This was a very large project which has really brought together the different types of expertise and skills within our team.
The project requirements were the supply, installation and integration of Audio Visual and Control facilities for a large Auditorium and Multipurpose Conference Room in a prominent office development in Malta.
The multipurpose hall is unique in its kind in Malta and features state of the art facilities including:

Massive LED screen
The LG screen is one of the main features of the auditorium. It measures 7.1 x 2.9metres and has a 1.8mm pitch making it a one of a kind installation in Malta.
Thanks to the modular H9 Novastar LED Wall controller the screen is highly configurable allowing different types of screen configurations and source inputs on the screen.

Immersive Audio System
The BIAMP Audio system is also a very important element of the installation. No less than 16 X Biamp High Power speakers & 4 x Subwoofers are installed in the main conference area..
The IC6 I SERIES Compact 600 loudspeakers provide excellent acoustic performance, flexibility and elegant aesthetics for a diverse range of applications in today’s performance venues. These speakers have exceptional near field fidelity for foreground or background music applications and articulate voice projection with very high output capabilities for fill and distributed applications.

The speakers are driven with the exceptional BIAMP ALC Series of speaker controllers. The Biamp ALCs provide all of the signal routing, zone switching, DSP processing, protective limiting, remote monitoring, and amplification functions needed between a mixer and the loudspeakers in virtually any Biamp Professional Loudspeakers application. Standard Ethernet communication protocols allow for fast system design, system control, and remote system monitoring. Analog and Dante® inputs are included in each model, for quick and easy integration into any new or existing system. Biamp authored loudspeaker presets include equalization, high pass filters, and multi-stage limiters tailored to each model, ensuring consistent sound quality and full loudspeaker protection in every application.

For additional flexibility and control the system is managed by 2 x Biamp Tesira DSPs which provide the Routing, DSP and Dante conversion for this great Installation.

The audio system is further complimented with a Marantz Surround 11.2 channel Audio Processor which supports multi-dimensional audio with the latest surround formats, including Dolby Atmos®, Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization Technology, DTS:X®, DTS Virtual:X™, IMAX® Enhanced, and Auro-3D®

It is also worth mentioning that all the signal routing and switching is done through Dante Audio over IP technology. Dante is the leading AV-over-IP solution in the world. Dante replaces point-to-point analog and digital connections with a standard IP network that delivers completely lossless audio, massive channel counts and near infinite signal routing flexibility, all while being incredibly easy to deploy and use.

Conferencing facilities
Extensive conference facilities are included in the installation. A Yamaha TF-5 Digital Mixer equipped with Dante interface is being used to manage 24 Shure Wireless Microflex Mics.

Thanks to 3 x Shure Microflex Dante Access Point Transceivers mounted discreetly in the room, the 24 wireless microphones are completely wireless and can be recharged easily thanks to the supplied charging trays. The mics include options for gooseneck, bodypack and handheld and can be used in different configurations depending on the event.

2 x Atlona PTZ Video cameras are also installed to provide video conferencing and streaming facilities

Interpretation System
To make sure that the conference room can truly support any kind of event it is equipped with a Shure/DIS interpretation system. The interpretation system can support 4 interpreters in 2 x Audipack interpretation booths. The system includes 25 mini wireless receivers with channel selector so that attendees can easily tune in to the required language.

Presentation facilities
With respect to presentation facilities the Hall really covers all possible requirements.
Presentations can easily be managed through multiple Atlona connectivity plates in the control room and on the stage. Over and above a Barco wireless presentation system is supplied which supports Airplay, Miracast and Chromecast wireless technologies.

Lighting Control & Motorised Curtains
A Philips Dynalite lighting control system is used to control all the general purpose DALI lighting in the room. The lighting can be controlled from the control room PC or through 2 touch screens installed within the facility. The lighting control system is also managing the control of the motorised curtains which surround the conference hall.

At a touch of a button the Lighting and Curtains within the room go to preset configuration depending on the requirements of the hall.

Stage setup including DMX Lighting & Moving heads and Haze machine
As part of the extensive facilities within the conference, Astral also provided a Stage with all the necessary connectivity, comfort monitor, stage lighting, haze machine and moving heads.

The DMX lighting , moving heads and haze machine is managed by a Zero88 Lighting Console.

Integrated Control
To simplify the use of the system a Biamp Apprimo Control system was used to provide simple and intuitive control for everyday events at the multipurpose hall. This was a great addition since the complex systems can easily be managed through a simple touch screen interface by normal users for smaller events that do not require professional operators.

Broadcast support
Since the multipurpose hall is being used for high level conferences the conference room is also equipped with prewired SDI connectivity for video cameras and a Dante Wall mounted Press box to facilitate audio feeds for broadcast purposes.

Control Room
Finally the control room! Astral technicians and engineers spent hundreds of hours in the control room racking and wiring equipment. Over and above the equipment rack Astral also provided 3 x control desks for the Audio , Lighting and Presentation operators together with required PCs . From the control room all aspects of the installation can be controlled and monitored.

Conclusion
Astral is really proud of being commissioned with this project. A special thanks goes to our great technical team who worked tirelessly to deliver this project.