoofers were employed in the mile-and-a-half-long canal area used for the parade of boats each shaped like musical instruments with onboard audio: two Pythons and a Thunder to reproduce the instruments’ sounds. Zoning and routing was managed by a Q-SYS 500i DSP. The systems kept in sync via wireless timecode and transport via a fibre optic network, with each speaker controllable individually via K-Dante. 118 Python-KP102 beam speakers and 63 Thunder-KMT18 subwoofers were also installed on the buildings lining the canal. For the dolphin show in the resort, 16 Mugello-KH2 line arrays, six Mugello-KS5 subwoofers and 10 Dragon-KX12 line arrays were put in place and for the boxes that were not self-powered, a Kommander-KA84 took care of the amplification.
The Happy Customer
“I was very impressed by the flexibility of the systems and by the ratio between size and power. With that in mind, it seemed an easy choice when extending the audio set-up to add further K-array products for the new performance stage. K-array products went over and beyond my expectations, I was impressed by the assistance and customer care. After using the products at The Land of Legends, I have used their products again.”
Corrado Campanelli - Sound Designer
Butlin’s Waterpark, Bognor Regis
The Challenge
The Splash Pool at Butlin’s Bognor Regis was designed to provide family entertainment for everyone and to complement the Wave Pool’s extremes of calm and exhilarating moments. The developers wanted a sound system capable of matching dynamic range and clear intelligibility – but insisted that it should not be seen. Ruling out traditionally shaped loudspeaker enclosures left a clear choice for Milton Keynes-based audio, lighting and video specialist Technical Arts Ltd, and led them to propose professional quality K-array speakers with an aesthetic that would allow the speakers to blend invisibly into the environment.
As part of a £40m investment that was introduced a new 6,300 sq. metre pool capable of accommodating up to 950 guests at any one time, several areas were identified that needed updated audio systems to cater for simple background music over multiple zones, but the real challenge came with the design of the main pool area sound system, and specifically the Wave Pool where ambient sound levels can be very high amidst a generally reverberant environment. The clients wanted a system capable of high intelligibility to play custom music stings when the wave pool event is triggered, drawing people into the area and also giving others a chance to move to quieter areas to keep all customers happy. In addition, the audio system needed to be capable of running their pool parties and the adult weekenders that feature DJs, so high quality sound was also a requirement. Finally, they didn’t want to detract from the Splash Pool’s boldly colourful design, so a discreet audio system was required.
The Solution
On each of the four lamp posts that flank the wave pool, a pair of Kobra-KK102 white line arrays were installed to form a two-metre vertical column. The inner two columns were horizontally rotated inwards to focus on the pool, with additional rear firing Kobra-KK52 line arrays covering the small stepped areas on either side of the wave pool. The outer two columns were rotated slightly outwards to improve coverage across the wide beach area. The line arrays are supplemented by four Thunder-KMT18P subwoofers located in the front wall above the wave machine giving three sources to align into one wavefront, and providing solid low end and a full frequency response. The complete speaker system was powered by two Kommander-KA84 4-channel amplifiers housed in a central equipment rack.
The Happy Customer
“I’m delighted with what’s been achieved. It was a difficult process, and a difficult environment because of the sheer size and scale of the project. We worked closely with the electrical contractor and Kier Construction so it was truly a collaborative effort that has resulted in on-time, on-budget project delivery despite the technical and logistical challenges.”
Martin Tarpy - Technical Arts’ Senior Project Manager
Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park, Norway
The Challenge
A live re-enactment of the Norwegian fairytale "Klatremus og de andre dyrene i Hakkebakkeskogen” (Climbing Mouse and the Other Animals in the Hunchback Wood) by Thorbjørn Egner. The jaunt is an open-air train ride that travels through the park's woods with several stops along the way to watch the most famous scenes from the book. TL Production, the park's tech company, contacted Danish installer MAVT Midtjysk to create an integrated sound system linking the different stages while providing clear and competent speech without interference from the outdoor elements.
The Solution
The Anakonda-KAN200 was selected for the main PA and was installed in pairs on the exhibit’s 4-wagon trains with a Thunder-KMT12P subwoofer powered by a Kommander-KA24 amplifier. An additional set was installed as a monitor in the central control station to sync with the train. Once the trains were ready for implementation, the Anakondas were linked to a complex system that mixed the actors’ speech with music tracks for final audio output and that was easily controllable for the actors remotely.
The Happy Customer
“There is only one system like this in the world and thanks to K-array, we are happy it has elevated our program to a new level of professionalism!”
Jan Juul Hansen - Sound Designer, MAVT Midtjysk
Get in touch with us to discuss your next Visitor Attractions project https://www.k-array.com/en/distributors