Autotainment in Hangzhou

Combining an interactive automobile exhibition with pop music performances, the Super 818 Party Night was broadcast from the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Expo City. The gala event, produced by Zhejiang TV and the automobile advertising portal Bitauto.com, showcased the synergy of technology and innovation across the entertainment and automobile industries in the Republic of China. The event featured popular young superstars such as Zhou Shen and Liu Yuning, who entertained viewers watching via streaming media platforms as well as on local television.

The show’s stage design challenged the norm with two identical but separate performing areas. An oval-shaped track that showcased vehicles on the move surrounded a spiral structure that ramped up towards a circular platform where musical performances took centre stage. With the stage design set, D&S Stagecraft Engineering along with L-Acoustics Certified Provider Distributor Rightway Audio Consultants (Racpro) came in to design and deliver pristine audio for a 360-degree sound experience.

Zhou Fengxin, Technical Director at Racpro created the sound design for the gala event. Nan Hu, Marketing Director at Racpro reveals: “Our challenge was to determine the number of speaker cabinets we needed for a venue of this size, as well as the proper coverage for the audience area. We also needed to ensure that the sound system was placed outside of the multiple broadcast camera sightlines.”

The approved system design saw D&S Stagecraft Engineering fly a total of seven hangs of eight K2 each, symmetrically distributed around the 360-degree stage. Five of these line-arrays were for the main audience area, while two hangs of 10 K2 each acted as side fills on the stage’s left and right. Placement of the hangs was well-planned in order to avoid numerous staging structures, as well as lighting and projection screens. Powerful and well-defined extended low frequency sound was provided by 26 KS28 L-Acoustics subwoofers. Performers of the show relied on Kara boxes for on-stage monitoring.

Zhou, and the teams at Racpro and D&S Stagecraft Engineering ensured that the dynamic and detailed production design was executed perfectly, as planned. “Zhou was pleased with the quality of the sound system, and its ability to create a dynamic environment for the performers. All the partners involved and clients were pleased with the high level of technical quality achieved for this show,” Hu concludes.