Press Release

Han Hong Performs First Ever L-ISA Concert in China Han Hong Performs First Ever L-ISA Concert in China...

K Series
L-ISA

Sound designer He Biao and Rightway Audio Consultants deploy L-ISA technology to create an immersive audio experience in Beijing’s Wukesong Cadillac Arena

BEIJING, China – July 2023 – Han Hong, one of China’s most gifted singer-songwriters, has a musical career spanning over two decades. While the pop artist’s signature vocal style is derived from the dynamism of Chinese folk music, smoothly shifting from high to soft low tones, she also treats her live show audiences to more diverse musical genres. After a seven-year break, the star chose the Wukesong Cadillac Arena as the stage for her return to live performances. Initially built for the 2008 Summer Olympics, the 18,000-capacity arena has hosted iconic performances from local and international artists such as Ariana Grande, Elton John, and Jacky Cheung. Han Hong and her production team chose this venue to mount China’s first-ever L-ISA immersive audio live music concert.

China’s leading sound engineer, He Biao, spearheaded the production of this highly anticipated concert for the accomplished composer. Mr. Biao knew that adopting L-ISA immersive concert technology from L-Acoustics would suit Han Hong’s ultra-dynamic vocal style, in addition to the range of genres of Jazz and R&B to Rock’n’roll and Latin. “When L-ISA was first unveiled a few years ago, I was invited to the L-Acoustics headquarters in France. I discovered then that L-ISA technology would allow me to craft an immersive sound mix creatively,” says He Biao. “Since then, I have been thinking broadly about its application in concert sound systems.”

Chinese pop artist Han Hong chose the 18,000-capacity Wukesong Cadillac Arena as the stage for her return to live.
The show was set to be China’s first-ever L-ISA immersive audio live music concert.

Mr. Biao integrated L-ISA into his personal studio, then proceeded to use the immersive audio technology for various corporate events and prominent theatre productions. For Han Hong, he designed an L-ISA configuration in Focus mode, giving extra emphasis to low-frequency elements in the mix. Mr. Biao worked with Dadong Huahan AV, who supplied and deployed the elements of the immersive concert sound system. L-Acoustics Certified Provider Distributor, Rightway Audio Consultants, provided Mr. Biao with technical L-ISA system support.

The L-ISA configuration consisted of a main Scene System of five hangs of eight K1 and six K2 down. The extension was provided via two hangs of nine K2. Thirty-two KS28 subwoofers in a cardioid configuration in front of the stage minimized on-stage rumble. Spatial fill was provided by eight groups of two Kara stacked on the subwoofers. Outside the L-ISA coverage zone, fifteen K2 and one ARCS per side acted as side-fill. Sixty-six LA12X amplified controllers drove the entire system.

Sound engineer He Biao, who was familiar with L-ISA immersive audio technology, spearheaded the production and designed the configuration for the concert.
The L-ISA main Scene System consisted of five hangs of eight L-Acoustics K1 over six K2 down. Extension was provided via two hangs of nine K2 boxes, while fifteen K2 and one ARCS per side acted as side-fill.

The ability to enhance a source location through spatial audio mixing in L-ISA meant that the mix engineer need not push or overprocess each instrument in the mix, reducing sound reflection back to the stage. “In a Left/Right concert sound system, the mix is largely concentrated on the vocals, snare drum, kick drum, and bass,” says Front of House engineer Lin Mengyang. “Whereas with L-ISA, the clarity of source positioning allowed me to spread all instruments across the Scene System. I could focus on the main elements in the center while using the extension on both sides to achieve a wider coverage of sound immersion. The system overall delivered more dynamic headroom, in which any slight change to each instrument’s sound or signal will have significant differences,” he reveals.

Monitor engineer Wang Ruihua depended on three groups of four L-Acoustics X15 HiQ placed on stage for the artist’s dynamic vocal range. “Han Hong prefers hearing all the frequencies and the natural dynamics of musical instruments. I kept compression in Han’s IEMs to a minimum, as she enjoys the actual live sound and uses that to gauge the audience’s response,” says Mr. Ruihua, who has worked with the artist for many years.

Han Hong expressed her appreciation to the technical team for efficient on-stage monitoring and the system’s unrivaled clarity for fans at the concert: “I can always depend on He Biao and his team’s technical expertise. I performed for my fans with ease.”

“The future of immersive sound for live concerts is near. There have been leaps in lighting and visuals, yet we are largely still delivering concerts in stereo. A system configuration such as L-ISA does have a cost, but for a live music concert, sound fidelity is essential. Productions that invest in delivering an immersive audio experience will reap the rewards,” He Biao concludes.

Learn more about Rightway Audio Consultants at www.racpro.net.

One of the two extension arrays, which consisted of nine L-Acoustics K2 boxes per side.
L-Acoustics KS28 subwoofers in cardioid mode in front of the stage provided low-end rumble. Spatial fill was provided by eight groups of two L-Acoustics Kara stacked on the subwoofers.