Supercell is one of the most successful and profitable mobile gaming companies in the world. Their first custom-built, ground-up offices in Helsinki—an impressive building named Wood City—incorporate nearly 500 Genelec loudspeakers across the building, including some 300 Smart IP networked models.
“When we heard about Smart IP with its built-in DSP, we immediately saw that it would be a great fit for our team space and meeting room designs where there is no centralized DSP,” notes Markus Haikonen, Head of AV and Broadcast at Supercell.
Terhi Salo, technical specialist at integrator Audico Systems Oy, takes up the story: “Of the 500 Genelec loudspeakers installed all around the building, a little over 300 of them are 4430 Smart IP loudspeakers, while the rest are other Genelec active loudspeakers that have been repurposed from Supercell’s previous offices. Smart IP loudspeakers are ideally suited to large, complex installations like this because all you need to plug into the loudspeaker is one Ethernet cable. With that cable you get power, audio and the ability to control the loudspeaker and its DSP. Having them networked has been a huge help in configuring the system, especially during the commissioning phase when it was super-handy to be able to access the loudspeakers’ DSP remotely.
“Regarding room setup and configuration, we have a variety of different spaces which required different approaches,” explains Salo. “For the Team spaces and the medium-sized Zoom rooms where the audio system is straightforward with just two Genelec loudspeakers, we used the speakers’ in-built DSP for EQ and volume control. In the larger rooms with more gear, we used Smart IP Manager to update the firmware of the loudspeakers, while everything audio-related is handled by the Q-SYS processor from QSC and then sent to the loudspeakers. The IP addresses were set up with a custom script created by my colleague, and the speakers were named in Dante Controller. Finally, now that the system is up and running, monitoring is carried out via the Genelec API using a custom Audico software.”
In the two largest meeting rooms, Genelec’s “The Ones” coaxial three-way loudspeakers have been deployed as the main system, with 4430 Smart IP loudspeakers utilized for Voice Lift and as a delay system for the main speakers. A Voice Lift system uses a combination of strategically placed microphones and loudspeakers to subtly amplify speech, so that a person speaking on one side of a large room can be heard at the same level at the opposite side of the room – even if they’re 30 meters away. Genelec systems also grace the main lobby, the gym, the cafeteria, and the staff entertainment facility. Many of the loudspeakers were subsequently painted in custom colors to blend seamlessly with the fantastic Supercell décor.
