Amsterdam ArenA is home to both AFC Ajax and the preferred venue for the Dutch national football team’s international fixtures. Alongside the action on the pitch, a recent upgrade to its audio facilities has seen the installation of a d&b audiotechnik Y-Series loudspeaker system.

‘Like our LED screens or escalators, audio investment is not something you can charge for,’ says the venue’s Production Manager, Tim Oosterop. ‘It doesn’t translate directly into revenue, but it does see the audience come earlier and stay longer. If they’re here that’s goodinvests considerable effort into the pre-show environment – quality audio is a big part of delivering that experience.’

Working with Head of Technology Martin Wielaart, Oosterop defined a number of objectives for the upgrade. Compliance, specifically to UEFA/ FIFA regulations for performance and intelligibility, and adherence to national and international safety standards for evacuation systems was key. The system also needed to address the venue’s atypical acoustics, and particular difficulties that could not be solved, in realistic financial terms, through current construction techniques. Also, the stadium’s reputation for hosting of other entertainment events – especially concerts – should be enhanced through the use of an acknowledged leading audio brand. 


To address the requirements of safety and conformity the arena engaged the services of RH Consulting, a specialist practice that advised LOCOG for the London Olympics in 2012. ‘Initially we created a specification document to cover both performance of the system, and compliance with the regulations, including Dutch national regulations,’ explains Roland Hemming of RH Consulting. ‘The document was written in a manner suitable to a project as large and complex as this venue. We created three versions, one for the local safety authority, a second for the bidders so they knew how to comply, and a third for FIFA and UEFA.’

‘As far as the challenging acoustics of stadium venues are concerned, we wanted a system in place that allowed us to clearly show concert organizers, band managers and event promoters, that we had invested in, and made serious inroads into making it possible to achieve the highest quality sound,’ Oosterop offers. ‘For us, that meant it was important to have an installed audio system from a brand name that is recognised as superior by the touring industry. Through our research we observed that for a significant number of years d&b audiotechnik has been identified as number one in the industry, with three other close contenders, all of whom were invited to tender.’

The interface between d&b ArrayProcessing software and the arena’s existing MediaMatrix management system gave a simple and easily executed route to accommodating a variety of event formats, without compromising safety standards. ‘With what we have now, we can present acoustic models and predictive scenarios to provide those planning to bring their shows here. We have an audio infrastructure that allows them to plan for best sound,' Ooserop says. ‘With the modelling software and associated data, we give them the time and space to plan accordingly.’

‘To make the switch to concert configuration easy, three of the line array clusters pivot,’ explains Stefan Goertz, Head of Education and Application Support at d&b. ‘These turntable arrays are an easy principal – simple mechanical pins are pulled by a rope from the catwalk, and a second rope allows you to manually turn the array. The pin is sprung loaded and will click into a preset second slot to lock the array in concert orientation. It’s a very reliable manual process – there is no need for complex electric motors linked to positional controls. At the end of the football season, the arrays can be quickly and easily repositioned in readiness.’

‘The quality of the d&b system was not just a few steps up in terms of sonic delivery, there are other benefits, not least massive savings in power consumption,’ Oosterop adds. ‘The old system, in order to comply with evacuation regulations, had to be on 24/7 so that if you hit the evacuation button the response of the system was immediate.

‘With the new d&b solution it can be off when not in use. At any time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, if you hit the evacuation button the system responds in half a second. Not only that, for smaller events where perhaps just part of the stadium is in use, the system is zoned, so we have default programmes within the evacuation control customized for us by Ampco/Flashlight (the arena’s audio service provider), that trigger the evacuation system to move people out zone by zone.

‘Obviously, the big saving for us is in not having the system on all the time, but we also find that not only is sound improved throughout the venue, but power consumed during non-events is lessened. Audio power consumption has been reduced by 85 per cent. Not only is that a huge financial impact, it’s also a great ecological result. One of the arena’s aims is to be carbon neutral – we already have solar panels and wind turbines in place. Now we are one step closer.’

More: www.dbaudio.com