The Centralstation in downtown Darmstadt has been a respected cultural centre for almost 20 years, offering a diverse programme of events. Every year Centralstation welcomes around 250,000 people, attending everything from classical, jazz, world, electronic and rock concerts to comedy, exhibitions, lectures, readings and markets.
Stefan Körner, technical director of Centralstation offers this evaluation:
"The TiRAY has been a revelation. At first, we couldn't believe that such a small system was able to produce such a sound pressure level. Visiting technicians that we have welcomed since the installation have expressed similar feelings. For voice applications, there have been no concerns about the size but for concert application some technicians initially appeared very sceptical. I advised them to listen to the TiRAY in action before making a judgement and the system immediately laid their doubts to rest. Our experience of both CODA systems confirms to us that we definitely backed the right horse and look forward with confidence to the many events that lie ahead."
In response to the increasing demands of the productions staged at the centre, its technical director Stefan Korner and his team had recently turned their attention to procuring a new sound system for the large ground floor hall. The team wanted to ensure that the new system was consistent with the expectations of contemporary audiences for the delivery of high quality sound to every seat. Leading manufacturers and distributors were approached and a wide range of systems was considered. Having taken careful account of a number of product demonstrations, the Centralstation team were unanimous in their choice of CODA Audio products.
The CODA products impressed with both their high quality sound and competitive price — in fact it transpired that it was possible, within Centralstation’s budget, to equip another multi-function room within the complex, such was CODA’s value for money. Both the main hall and additional upstairs ballroom are now equipped with line-array technology from CODA, covering approximately 1000sqm and catering for 1600 people.
The Hall, with its 7m ceiling height is covered by 2 x 8 lines of CODA Audio ViRAY, completed by 12 x SCV-F sensor-controlled sub-bass speakers on the floor. The bass speakers can be set-up extremely flexibly as Left + Right in omnio or cardio-directional characteristic, as a straight-line or end-fired option. The ViRAY sound system in the hall meets the diverse requirements of the wide range of events staged and can be easily configured to suit the needs of visiting audio technicians and tour productions. In the Ballroom on the 3rd floor, 2 x 6 CODA Audio TiRAY lines are deployed, complemented by a TiLOW per side and a total of 4 x G18-SUBs. The system employs LINUS-10C and LINUS-10 system amplifiers with a total amount of more than 50 channels in use.
The team at Centralstation in the heart of Darmstadt are in no doubt that their new CODA systems can deliver perfect sound for every occasion and meet every need of the venue’s ambitious and varied programme of events.
Equipment list:
Main sound system in the Hall: 16 pcs. ViRAY, 12 pcs. SCV-F subwoofer and HOPS8 as outfill and nearfill, driven by CODA LINUS system amplifier.
Main sound system in the Ballroom: 12 pcs. TiRAY, 2 pcs. TiLOW, 4 pcs. G18-SUB and HOPS8 as outfill and Center, driven by CODA LINUS system amplifier.
Mobile PA-Systems: 14 pcs. CUE TWO low-profile stage monitors, 2 pcs. G715-96 3-way full-range speaker, 4 pcs. HOPS8 and 4 pcs. G18-SUB, driven by mobile CODA LINUS system amplifier, used as a separate sound system in adjacent rooms or as sidefill on the main stages.