L-Acoustics brings Hedwig into the DJ booth
L-Acoustics brings Hedwig into the DJ booth
L-Acoustics has deployed its DJ technology in Asia for the first time, combining it with L-ISA immersive audio at The Box at Freespace in Hong Kong for 13 performances of the Cantonese production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Presented by WestK Performing Arts and directed by Ivanhoe Lam, the musical ran in May at the West Kowloon Cultural District venue. Sound designer Can Ha used the system to connect the production’s musical performances with the vinyl DJ warm-ups and afterparties that opened and closed each evening.
The 950-capacity standing venue, which can accommodate 450 seated guests, features a permanent L-ISA system. For this production, Ha worked with L-Acoustics application engineer Daniel Lee and Freespace technical manager Nancy Lam to create three independent listening zones, covering the central seated audience and standing areas on either side.
Previously, the room operated as a single L-ISA zone, meaning audiences at the sides heard a less defined spatial image. The revised configuration used L-ISA Sound Spaces to render the same spatial mix independently across all three zones.
Two hangs of Kiva II were repositioned between the main hangs, while additional X8 loudspeakers provided surround coverage for the standing areas. The design was modelled and validated using the manufacturer’s Soundvision software.
“Hedwig is somewhere between a concert and a play, and L-ISA is how we move between the two,” noted Ha. “When Hedwig is abandoned, we move the entire band from one side of the room to the other and we use the L-ISA room engine to blur everything, so the audience feels what she is feeling rather than being told about it. On top of the surround changes, we had already made tweaks to the frontal system and subs. As a result, we managed to do away with the drum screen and the whole thing sounds alive in a way it didn’t before.”
The production also marked the first Asian deployment of L-Acoustics DJ, which separates stereo tracks into stems in real time, allowing DJs to spatialise individual elements using a dedicated controller. The DJs used the same L-ISA design as the musical, enabling the immersive mix to continue into the afterparty.
The system comprises five main hangs, each containing two ARCS Focus and one ARCS Wide, alongside Kiva II, SB18 and KS28 loudspeakers. A total of 38 X8 enclosures support the three listening zones, powered by LA12Xi and LA4Xi amplified controllers. One L-ISA Processor and one L-ISA Processor II handle spatial processing. L-Acoustics certified provider Rightway Audio Consultants supported the venue’s system throughout.
