Genelec Smart IP opens up ‘world of possibilities’ for new G Livelab live venue

posted:

15/01/2020

In the wake of the unmitigated success that is G Livelab
Helsinki, the Finnish Musicians’ Union has opened a brand new – and bigger – venue in the
vibrant city of Tampere, some 200km north of the Finnish capital. The same team was
deployed to realise the Tampere project, which is built according to the same ‘music first’
philosophy as Helsinki. The result is an extraordinary live music experience based on quality
programming, modern design, and state-of-the-art Genelec audio systems including the
ground-breaking new 4430 Smart IP loudspeaker.

Housed in a striking red brick building which was formerly the boiler house of the Frenckell
paper mill in the heart of the city, the venue hosts up to 250 people and offers a hugely varied
programme including jazz, folk, world music, pop/rock, chamber music, electronic music and
more. Akukon Oy designed the acoustics, electroacoustics, lighting, sound, video,
communication systems and basic IT structure as well as the rigging systems, as they did for
Helsinki, and leading Nordic AV integrator, Bright – another key member of the Helsinki team
– brought Akukon’s vision to life.

“Genelec was already a tried and tested solution with the first G Livelab project in Helsinki
which has had great reviews,” explains Bright’s Head of Installation, Santtu Sipilä. “People
really liked what we achieved in

“We definitely wanted the new 4430s for easier cabling and added control; it’s opened up a
world of possibilities for us,” admits Sipilä. “We have a fully networked system running on
Dante – this includes the big loudspeakers used for the main PA – and any of the 4430s can
take any signal from anywhere. This means that we can use the same loudspeakers for virtual
acoustics, surround sound, background music, delays… the possibilities are endless, and it’s
enabled us to considerably reduce the total amount of loudspeakers required in order to
achieve what we wanted. We are able to make art with loudspeakers and we are not limited
in any way in terms of how we can use the system.”

Tapio Ilomäki, the project manager for Akukon, agrees: “The versatility of systems and
spaces was a key element of the design; modern venues need to be multi-purpose and they
have to be able to facilitate these changes as quickly and easily as possible, for optimum
functionality and quick return on investment. The use of the 4430s plays an important role at
this level as well as offering extremely musical sound with very low distortion.”

Sipilä is also extremely impressed with the PoE (Power over Ethernet) capabilities of the
4430s. “We were astonished by the SPLs and sound quality from this size of loudspeaker
over PoE. The ability to have everything delivered over just a single cable is every installer’s
dream, so I think that Genelec’s Smart IP range will be figuring in a great many of our future
designs!”

In addition to the 4430s, the main PA system comprises a pair of 1236 SAM studio monitors,
the flagship of the Genelec range, seventeen S360s for surround and delay, a pair of 1238s
as the first delay line, and finally a flown sub array of nine 7380 subwoofers. “We didn’t have
either the height or the space to include subs in Helsinki, so this is a welcome addition in
Tampere which gives us some extra headroom in the system and helps add body and fullness
to the sound,” adds Sipalä.

Renowned Finnish singer/songwriter, Markus Nordenstreng of Tuomo & Markus and the
Latebirds considers G Livelab as his favourite venue for intimate performances. “For me, G
Livelab is the ultimate live sound experience. When you come here to listen to live music, it
will most likely sound even better than it did on the record – you can hear things you never
heard before. It would be a great service to mankind if there was a G Livelab in every city
around the world!”

About Genelec
Since the founding of Genelec in 1978, professional audio loudspeakers have been at the core of the business.
An unrivalled commitment to research and development has resulted in a number of industry firsts and
established Genelec as the industry leader in active loudspeakers. Over forty years later Genelec loudspeaker
products remain true to the original philosophy, offering reliability, neutral sound reproduction regardless of size,
as well as the ability to adapt to the acoustic conditions of the listening environment. Genelec customers receive
paramount support in the field, from acoustical advice and calibration services to technical service and long
product life span. Buying a Genelec product is a secure long-term investment in outstanding and reliable audio
reproduction.