Divide and conquer
Divide and conquer
Richard Lawn visits a new divisible ballroom in Kuala Lumpur that’s offering patrons maximum flexibility when planning their events
From the moment the car is checked into the country’s largest automated parking system, New Ocean World Fine Food City distinguishes itself markedly from anything that previously existed in Malaysia. Spanning almost 30,000m2 over eight levels, 22 handpicked restaurants offering gourmet cuisine from around the world can be experienced within at this new landmark. Just as the latest addition to Petaling Jaya’s vibrant dining and lifestyle scene is wooing food critics, the pillarless Grand Banquet Hall is capturing the attention of AV technology admirers.
While New Ocean World Fine Food City claims to redefine flavours from around the world, there is a similar assault on the senses at the Grand Banquet Hall as different elements combine to produce a rich blend of immersive audio with 4K projection mapping and an assortment of LED delights. No stranger to designing five-star hospitality ballrooms, Infinitum Technologies director Saw Siong Yih stretched his creative imagination from the moment he first accepted the challenge.
“In comparison, hotel upgrades are normally quite conservative, so this project was quite an exciting challenge,” he attests. “Although the projection mapping was carried out by another contractor, the novel design concept marked a departure from the regular audio, video and lighting systems. However, because of the extremely compressed four-month time frame required to complete the project, I was initially reluctant to accept the contract.”
Challenge accepted, Saw commenced his formidable task in August 2024. With audio and lighting technologies having to compete for attention with the room’s stunning visuals, Saw experienced an added pressure to deliver solutions that would more than complement the LED displays and 3D projection mapping. With the sands passing through the timer at a fast rate, Saw invested more time at the drawing board stage.
“Many ideas proposed to the client required modifications,” he continues. “Once the plans had been agreed two months later, however, the time span to order and install the equipment was extremely tight as the venue was opening for a big event in late January, just before Chinese New Year. Fortunately, I have worked on several projects in the past with the same interior designer and general building contractor, so team familiarity helped. Critically, I also placed my trust in known AV suppliers who would deliver on time, particularly Mercoms Systems.”
Accessible from the sixth-level via one of two glazed elevators, the scene is set from the entrance leading into the pillarless ballroom. Guests are greeted by a full-length LED that spans three levels of the exterior ballroom wall. Passing through the main doors into the room itself, the LED assault continues with L-C-R LEDs fixed to the front wall and five smaller 3,840mm x 2,160mm (WxH) LEDs fixed to the rear wall. Overhead, 13 Panasonic 4K LED projectors combine, their carefully curated output bringing storytelling to another level.
Flexibility of use has been enhanced with the addition of 12 wall and floor panels incorporating Extron HDMI/VGA and audio XLR outputs. The connected visual inputs are routed to an Extron DXP HD 4K Plus digital crosspoint 16x16 matrix switcher via DTP HDMI 4K 230 Rx receivers in the eighth-level control room overlooking the ballroom. A Colorlight video processing solution combining an X100 Pro video splicer with an X16E LED signal controller outputs the resultant signal to the displays. Loaded onto a PC, GrandShow EE software edits the content prior to transmission.
The Blackmagic Design video editing suite combines a 12G-SDI to HDMI micro converter with a HyperDeck Studio digital video recorder and player. In addition, the video operator can manage the live feeds sourced from four wall-mounted Canon CR-N300 Full HD PTZ cameras with an RC-IP100 remote camera controller. A Blu-ray player serves as an added visual input. A rackmounted Extron IPCP Pro 350 xi processor provides the banquet hall technicians with centralised AV control, with parameters instantly accessible from a smartphone or an iPad running the Extron app.
Room processing functionality including EQ, delays and crossovers is managed by an industry-standard Q-SYS Core 110f processor. One-touch DSP presets stored within the Q-SYS software provide room combining and separation scenes. “Added outputs were required for the surround sound speaker system,” explains Saw. “To support the topology required, the addition of a QIO 4 expansion peripheral proved to be the most cost-effective way to scale up the network I/O.”
Specified for its high-power capabilities and highly directional beam-steering qualities, a Renkus-Heinz loudspeaker system fulfils multipurpose speech and musical requirements. The proprietary RHAON (Renkus-Heinz Audio Operations Network) has been adopted for audio control, monitoring and management of each active enclosure. Integrating electronics with loudspeakers, RHAON connects and networks the powered loudspeakers via the Cat6e cabling infrastructure and a Cisco 24-port Gigabit PoE network switch. From a PC or one of the three wireless iPads in the control room, technicians can manage the specific DSP functions of the loudspeaker arrays.
Mercoms Systems supplied the new venue with both the Renkus-Heinz loudspeaker system and the Q-SYS processing. Each divisible ballroom is equipped with a pair of ICLXL digitally steerable column speakers wall-mounted on either side of the main LED display. Also wall-mounted, at equally spaced intervals around the room, 10 P3-64-RN mechanically controlled quadruple 6-inch loudspeakers receive their Dolby or DTS-HD signals from a Pioneer AV VSX-LX505 9.2-channel AV surround sound receiver. Whenever the occasion warrants low-frequency extension down to 35Hz (–3dB), a total of six CA118S 18-inch portable powered subwoofers can be patched into the dedicated floor panels.
A Yamaha TF5 32-channel console has been adopted for audio mixing when the room is combined. When divided into three, the TF5 continues to mix the audio in the central segment with two Yamaha MG12X 12-channel analogue mixers called into play for the left and right rooms. Equipped with an NY64-D Dante network expansion card, venue flexibility is enhanced with the addition of 8–10 Dante outputs, allowing the Tio1608-D I/O rack to be patched according to the operator’s requirements. On-the-fly mixing can be carried out from the iPad touchscreen courtesy of the Yamaha TF StageMix app.
The QLX-D 8-channel wireless setup comprises six QLXD24/ Beta58 handheld and two QLXD14/85 lavalier microphones. “Rather than being fixed in the control room, the receivers can be transported on carts according to the banquet hall setup,” explains Saw. “This dispensed with the requirement for fixing directional UHF and VHF antenna onto the walls.” The microphone inventory is rounded out with four Audio-Technica PRO31 cardioid dynamic wired models.
Beyond the banquet hall, an audio design challenge awaited Saw in the sixth-level pre-function area. In addition to the glass elevators, the harsh acoustic environment of this space was accentuated by a full-length glass window, a 9m ceiling and marble floor. Accordingly, Saw needed to accurately programme the DSP settings to minimise reverb and feedback.
Connected to the main control room rack and managed by RHAON, four Renkus-Heinz CX82 dual 8-inch complex conic enclosures fire down from above the expansive wall display into a narrow foyer area confined by two glass elevators. Beyond this three-level-high strip, a lower 3m ceiling is fitted with a small network of passive speakers. Powered by two Next Audiogroup A504 amplifiers, a simple background music and paging system for the pre-function area relies on an Amperes Electronics CD1002 player and MX2232 preamplifier mixer for analogue processing control.
Like the banquet hall audio, the lighting control is designated to three pieces of hardware, with an Avolites Quartz ISV16 console chosen for central hall standalone and room combined functionality. When divided, the left and right halls rely on separate ALS Professional Nexus DMX768 consoles. Battling for position among 13 projectors, the crowded ceiling hosts eight 8m lighting bars supporting an assortment of ALS LED fixtures including 16 Profile 400-CTO spotlights, eight F400AZ CTO Fresnels, 30 Quat LP5403 RGBW PAR cans and 26 Luminar Flex 400 three-in-one moving heads. For added theatrics, an ADJ FS600 followspot and Malanbao TX-5 hazer machine are also available.
The compressed timeline led to Saw calling in favours from his preferred suppliers. “Once the purchase orders had been received, the technical equipment including the mixing consoles, amplifiers, processing and loudspeakers needed to be ordered from overseas manufacturers,” he explains. “The integration works were carried out before installation, but every process had to be accelerated and approved to make the deadline. Mercoms Systems has continually assisted me with rush deliveries, excellent technical expertise and service.”
Mercoms Systems’ managing director Steven Chen has earned Saw’s trust over the years. “As a supplier, you learn to order products before the purchase order has been raised,” he comments. “For common products we carry stock but, for specialist components, you must order them early to clear Malaysian customs. The distributor, the suppliers and the manufacturers all need to appreciate each other’s challenges and work together for a project to be successful. When a contractor such as Infinitum Technologies understands the engineering and the products, the system sounds excellent and the venue becomes a great advertisement for all the brands included.”
Those holding private functions at the New Ocean World Fine Food City banquet hall can choose from one or more of the 22 restaurants below to cater for their bespoke event. To add to the exclusive nature of the occasion, carefully curated AV content output onto the four walls of the room will transport guests to new worlds of discovery.
