FUNA International And BSS Audio Add Advanced Networking and Control Of Audio To World’s Largest Cruise Ship, Oasis of the Seas
5 أغسطس، 2010
Highlighting the largest and arguably most difficult cruise ship assembly in the world, global design, engineering and consulting firm FUNA International, has outfitted Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas cruise ship with a multitude of BSS Audio Soundweb™ London processing devices. With more than three decades of experience in designing and integrating audio systems on the world’s largest watercrafts, FUNA has deployed Soundweb London devices extensively in various projects throughout the past eight years, including the last four new cruise ships built out of its Turku, Finland manufacturing facility.
The ship's audio system, covering everything from background music, acrobatic, musical and comedic entertainment, is handled by 29 Soundweb London BLU-800 and 21 BLU-120 devices, with BLU-10 programmable touch screen remotes for local control outfitted throughout the ship as well.
"As BSS Audio signal processors have continued to become more advanced in their ability to provide comprehensive system networking and control, we have been able to use them in more complex and larger applications," stated Derek Warner, Senior Project Manager, FUNA, International. "The Soundweb London platform provided us with a quality product, which was very user-friendly for our programmers. Collectively, we were able to pre-program and test our system prior to installation; a big help as our time for onsite programming can be very limited."
The cruise liner contains four major theaters, each requiring a vast and greatly detailed sound installation. The ship’s Aqua theater, which hosts a variety of performances, is an outdoor venue that stretches across the entire width of the boat, port to starboard. Warner’s mission was to ensure the sound emanating from the stage is perfectly heard, while battling the ambient noise such as wind, engines, waves and thousands of excited guests.
During the nearly 2-year construction time of the world’s largest water vessel, the FUNA sound team was on duty for approximately six months to fine-tune the project that trumps any landlocked performance center. "With such a large install, we needed an experienced team to ensure our systems were properly handled and programmed," continued Warner. "This is the fourth ship we've built out of Finland, using Soundweb London almost exclusively for DSP."
For more information on FUNA International, please visit www.funa.com.