Electro Acoustic Systems completes Sentosa Crane Dance
Published: ASIA
SINGAPORE: Singapore-based distributor and systems integrator Electro Acoustic Systems (EAS) recently completed work on the Sentosa Crane Dance, a multimedia moving art installation located in Resorts World Sentosa that relies on its cutting edge A/V system including equipment from manufacturers such as Renkus Heinz, Barco, QSC and Lab.gruppen.
When EAS was asked to supply the sound system for an A/V show depicting love birds from two huge hydraulic cranes, there were no doubt some nervous glances. Not that EAS really should need to worry as it has long pioneered and executed some of the most exacting A/V designs into real world situations over the past 28 years. In recognition of its many achievements, it was recently presented with the Enterprise 50 Award for its contributions to the Singaporean economy.
Designed by Emmy Award winning Jeremy Railton from Entertainment Design Corporation, Crane Dance is a multimedia moving art show with choreographed animatronic cranes built over the stretch of water at Sentosa Gateway. State of the art A/V technologies have been combined with astounding light and water effects, in which the 80-tonne cranes perform a graceful courtship ritual over a 10 minute show. The free admission belies the many years that were spent in its conceptualisation and execution.
Barco 8m x 8m LED screens are attached to each of the birds, hosting their programmed visuals, whilst water fountains are propelled away from these. Mammoth Sound & Vision was handed the task to create the video content under the direction of Mr Railton. EAS general manager Ti Lian Soon project managed the sound for the show. ‘It was tricky as we had to very finely co-ordinate the audio with the video content, lighting and water features in addition to pyrotechnics on some special occasions via a time coded Medialon SCM Pro show controller and Pandoras media server,’ explained Mr Ti. A team of 20 were initially charged with outing the production, whilst between four and six programmers oversee the show each night.
The audience viewing area on the waterfront is served by an extensive Renkus Heinz sound system. Two PA towers each consisting of eight STXLA9 line array cabinets and two DRS18-2 dual 18-inch subwoofers are installed 50m apart. In between, EAS was required to further install single PNX102LA cabinets and DRS18-2 subwoofers in eight enclosures, with perforated grilles to act as front fills. The control tower adjacent to the right hand PA tower houses all the equipment racks. The PA system is powered by a total of 14 Lab.gruppen C68:4 four channel amplifiers, which are capable of producing 1,700W per channel over 4 ohms. A QSC Audio Q-Sys Core 1000 processor interfaced to four I/O frames (12 inputs and 20 outputs) provides digital signal processing allowing remote management and control of the loudspeakers from the control room via marine grade fibre cabling.
The humid conditions have thoroughly tested all the Renkus Heinz speakers, which received custom weatherised treatment prior to installation. ‘The speakers have already been in position for 18 months while we set up the show and they have not degraded or failed to date,’ furthered Mr Ti. ‘That’s quite an achievement given the extreme conditions that they face on a daily basis.’