Detroit Auto Show Revs Up with POOL Group and Meyer Sound UPQ Loudspeaker
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The North American International Auto Show in Detroit is the single largest event in the automotive world. Automobile manufacturers from all over the world debut their newest innovations, typically accompanied by sophisticated visuals and sound. This year, both Audi and Volkswagen turned to the POOL Group of Emsdetten, Germany to coordinate the multimedia presentations for their booths, which included compact but impressive Meyer Sound systems featuring the new UPQ-1P loudspeaker. The system for the Volkswagen booth included left, right, and center pairs of UPQ-1P loudspeakers, with four UPJ-1P VariO loudspeakers covering nearfill and eight UPA-1P loudspeakers for delay. Six 600-HP subwoofers provided low-frequency coverage. During the press events preceding the public dates, the system was expanded considerably with additional UPA-1P loudspeakers and 600-HP subwoofers, along with a Galileo loudspeaker management system with three Galileo 616 processors to provide system drive and processing. "The client had specified that no large speakers should be visible, which precluded our using any sort of line array," explains Benjamin Stilleke, POOL Group's technical manager who handled the Volkswagen booth. "The highly focused coverage of the UPQ-1P loudspeakers provided us with the power and the focus necessary, without the need for a line array. "The press events posed very different demands than the public days, and it was necessary to create two entirely different scenarios," says Stilleke. "The flexibility of the UPJs in particular was really helpful, enabling us to place the horns in vertical or horizontal orientations." Johannes Roesel, POOL Group's technical manager, oversaw the sound design together with Christian Oeser for the Audi booth, employing a main system comprising three arrays of six M'elodie line array loudspeakers each, augmented by 22 UPA-1P loudspeakers strategically placed to provide even coverage throughout the entire booth area. Four 600-HP subwoofers provided bottom end for the main system, with ten UPM-1P loudspeakers covering the second floor catering area and seven UPQ-1P loudspeakers for delays. The Audi booth also included a special display room, "The Heart of Audi," with a single 600-HP placed facedown to simulate the deep vibrations of a heartbeat. A single UPA-1P loudspeaker added the punch for this effect. A Galileo loudspeaker management system provided complex processing for the entire multichannel system during the press events. As explained by Thomas Kellner, POOL Group's technician, the show's sheer size presented its own logistical challenges. "We get nearly six weeks to build up our displays, but only four days to disassemble it all," Kellner says. Taylor, Mich.-based Thunder Audio provided POOL Group with valuable last-minute personnel and equipment support for the event. "We've helped Thunder with shows in Europe for bands like Metallica and Steely Dan, and our companies have supported each other over the years," reports Stefan Buengeler, key account manager of POOL Group. "It's great to have that kind of relationship, and the consistency of Meyer Sound equipment enables us to truly think globally." POOL Group and the Volkswagen Group will reunite for the International Motor Show in Geneva in March and then again for Auto Shanghai in April. "'POOL Group und Das Auto' says something about quality!" adds Buengeler. March, 2009 |
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