Whilst a new stadium sound system is a big project, Derby County isn’t a story of huge sums of money and an extended timescale. The system was designed and installed within a few weeks to a reasonable budget.
This was achieved by using a combination of canny purchasing, sensible use of in-house teams and existing contractors, backed by first-rate support and advice from the team at RH Consulting. The result is unquestionably the best sounding stadium in Europe. The primary purpose is of course to deliver crystal clear speech in the event of an emergency. With the raft of rule changes post-Hillsborough, safe evacuation of the public is paramount.
The club is assured that everyone can hear good quality audio, but underneath the high quality speech is a powerful monster capable of delivering concert quality sound.
This improvement adds to the enjoyment of fans. No more tinny announcements and lame sounding jingles. It also opens the ground up for a whole variety of public uses that demand great sound. It has been designed to offer flexibility for many types of event.
The local newspaper reported that the system is the loudest in the country. This may be true but that is simply because it is the only one that complies to the letter of FIFA standards – not bad for a Championship club.
We were appointed as the consultants for the project and we worked closely with the club to deliver this great result.
We designed the system and then programmed, tested and commissioned everything. We provided all the project documentation and manuals and worked with the equipment suppliers to refine the design and to ensure quality of installation.
In addition, we ensured that the system complied to all the required national and European standards. We liaised with the local council providing all the licensing and safety documentation. This was so comprehensive that the council approved everything without requiring any changes to what we proposed.
Derby now own a top quality, compliant and simple to use system that is easy to maintain, expand and modify as needs change in the future. In terms of performance and compliance, the project raises the bar and is now the standard against which all other stadiums in the United Kingdom should be judged.
We invite you to come and listen to what the next generation of stadium system sounds like.
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Roland Hemming has worked in professional audio for 30 years. He has managed the two largest audio projects in Europe – the London 2012 Olympic Games and the Millennium Dome. He has worked in live events, construction sites, hotels, rail, cruise ships, theatre, corporate AV, broadcast, education and stadia. He designs systems and provides product development and compliance advice to a variety of manufacturers.
He frequently advises manufacturers on next generation audio products.
For the Olympic Games he was Venue Technology Manager for Audio, working for LOCOG, the London Organising Committee. He was responsible for all Games audio except Ceremonies. This included the delivery of over 400 audio systems, liaising with and giving advice to many interested parties on issues as diverse as rigging, broadcast, radio spectrum, audio for crowd safety, disability and compliance.
LARGE SCALE PROJECT MANAGEMENT, PRODUCTS, IDEAS AND INSIGHT
Principal consultant Richard Northwood has over three decades experience designing, building, commissioning and operating audio, video and lighting systems.
His work covers a wide range of projects from stadium audio to corporate video conferencing suites to interactive visitor attractions.
He designs superior audio systems, producing acoustic models using EASE, providing detailed system schematics and all the information required to execute a project.
His worldwide reputation has established him as someone who will make things work when others cannot. He commissions and troubleshoots AV and audio systems and has a formidable reputation for being able to deal with the most technically complex projects.
He is leader in the use of networked audio and control systems, and is an expert in the use of most digital signal processing systems.
Richard is Level 3 Dante Certified.
DEEP TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE AND EXCEPTIONAL ATTENTION TO DETAIL
Drawing from a strong history in live sound engineering and music production, Will utilises his mechanical mind to ensure that clients achieve the most from their audio systems, applying a meticulous lens to every step of the process from specification to engineering.
Will’s involvement in the industry has taken him to an array of established events and venues across the country as an experienced audio engineer and often assuming a technical project management role. His extensive knowledge and strong interpersonal skills allow him to bridge the information gap with clients, to best understand their needs and ensure feedback is implemented for optimum results.