The Espoo Cultural Centre (Espoon kulttuurikeskus) is the premier venue for performing arts and cultural life in Espoo, Finland's second largest city. Earlier this year, Meyer Sound dealer Studiotec installed a new M'elodie line array system in the cultural centre's 800-seat Tapiola Hall (Tapiolasali).

System versatility is key at the Tapiola Hall, which hosts musicians from around the world for dance, opera, and conferences, as well as crossover performances with classical orchestras and electric bands. Local children with their Finnish kantele are also amongst the stars at the venue.

"The sound reinforcement system has to be very sensitive and very powerful, while the clarity must remain the same for every performance," says Tuomo Matikka, sound designer at the Espoo Cultural Centre. "Because the installation is in a concert hall, the system must also be discreet. The M'elodie setup has exceeded our expectation on all of these counts."

The Meyer Sound system consists of left-right arrays of 12 M'elodie line array loudspeakers on each side, with three 500-HP subwoofers flown behind each of the identical arrays. Two UPA-1P loudspeakers serve as front fill, and another six UPM-1P loudspeakers are placed at the stage lip depending on the configuration of the orchestra pit. A Galileo loudspeaker management system, comprised of two Galileo 616 processors, provides equalization and time alignment, with presets tailored to the hall's different configurations. For occasional events that require supplementary low-end support, two high-power 700-HP subwoofers are available as needed.

"The feedback has been great," says Matikka. "It is much easier to host the demanding performances that come to the venue now. The drastic sonic improvement is definitely welcome by audiences, musicians, and visiting sound engineers."

The integration team included Matikka, his colleague Ilari Niemelä, and installer Studiotec.