Kobra takes centre stage for ‘The Marriage of Figaro’
Published: ASIA
JAPAN: The Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre’s ninth annual tour saw the comic opera The Marriage of Figaro performed in 10 cities and 13 venues across Japan. Supporting the production, each performance relied upon portable sound reinforcement from a K-Array KR202 loudspeaker system.
‘The first time I saw the K-array product portfolio, I immediately thought how great the speakers would be for opera. In a stage setting, a central speaker usually blocks the view of the spectators but this is not the case with the Kobra, thanks to its size and shape. In theatre, where the speaker settings are standard, K-array proved to be an unconventional, yet very valuable solution,’ offered Kôichi Ishimaru, sound designer from the Hyogo Performing Arts Centre, one of the tour venues. ‘Usually when you connect several two-way speakers and install them in the centre, you get sound irregularities because the point source produces a spherical wave. In comparison, the two Kobras in the system create a line array that produces a perfect cylindrical wave with a 360–degree dispersion horizontally and controlled dispersion vertically. This minimises reflected sound from the ceiling and the floor, resulting in reduced reverberation and consistency. With just one line array, the entire desired area is covered without exception. You can deliver clear sound both close to the array and to the audience at the back of the theatre. The result is beyond my expectations.’
Mr Ishimaru also found the K-Array solution hassle-free to tune and operate. ‘As a PA system for opera, the KR202 offered easy tuning. When the sound levels feel too low you always wonder if it is a level issue or a clarity issue, but if you increase the level, the clarity will decrease, making the dialogue harder to understand,’ he explained. ‘In an opera hall where there is reverberation, the dialogue needs to remain as clear as possible and the KR202 allows us to adjust the equalisation, making dialogue easier to understand without increasing levels. Basically, everywhere in the theatre becomes a feedback point so even though we are not increasing the sound levels, it still feels like we are hearing the acoustics more loudly.’
The KR202s were installed and hidden from view underneath the lip of the stages. ‘Ever since I received a masters in acoustic psychology, I have been driven to deliver a sound that could affect the audience on a psychological level in a theatrical setting. In the past, to get a big sound, several large speakers were required and the sound materials needed to realise the refined sound design I had in mind did not exist,’ he continued. ‘Now, thanks to K-array loudspeakers, increasing the volume is not a necessity to make an impactful sound. At last, I feel like I have the resources needed to make my ideas come to life.’