Masquerade: creating immersive audio installation for New York musical

Masquerade is one of the latest musicals to sparkle on New York’s Broadway — it’s directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus, and has been enjoying a run in the Big Apple since July this year. It’s a reimagining of The Phantom of the Opera, but its innovative concept immerses the audience directly into the action.

Instead of being seated, guests move freely through a multi-storey building in Midtown Manhattan, experiencing the performance from constantly changing perspectives. This staging and the specific room architecture placed extreme demands on the sound system, a challenge managed by sound designer Brett Jarvis and solved using the most extensive LD Systems audio installation globally to date.

The former Lee's Art Shop on 57th Street was completely remodelled for the production, transforming into a five-storey experiential world. Each floor features distinct settings, ranging from ballrooms to catacombs, where drama, music, dance, and set design merge. This free-roaming format has generated significant attention and ensured sold-out performances since its premiere.

Jens Kleinhuis, pro audio field application engineer with the Adam Hall Group, details the project's scale: “From the very first meeting with sound designer Brett Jarvis and Andrew Lloyd Webber producer Lee McCutcheon, it became clear that we had to pull out all the stops for Masquerade,” Kleinhuis and Ivan Klepac, Integrated Systems Field Application Engineer, designed an audio setup following extensive testing and training. The final installation comprises over 1,000 speakers, including approximately 660 CURV 500 satellites, 186 DQOR loudspeakers, and over 80 MAILA array systems, ensuring the audience is consistently within the immersive sound field.

The producers utilised a broad range of the LD Systems portfolio, including MAUI i1 in-line speakers and CFL in-ceiling systems, extending to the new ICOA PRO SUB 21 A high-performance subwoofer. The entire system is driven and controlled by 68 IPA 424 T 4-channel installation amplifiers, each equipped with an X-EDAI Ethernet & Dante expansion card for network integration.

Rob Olsen, sales director for Adam Hall North America, states, “Brett Jarvis was faced with the challenge of providing five completely different floors with a stable and consistent sound throughout. When he discovered the LD Systems product range, tried it out and heard it at the Adam Hall headquarters, he knew he had found the perfect solution.”

Gabriel Medrano, president/COO of Adam Hall North America, underscores the significance of the project: “The collaboration with Brett Jarvis and the entire Masquerade team was inspiring and a partnership of the highest calibre. The use of MAILA in this unique environment marks a real milestone in the history of LD Systems – technically, creatively and emotionally.”