Treetop Adventure Golf, renowned for its immersive and adventurous mini-golf experiences, recently opened a new site in Gateshead, bringing the adventure golf model up to date with imaginative design and features that transport players to distant and mystical lands. To power this magical story-driven experience, Gateshead required an audio system that could handle the demands of a busy visitor attraction while providing clear and consistent sound over two floors and two courses.
Key to the solution were EM Acoustics EMS series loudspeakers, and Powersoft’s new Unica amplifier platform and Mover LF transducer.
Lighting, sound and visual providers Full Production led the project, having previously worked on the Birmingham branch of Treetop Adventure Golf. Accomplished A/V designer Dan Roncoroni was invited to devise an A/V system by systems integrator Full Production.
The Gateshead site, which boasts two 18-hole mini golf courses with distinct themes, plus a ‘bonus’ 19th hole, takes guests on an immersive journey through the jungle and an ancient temple complex. Audio content seamlessly accompanies every shot, creating a theatrical and engaging experience with voice acting and character speeches. Players trigger audio content by succeeding or failing their putts on each hole, whilst a continual soundscape runs in the background.
‘Treetop have embraced an attitude that wouldn’t be amiss in professional theatre and have fully backed me selecting premium products for each part of the audio signal chain,’ Roncoroni says. ‘The audio system needed to operate autonomously for 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, with no technical operators required whilst sounding great in an acoustically untreated retail unit; it was a huge project.’
‘Steve Richardson from Full Production invited me to the Birmingham site to explain the project and from there I began planning what we could do for the audio at Gateshead,’ Roncoroni says. ‘I’ve completed a few projects using EM Acoustics in conjunction with TiMax processors and Powersoft amplifiers, and I’ve been very happy with the results of this combination.’
Roncoroni made use of EM’s facilities to invite the Treetops CEO for a demo. ‘After hearing content through the loudspeakers and touring the factory, they were won over,’ he reports. ‘It is important that guests cannot see any of the low-level loudspeakers. The EMS-41, 51X and 61s are small and compact enough to be discreet and don’t require corrective DSP to sound fantastic. It was a no-brainer for me.’
In all, 104 EM Acoustics loudspeakers are installed at the site, including 68 EMS-41 and 13 EMS-51X ultra-compact loudspeakers, which provide high-quality yet discreet low-level audio. These are supplemented by five EMS-61 compact loudspeakers and four EMS-81X loudspeakers for consistent coverage across the courses.
Fourteen S-48 subwoofers ensure a distributed full-range audio experience while minimising the risk of disturbing neighbouring businesses. The audio is seamlessly managed by two instances of Figure53’s Qlab 5 and a TiMax SoundHub 32-S, facilitating precision control and synchronisation throughout the facility. Innovate Audio’s PanLab plug-in provides processing for the audio routed from QLab.
‘Like many projects nowadays, lead times posed a challenge,’ continues Roncoroni. ‘EM Acoustics were accommodating to the 12-week timeline and have been enormously helpful in how they’ve responded as a supplier.’
Amplification is Powersoft throughout, comprising 16 Unica 8M amplifier platforms divided as follows: eight Unica 2kW/8-channel and eight Unica 4kW/8-channel. Having very limited rack space, Roncoroni chose Unica primarily for its power density. ‘The design relied on nearly every loudspeaker being individually amplified; therefore, having eight channels of amplification with power sharing in 1U was invaluable,’ he says.
A further reason Roncoroni chose Unica amplifier platforms was Powersoft Cloud remote monitoring. ‘There are no dedicated technical staff on site and Powersoft Cloud allows us to try and be proactive with servicing and fault finding,’ he says.
‘The rack space was limited, with only 16U rack, it was useful to have Unica’s power density,’ adds James Lawford, Live Sound Channel Manager of CUK Audio, Powersoft’s UK distributor. ‘Not only that, but its power-sharing capability, allocating power across different speakers and utilising multiple channels within a small amount of space proved invaluable given the number of speakers in the installation.’
During the audio install, electrical works were still underway, which is why Roncoroni thinks the testing and verification functions utilising PoE++ were key. ‘Being able to test loudspeakers with only the switch powered, with no mains to the amps, was invaluable,’ he says. Unica’s PoE input allows keeping the network ports and amplifier logic circuitry powered in case of mains loss, ensuring a short wake-up time when power is restored.
‘Dan relied on PoE++, which Powersoft highlighted as a key feature during Unica’s launch,’ Lawford points out. ‘This goes to show that Powersoft was considering both the end user and system integrator needs from the outset.’
Roncoroni also chose Powersoft’s Mover low-frequency inertial-drive haptic transducer, which was installed in an area that needed to replicate the sound and feel of a collapsing structure. Roncoroni lacked the ceiling height to mount a large subwoofer and was worried about noise complaints from neighbouring units. ‘Mover solves both of those problems while arguably being far more effective than any traditional subwoofer,’ he explains.
The compact nature and power-to-size prowess allow Mover to be integrated into limited spaces, without orientation limits, and to provide a very high ratio between moving mass and total mass which increases the overall final product efficiency. The resulting product elevates the aspect of any A/V immersive experience while reducing concerns about low-frequency noise pollution.
The installation at Treetop Adventure Golf in Gateshead sets a new benchmark in mini-golf entertainment, providing an immersive experience where the audio provided by EM Acoustics loudspeakers transports guests to otherworldly landscapes. ‘We’ve had an excellent response from Treetop so far,’ concludes Roncoroni.
See also:
TiMax SoundHub joins the club for Treetop Golf
More: www.emacoustics.co.uk
