Recently launched audio specialist NED Acoustics has rolled out a new sound improvement product at Amsterdam’s Johan Cruijff Arena and Lowlands Festival.

It said the lightweight temporary Venue Sound Baffle LT05 system has been engineered to improve sound clarity in the most reflective environments such as major stadiums and large-scale arenas. They were first used, in conjunction with additional permanent acoustic fixed installations within the Arena, for ten concerts headlined by Harry Styles, followed by gigs by Bruno Mars, Luke Combs and The Weekend.

NED Acoustics said it tested the product’s ‘all-weather properties’ this summer at 55,000-capacity Lowlands Festival in Holland, where they were installed in the Alpha, Bravo, India and Heineken stages.

“When encountering the room treatment solutions in the Johan Cruijff Arena for Harry Styles, it totally transformed the sound,” said the artist’s system engineer Mark Plantin. “The challenging acoustic space, with its glass roof, many reflective surfaces and loose low end was transformed with his use of Bass traps at the rear, absorption panelling all over the concrete panelling and a large amount of absorbing roof treatment which reduced the decay time greatly. On being told that the roof absorption system is touring capable, I hope to see it at every available occasion.”

NED Acoustics co-Founder Peter van de Geer said he helped develop the new system after spending years ‘wrestling’ with the challenges of poor audio quality in stadium concerts: “Most stadia designed for use as a sports ground struggle to achieve consistent, high quality acoustics at concerts. We’ve worked very closely with Johan Cruijff ArenA where audiences have experience less than optimal acoustic clarity over the past two decades, particularly in the upper tiers of venues, where 1 – 1.5 k frequencies were a particular challenge for audibility, due to reflections bouncing sound waves around, resulting in lesser, often indistinct quality.

“Modern line-array pa systems deliver tighter focused sound waves, which engineers can turn up to give the audience a better experience. But in stadia, when these sound waves collide with the many curved, reflective surfaces, there are reflections giving chaotic reverbs anywhere between 7 to 20 seconds long. Everyone is familiar with the resulting poor, indistinct audio. I feel for touring system engineers and engineers who have a limited time to get the best out of their pa’s.

“Everyone who has worked with the Venue Sound Baffles installed have been astounded by the vast improvement in sound quality.”

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