The new Venetian Hotel and Casino is the anchor development on the burgeoning Cotai Strip entertainment district in the Chinese city of Macao, which is also known as the new “Las Vegas of Asia.”? With the world’s largest casino measuring 51,000 square meters, 3,000 hotel suites and a 15,000-seat arena, Macao’s Venetian is much more than just a transplanted version of its namesake in Las Vegas.
Complete with a high-performance sound system featuring Meyer Sound self-powered MILOA® line array loudspeakers, the Venetian Arena has easily become Asia’s premier live events venue hosting the world’s top acts, including Celine Dion, Beyoncé, the Pussycat Dolls, the Black-Eyed Peas and Asian superstar Jay Chou. The system was also deployed for sporting events such as the NBA China games, the Sampras-Federer tennis challenge and the Clash of the Titans heavyweight boxing event.
“We decided to buy our own equipment because it’s very expensive to hire systems here,”? notes Julian Souter, the live events technical manager for the Venetian. “I would have spent the purchase price after about a half-dozen events. Also, by owning the system, I can monitor its use and maintenance.”?
According to Souter, the key factor favoring a MILO-based system was the wide range of events at the venue. “The MILO is an exceptionally versatile system that we can use for anything from heavy metal to classical,”? he observes. “That versatility is critical when one system has to do it all.”?
Besides the superior sound quality, the flexibility of using a self-powered system was also an attractive attribute as the MILO system is taken down and then reconfigured for every event’s specific production requirements and seating layouts. “Having self-powered loudspeakers is a great advantage as it reduces setup time,”? claims Souter. “It also gives us a cleaner look with fewer cables.”?
In addition to the 30 MILOs and six MILO 120s, the Venetian’s Meyer Sound system also includes 24 700-HP subwoofers for low frequency support. A dozen each CQ-1 and UPA-1P loudspeakers are available as needed for front- and side-fill subsystems. A Galileoâ„¢ loudspeaker management system provides DSP, matrixing and signal distribution. With the aid of MAPP Online Proâ„¢ acoustical prediction program, Souter and his staff have built a library of array configurations and Galileo settings to accommodate the varied production needs in the arena. The arena’s in-house system also includes 96-input versions of both Digidesign’s Venue-D and Yamaha’s PM1D.
Twenty compact Meyer Sound M’elodieâ„¢ line array loudspeakers are used for different events in the Venetian’s ballrooms. When exceptionally high power levels are required, MILOs are deployed as needed. In the more intimate Venetian lounge, live music is heard nightly through a system comprising four UPA-1P loudspeakers and four USW-1P subwoofers.
A Portuguese colony for over 400 years, the district of Macao is now a Special Administrative Region within the People’s Republic of China. Macao has a population of 520,000 and its economy is primarily driven by tourism. In 2002, the end of a 40-year monopolistic gambling license triggered a rapid expansion in new casinos and hotels, making Macao the highest-volume gambling center in the world.
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