Professional Audio Systems | TOKYO 2020 SPECIAL SITE

Sharing the Passion TOKYO 2020 Special Site

Dynamic Sound Elevates Excitement

Panasonic’s large-venue audio solutions create new production possibilities in a fusion of sound and sport. RAMSA Line-Array Speakers installed at about 42 sites distributed sound clearly to every corner of every venue, with their power coming to the fore at events such as the Opening Ceremony, where music played a central role in building excitement and representing the Japanese national character on the world stage.

Olympic Stadium | The Opening and Closing Ceremonies

Olympic Stadium | Opening and Closing Ceremonies01

Olympic Stadium | Opening and Closing Ceremonies02

Olympic Stadium | Opening and Closing Ceremonies03

Olympic Stadium | Opening and Closing Ceremonies04

Looking back at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies from the perspective of sound, the many pop-culture references to games, anime, electronic music, as well as to traditional Japanese music, provided a memorable take on Japanese identity and generated a lot of buzz on social media. Panasonic’s RAMSA Line-Array Speakers handled sound production at Olympic Stadium. Additional speaker systems joined 248 permanently installed WS-LA4WP Line-Array Speakers at the venue (comprising 24 x 8-speaker systems and 14 x 4-speaker systems), empowering ceremony production. Since the birth of RAMSA in 1979 and its debut at the Olympic and Paralympic Games at Nagano 1998, Panasonic has built on its ability to assess sound requirements in different spaces and use hard-won expertise to propose solutions that meet customer needs. We took the same approach when creating an optimal sound environment at Olympic Stadium, providing not only equipment, but also designing, constructing, installing, maintaining, and operating the system.

[Equipment Introduced]: RAMSA Line-Array Speakers WS-LA4WP x 248 Units (Approx., Excluding Temporary Units)

[Venue Installed]: Olympic Stadium

Opening Ceremony (Detail)

Ariake Gymnastics Centre | Gymnastics

Gymnastics Image01 — Six WS-LA500AWP and a WS-LA550AWP subwoofer stack provide immersive sound.

Gymnastics Image02 — RAMSA is tailored to distribute sound evenly around the venue.

Panasonic installed 64x WS-LA500AWP/WS-LA550AWP Line-Array Speakers and 8x WS-AR200 2-Way Bass-Reflex speakers at Ariake Gymnastics Centre, venue for the gymnastics and boccia events. As well as delivering clear sound to accent the beauty of these disciplines, music also played in between competition to relax the athletes and officials. Unlike the men’s event, which is staged in a quiet environment, women’s gymnastics is accompanied by music chosen by the athletes and is included in competition scoring. Therefore, speakers had to be placed in such a way that judges, coaches, and teams could hear it clearly. RAMSA Line-Array Speakers shine in such demanding conditions. WS-LA500AWP’s excellent directional control is due to its unique waveguide horn, while the WS-AR200 is equipped with a 30 cm SCWG woofer and horn tweeter to deliver uniform directionality. With these technologies in harmony, RAMSA distributed clear and powerful sound throughout the entire stadium.

[Equipment Introduced]: RAMSA Line-Array Speakers WS-LA500AWP/WS-LA550AWP x 64 Units,
RAMSA 2-Way Bass-Reflex Speakers WS-AR200 x 8 Units

[Venue Installed]: Ariake Gymnastics Centre

Ariake Urban Sports Park | 3x3 Basketball and Sport Climbing

With so many urban sports added at Tokyo 2020, RAMSA Speakers had their moment to shine. The systems enlivened the atmosphere at number of events including 3x3 Basketball, Sport Climbing, and Blind Football. A total of eight RAMSA WS-AR200 2-Way Bass-Reflex Speakers were installed in the Ariake Urban Sports Park and electrified competition events with thrilling sound. Since urban sports grew from contemporary culture, music is integral to contests held in an atmosphere similar to a live concert. The WS-AR200, with its extended mid-high range and rich low range reproduced a wide variety of music, and is ideal for DJ performances where sets are not limited to a single genre. Although the event was held without spectators, RAMSA created an exciting atmosphere that united competitors, teams, officials, and fans watching at home.

[Equipment Introduced]: RAMSA 2-Way Bass-Reflex Speakers WS-AR200

[Venue Installed]: Ariake Urban Sports Park

Ariake Tennis Forest Park | Tennis

Ariake Tennis Forest Park played host to the Olympic Games tennis competitions held July 24?August 1 (the Olympic Games) and August 27?September 4 (the Paralympic Games). Ariake Coliseum, Center Court at Ariake Tennis Forest Park, is a major stop on the international tennis circuit and proved ideal for staging high-profile semifinal and final matches. WS-LA500AWP Line-Array Speakers and WS-LA550AWP subwoofers joined DM912/DM948 digital power amplifiers in improving speech intelligibility. Although there were no spectators, these systems ensure that match calls can be heard clearly over the roar of the crowd. Since Ariake Coliseum has a retractable roof, Panasonic proposed a speaker layout that maintains an optimal sound-field whether the roof is open or closed. Some matches were held with the roof closed due to inclement weather, and our painstaking sound-field simulations proved invaluable in maintaining excellent clarity at all times.

[Equipment Introduced]: RAMSA Line-Array Speakers WS-LA500AWP x 36 Units,
RAMSA Subwoofer for Line-Array Speakers WS-LA550AWP x 2 Units,
RAMSA Digital Power Amplifier WP-DM912/DM948 x 16 Units

[Venue Installed]: Ariake Tennis Forest Park

Support at Other Venues

RAMSA professional audio systems were also used at a variety of other venues for events where they provided realistic sound that elevated excitement for those watching around the world via 4K/HD simulcast.