Qatar’s growing interest in cricket was recently boosted with the construction of the 13,000-capactiy Qatar Cricket Stadium. Part of an entertainment complex that also includes restaurants and a cinema, the new facility, which is located in the Al Rayyan district of the country’s capital city Doha, uses an Electro-Voice S Series loudspeaker system to drive sound in the outdoor stadium.
For the sound reinforcement installation, the stadium operators commissioned Doha-based sound reinforcement specialist Helmet Trading and Contracting.
The bulk of the installation is made up of 45 Sx600 high output composite dual 12in two-way loudspeakers from Electro-Voice. These are complemented in the VIP area by six Sx300 12in two-way cabinets, with twelve Electro-Voice CPS 4.10 and one CPS 8.5 amplifier providing power for the system.
The installation is governed by an Electro-Voice NetMax N8000 digital matrix controller, which, since all the amplifiers are equipped with RCM-810 remote modules, is able to control and supervise every signal remotely. Thanks to the IRIS-Net software, a custom-designed graphic user interface provides the operator with instant access at any time to all key parameters. It also offers a user-friendly way of applying digital signal processing or equalisation to the various signals.
Elsewhere, in the commentary booth, a CMS 1600 mixing console from Electro-Voice’s sister company Dynacord stands alongside an REV wireless microphone system from Electro-Voice for maximum flexibility.
“For the time being, the stadium is uniquely a venue for cricket matches,” commented Mahmoud Fahmawi, Helmet’s project manager. “But because of the rave reviews the facilities are attracting, there is talk now of broadening its use. Not only the architecture, but also the equipment installed in the stadium commend it as an attractive alternative for a variety of other events, and the numerous enquiries the stadium operators have been receiving make it likely that, whilst cricket matches will continue to make up its core business, there will soon be other strings in the Qatar Cricket Stadium’s bow.”
