Adam Hall's LD Systems Gear Installed in Masquerade, New Phantom of the Opera Reboot The musical Masquerade, directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus reinterprets Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Phantom of the Opera into an immersive experience. Instead of fixed seats, guests move freely through a multi-story building in Midtown Manhattan and are right in the middle of the action. The special room architecture and the constant change of audience positions have placed extreme demands on the sound system, for which sound designer Brett Jarvis was responsible, solving it with the extensive LD Systems audio installation to date. The former Lee's Art Shop, on 57th Street, has been transformed for the production. Each floor presents its own settings from opulent ballrooms to mysterious catacombs. The requirements for the audio and PA system included uniform sound distribution across several differently designed rooms, maximum speech intelligibility at every angle, minimal susceptibility to feedback with headsets and lavalier microphones, natural high-frequency reproduction for classical arrangements, and powerful low-frequency reproduction for organ sounds, all embedded in an immersive sound design. In addition, the loudspeakers had to be integrated so unobtrusively into the scenery that they did not disturb the immersive experience, especially as the audience is often only a few metres away from the performers. "From the very first meeting with Brett Jarvis, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and producer Lee McCutcheon, it became clear that we had to pull out all the stops for Masquerade," explains Jens Kleinhuis, pro audio field application engineer with the Adam Hall Group. Together with Ivan Klepac, integrated systems field application engineer from the integrated systems project support team, an audio setup was created over the course of several demo dates and training sessions, featuring 1,000 speakers, including roughly 660 CURV 500 satellites, 186 DQOR and over 80 MAILA array systems alone. In addition to MAILA, DQOR, and the CURV 500 systems, the production makes use of the entire LD Systems portfolio: MAUI i1 in-line speakers and CFL in-ceiling systems through to the new ICOA PRO SUB 21 A high-performance subwoofers. Even a pair of ANNY 8 Bluetooth PA speakers was used. The complete system is driven and controlled by 68 IPA 424 T four-channel installation amplifiers, each equipped with an X-EDAI Ethernet and Dante expansion card to integrate all components into the existing Dante network. "This project was anything but ordinary," confirms Klepac. "We have supported Brett and his team at all levels to help them realize the full potential of the LD Systems portfolio. Our project support team was available around the clock to help solve installation issues. Working closely with other departments such as Mechanical Engineering and R&D, we were able to ensure a smooth set-up and configuration." Rob Olsen, sales director for Adam Hall North America, says "Brett Jarvis was faced with the challenge of providing five completely different floors with a stable and consistent sound throughout. When he discovered the LD Systems product range, tried it out and heard it at the Adam Hall headquarters, he knew he had found the perfect solution." Gabriel Medrano, president/COO of Adam Hall North America, adds, "The collaboration with Brett Jarvis and the entire Masquerade team was inspiring and a partnership of the highest calibre. The use of MAILA in this unique environment marks a real milestone in the history of LD Systems -- technically, creatively and emotionally." 
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