Audio applications
Fohhn Audio Solutions
FOHHNPerforming Arts

Auditoriums & Theatres

Natural, localised reinforcement that keeps the performance on stage, not in the loudspeaker.

Latency
< 2 ms
Sightlines
Preserved
Systems
L/C/R + fills
The acoustic challenge
  • Raked seating and balconies need very different vertical coverage from a single hang position.
  • Sightlines and heritage interiors restrict where anything can be mounted.
  • Audiences must localise the sound to the performer, not to a loudspeaker.
The CaesarTechs engineering approach
  • Split beams from one steered array serve stalls and balcony independently.
  • Point-source systems handle fills and effects where a steered source is not required.
  • Level and delay tuned so the image stays anchored on stage.
©
Recommended system

The stack we would specify for this environment.

Loudspeaker families
Focus Modular · Perform Series
Amplification & DSP
System Amplifier DI-4.1000
Beam steering strategy
Balcony and stalls beam split
Even SPL

Front row to back row within a tight window.

Invisible

No boxes in the audience eyeline.

Repeatable

Presets per production, recalled instantly.

©
Integration scope
01

Slim arrays in proscenium recesses and side-wall pockets

02

Rigging and structural loads coordinated with the theatre consultant

03

Show control and console integration for scene recall

©
Visual reference

How it looks in the space.

Auditoriums & Theatres audio integration reference 1
Auditoriums & Theatres audio integration reference 2
Auditoriums & Theatres audio integration reference 3
©
Acoustic telemetry

The numbers behind the design.

Reverberation decay · RT60 1.6s
0 dB-60 dB
STI (predicted)
0.87
Direct / reverb
70%
SPL variance
± 3.6 dB
Throw distance
30 m
Vertical dispersion
Beam angle
-20°
Opening
12°
Mount height
12 m
Steering
Digital
©
Signal chain

Microphones, UC codecs, media players and the emergency interface arrive on a redundant network layer with priority routing.

©
Zone planner

Select the zones in your performing arts project.

Zones selected
3
Beam channels
5
Amplifier estimate
2 × DI-4.1000
©
Coverage simulator

Pre-loaded with typical performing arts room data.

Adjust the room, steer the beam and export a branded coverage study for your project file.

Select the space
Scale

Stage position, seating slope and balcony geometry drive the design. Separate beams normally serve stalls and balcony.

ViewCovered 30/150 · marginal 20
7.0 m20.2 m
Conventional loudspeaker — same room
7.0 m20.2 m32 m × 24 m × 12 m · AuditoriumDesign simulation — estimated coverage, not a measurement

Click any listening position to move the virtual listener · drag the array to change mounting height · every value is a design estimate until site measurement.

Room geometry · Auditorium

Showing the parameters that matter most for a auditorium. Switch to “Build my room” for the full geometry set.

LayersSeats covered 6/14 · drag the array, beam handle or listener
Conventional loudspeaker

Fixed vertical dispersion sprays energy at ceilings and rear walls. Reflections smear consonants.

Fohhn Beam Steering
6m12m18m24m30m-20°6.5m87 dB · 19m

Drag the array to set mounting height, drag the handle to steer, drag anywhere to move the listener.

Live acoustic telemetry
1 beam12° coverageRT60 1.6s45 dB(A)Beam locked
0 m30 mSteered line source — 3 dB / doublingConventional — 6 dB / doubling
STI gain
+40
D/R
11.6 dB
Uniformity
±2 dB
Coverage profile along the audience
Front to rear · 30 m · 1 beam at -20° / 12°
88 dB
86 dB
84 dB
83 dB
82 dB
88 dB
88 dB
87 dB
87 dB
86 dB
86 dB
78 dB
78 dB
78 dB
0 m15 m30 m
Beam steered Conventional
Front-to-rear variation
±5.4 dB
Conventional variation
±10.8 dB
Rear headroom over noise
+33 dB
Array mouth / ceiling
6.5 m of 12 m
Suggested family
Linea Focus
Amplification
System Amplifier DI-4.1000

Steered energy holds level across the seating plane instead of falling away behind the first rows — indicative design estimate, not a measurement.

Live audition · hear the configuration

Real programme material — a recorded announcement, a music bed or a pink-noise test signal — played through the current room, beam and noise settings.

Audition idle
Direct / reverberant
+6.0 dB
Room decay in ear
1.6 s RT60
Noise floor
45 dB(A)

Beam on the listener at 19 m — direct sound stays forward of the room tail, articulation holds at STI 0.87. Indicative sound design simulation, not a measurement or a Fohhn recording.

Dolby surround test

Channel-by-channel identification for a 5.1 / Atmos room. Tap any speaker to fire that channel, or run the full sweep.

Listener

Output routing is detected on first playback.

Live simulation
Conventional STI
0.46
Beam steered STI
0.87
Direct / reverberant
11.6 dB
Suggested family
Linea Focus
SPL at listener
87 dB
Headroom over noise
+42 dB

Beam locked on the listener — approx. +40 points of speech-intelligibility improvement versus a conventional system in the same room.

Drag inside the steered room to move the listener. Indicative simulation — not a measurement of a specific project.

Engineering study · project record
Engineering notes · auto-generated, editable

Design simulation — estimated performance until site measurement

©
Typical project profile
Concert hall
Split-beam stalls and balcony coverage
Drama theatre
L/C/R with delay fills under the balcony
©
Delivery program
PHASE 01
Acoustic survey

Site measurement of RT60, noise floor and geometry against the architect's model.

PHASE 02
Coverage modelling

Beam plots per zone with predicted STI and SPL maps issued as a report.

PHASE 03
Design & BOM

Loudspeaker schedule, amplifier count, cabling and containment drawn in CAD.

PHASE 04
Supply & staging

Equipment pre-configured and load-tested in the CaesarTechs facility.

PHASE 05
Installation

Mounting details coordinated with the fit-out contractor and MEP package.

PHASE 06
Commissioning & handover

On-site tuning, as-built documentation, operator training and remote monitoring.

©
Engineering questions

We model the room in acoustic software and issue beam plots with predicted STI for every zone of the performing arts space before a single bracket is ordered.

Yes. Beams are steered digitally, so re-tuning after a fit-out change is a software session — no ladders, no re-rigging.

Slim column profiles in custom finishes, flush or recessed where the architecture allows. Most clients see nothing at first glance.

The DSP core supports prioritised emergency broadcast paths and supervised monitoring alongside the everyday program audio.

CaesarTechs provides remote monitoring, firmware management and an SLA-backed response with local engineers.

©
Other audio environments
©

Let's design the audio for your performing arts project.

Share your drawings and we will return a coverage plan, a bill of materials and a commissioning scope.

©