d&b audiotechnik KSL system stands proud for Singapore National Day Parade.

Millions of Singaporeans celebrated their National Day Parade 2022, with events taking place across the island. The focal point of the festivities was The Float @ Marina Bay, where marching bands, live performances and the National Day theme song ‘Stronger Together’ were heard via a d&b audiotechnik KSL system flown high above the stage. 

2022 marked the first time the technical team used the d&b KSL system for the National Day Parade (NDP), having used d&b J-Series in previous years. Commissioned to help specify and supply the d&b system for the National Day Parade was Singapore-based Showtec Group, with Danial Rawi Bober, NDP 2022 Audio Project Manager, Showtec Group, at the helm. 

Rigged in a left-right position on crane-like truss towers on the specially constructed main stage at The Float, with beautiful views of the harbour and the famous Marina Bay, were d&b KSL8 loudspeakers in a line array formation. Further KSL12 loudspeakers joined the flown line arrays, along with d&b SL-SUB subwoofers. Showtec’s existing d&b J8 were used for infills and a series of Y7P loudspeakers on delay poles. 

For monitoring, the team positioned d&b M4 2-way high-performance monitors on the stage for accurately defined coverage for performers. A series of KSL8 loudspeakers and SL-SUB subwoofers were also 'hidden' as ground stacks, out of direct view of the audience or cameras, to maintain sightlines and the aesthetic of the staging and set design. The entire d&b system was powered by 63 d&b D80 amplifiers. Developed with energy efficiency in mind, the d&b KSL system is able to provide equivalent sound pressure output levels with reduced power requirements when paired with the d&b amplifiers.

I was impressed by both clarity and coverage,” says Peter Loh, Technical Director, NDP 2022, who has worked on the parade and show eleven times. “I just loved everything that came out. The character of the sound was great – I asked the sound engineer and sound designer to up the game for this show, to challenge them to get the best out of the d&b KSL system, and they did it with brilliant balance."

“I’ve listened to a lot of speakers, but the d&b KSL system offers fantastic, accurate coverage and even dispersion, which was key for this event,” adds Bober. "We needed a powerful system to transfer the sound to the audience over a large area and in an open-air, outside setting, and the KSL system with its maximum SPL of 145 dB was the perfect choice.”

Shah Tahir, Sound Designer, NDP 2022, has enjoyed an extensive career in theatre and events audio and has served as a sound designer for the NDP for ten years. He worked closely with the technical team to design speaker placement and tune the sound. “If you look at a floating platform at The Float, you see that’s there’s a big gap between the left and the right towers, but it’s vital for the sound to be clear for the parade ceremony, which is the main component of the NDP,” he says. “The sound needed to be full of dynamics and enthusiasm, to reproduce the emotion of the performances, speeches and this year's theme song. Using the new d&b KSL system, we managed to balance out the coverage despite the restrictions and space between the towers and achieve even better tonal quality and volume than we’ve ever had before.”