With whe objective of being Hungary’s largest audiovisual event, Budapest’s recent INOTA Festival focused not only on top music acts but also light installations, pixel mapping and unique visual works.
A a collaboration between promoter collective NVC and video and 3D projection company Centrum Production, and dscribed as a ‘powerhouse of music and visual arts’, the four-day event was staged short distance from Lake Balaton in Várpalota. The venue was the thermal power plant of Inota – the largest industrial investment in Hungary back in the 1950s. Closed since 2001, the INOTA Festival brought its 6,000sq-m Turbine Hall back to life, along with its Boiler Room and Community Centre.
Entrusted with providing full technical implementation, including sound, lights and staging in three of the prime locations, was Martin Audio partner, BG Event, who specified MLA loudspeaker arrays on the Power Plant main stage, as well as the Turbine Hall, with an MLA Mini system in the Heating Room.
Serving the Power Plant were hangs of nine MLA, with MLD Downfill at the base. These were supported by 16 MLX subwoofers in castellated cardioid array and six MLA Compact for fron tfill. Martin Audio’s XE500 wedges were provided for monitoring.
The Turbine Hall saw a similar hang configuration for the main PA, but with 16 MLX subs in castellated cardioid array, and two MLA Compact for front fill. DJ booths were provided in the form of four WPS on a single SX218 sub, per side. The Heating Room was equipped with a four-set MLA Mini rig, with four CDD-LIVE 12 for fills and eight SX218 providing the LF extension in quad setup.
These spaces featured a diverse programme of more than 100 artists and performers, including DJ Seinfeld, Extrawelt, Daniel Avery, Overmono, Lebanon Hanover and Ellen Allien.
‘In the Turbine Hall, we were projecting 50m, and Hard Avoid was programmed in the software to taper down at the end of the hall, so that an already difficult venue – full of columns and walls – would not echo,’ reports BG Event’s Balázs Szentiványi. ‘Once the room was full of people, we managed to achieve an SPL of 102-103dB LAEQ5 almost without reflection, and due to the sub arrangement without any cancellation or acoustic excitation on the stage where there were multiple turntables.’
Since the Turbine Hall was situated directly behind main stage, BG Event placed the entire stage area only in Hard Avoid, to achieve complete silence at this location. ‘With this solution a very dynamic soundscape was created,’ Balázs says. ‘For example we were able to make the harp soft and also the female singers.’ Conversely, with Nils Frahm headlining on the outside stage, the production company needed to pay particular attention to reflections and feedback on stage. ‘With MLA and a cardioid MLX system, we were able to achieve a result we would probably not have been able to with systems of other manufacturers.’
As far as sound control went, a good outcome was achieved all round. ‘At the two large locations, we were able to maintain constant coverage and a sound pressure of 98-100dB(A), while at the external measurement points, we were able to keep within the maximum limit of 55dB(A),’ Balázs says. ‘By complying with those thresholds we did not disturb the tranquillity of the people living in the area.’
‘In fact, overall we only received positive feedback. Everyone really liked the sound setup, and several international performers praised our work on the spot. They were extremely satisfied with the sound system, as were the organisers, who said they received nothing but positive feedback.’
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