L-Acoustics L2 handles Ministry of Sound Sydney
L-Acoustics L2 handles Ministry of Sound Sydney
Heritage restrictions, reflective surfaces and nearby residential streets shaped the audio design for Ministry of Sound Testament at Sydney’s White Bay Power Station, where VLA Production deployed its L-Acoustics L2 system for the first time on a major event.
The former power station hosted three sold-out Testament shows across two stages, with VLA supplying audio, lighting, video and staging. The company has been the primary production supplier for Testament Sydney since its inaugural event in 2021.
White Bay Power Station has no in-house technical infrastructure, meaning VLA brought in the complete production. Heritage protection limited where equipment could be rigged, cables could be run and equipment mounted, while the venue’s concrete, steel and reflective surfaces created challenges with reflections and intelligibility. Its location among residential streets also required control of sound spill.
“The brief was clear: deliver a system that feels like a world-class festival inside a heritage-listed industrial building, without compromising the building, the neighbours or the audience experience,” said VLA production director Keith Eisenhuth.
VLA used L-Acoustics Soundvision to model coverage, array angles and subwoofer configurations ahead of the build. The main dance floor was covered by one L2 and one L2D per side, with the L2 providing long-throw coverage and the L2D covering the nearer floor. Both incorporate Panflex horizontal directivity control and an integrated cardioid pattern.
Low frequencies were handled by nine cardioid-configured KS28 subwoofers arranged in three clusters, with Kara II providing front-of-room infill. Delay positions used two A15 Focus and one A15 Wide per side, while VIP and upper-level areas were covered by four Syva and Syva Low positions, each supported by an SB18. Amplification was provided by LA-RAK II and LA-RAK III, with an L-Acoustics P1 handling system control and tuning. An LC16D formed part of VLA’s AES signal path.
The second stage used a separate system comprising nine Kara II and two SB18 per side, with six cardioid-configured KS28 subwoofers ground-stacked in three-per-side configurations and two X12 providing out fill.
Eisenhuth noted that Soundvision helped the team address potential issues before arriving onsite: “By the time we arrived on site, we already knew the coverage, SPL distribution and potential trouble spots, which meant faster deployment, cleaner tuning and a system that behaved exactly as expected from the very first show.”
The deployment was supported by Group Technologies Australasia, L-Acoustics’ distributor for Australia and New Zealand, with feedback from visiting engineers highlighting the system’s control at high SPLs.
