IT group "Otkritie" has built a new engineering complex for the "Yu. V. Nikulin School of Circus Art"

2025: Building an Engineering Complex

The IT team of the Otkritie group modernized all engineering systems of the stage space at the Yu. V. Nikulin School of Circus Art, in which children master juggling, tricks, aerial gymnastics, dancing and acting. Systems such as: stage lighting, sound, as well as elements of stage mechanization were re-built here. Modern technology and modern engineering will enable students to more fully reveal their talents and gain self-confidence. This was announced on March 1, 2025 by the IT company of the Otkritie group.

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Фото: IT of the "Opening" group

As reported, light is one of the most important elements of the performance, and a properly built system is important for the viewer to perceive the show, so the team's specialists paid special attention to this part of the work.

The staged lighting system was designed taking into account the peculiarities of the room - namely, the round central arena. It uses a typical arrangement of beam/spot x wash light equipment, which combines devices of different types. Some give narrow, concentrated light beams, which is convenient for focusing the viewer's attention on important elements of the presentation (beam/spot), as well as devices for creating soft lighting that create a scene light fill (wash). Static light devices with a fresnel lens are also integrated into this scheme, creating a narrow but powerful luminous flux. told Andrey Lokhonin, leading multimedia engineer of the IT group OTKRITIE

Among the key characteristics of such devices are low color temperature (3200K, very warm light) and a high CRI index (this indicator determines the naturalness of the shades of the illuminated object in the perception of viewers). All this works to create the effect of the drama of the performance - it is not for nothing that this type of light is used on the theatrical stage.

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Фото: IT of the "Opening" group

In addition to the main set of instruments, so-called "finishing" devices located on light beds are used. These are wash devices that give filling light, coupled with advanced technologies. Such as, for example, pixel-by-pixel control - each LED in the device can be controlled separately, creating complex light effects, gradients, patterns and animations. It also uses lenses with a B-Eye structure, similar in layout to the facet eyes of insects. This technology makes it possible to create impressive optical effects, including patterned projections, beam shape change, etc., including dynamic ones - due to rotating lenses. Plus, such lighting allows you to paint the action on the arena in the desired color shade.

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Фото: IT of the "Opening" group

The light control system is built on grandMA2 software from MA Lighting International, which has long and firmly established itself in the show industry as the most common. This will provide the school. Yuri Nikulin both the opportunity to perform with his lighting scenarios on tour tours and guests - to conduct performances on the basis of the school's light infrastructure. Scenarios are easily adapted to a specific scene, so that technical personnel do not have unnecessary problems. The main projection screen of the hall is made using rear-projection technology. The system is made in the classic version: a projector is located at the back, a high-contrast screen for displaying images is located at the front. A mechanization system is used here - if necessary, the screen is completely retracted in 45 seconds by pressing a button. One of the key parts of the project was the speaker system.

We had several tasks: to ensure clarity and intelligibility of sound, to achieve sufficient sound pressure and uniform coverage, as well as to organize a monitor line so that artists could hear themselves. Before reaching a final decision, we conducted simulations and calculations of many acoustic design options. The main difficulty was that the room has a large volume and a long reverberation time. told Maria Erenkova, project manager of the IT group OTKRITIE

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Фото: IT of the "Opening" group

According to the engineer, even before the choice of sound equipment, acoustic processing of the room was calculated using specialized materials. It is impossible to completely cover the room with such materials (functionality will suffer), so it was decided to place acoustic panels made of split wood fiber on the wall, behind the seats. Such panels are easy to use and have a high sound absorption coefficient, which has been improved by filling the inner frame of the structure with mineral wool. As a result, reverberation has decreased, and the sound has become more legible.

Based on the results of the calculations, we chose the ECHO ACOUSTIC EVL208P-DSP linear array. This made it possible to ensure uniform coverage both in stationary seats and in the area in front of the stage, where additional rows are installed, if it is necessary to increase the capacity of the hall. The parameters we need, such as sound pressure, are provided with a large margin. Plus, the system adapts easily and quickly to a specific room. Each element of the array is responsible for its own zone, and, depending on this, the corresponding preset is applied. For example, for the lower elements, the near zone preset is used (for additional places), and for the upper ones, the middle zone presets are used. This greatly optimizes the setup process and provides a stable result. noted Andrey Lokhonin

Point EA112P from ECHO ACOUSTIC were chosen as monitors for artists, which have an RF driver and a built-in processor. The three-inch RF driver here allows you to provide a sound field close to what is formed by a linear array, which gives a uniform arena coverage. Plus, it is resistant to loads, which is very important: in a circus, there is always a possibility of unforeseen situations. The built-in processor allows you to adjust the sound taking into account the acoustic features of the room and save the settings inside the speakers, which optimizes the work with them for the staff.

Separately, it is worth talking about subwoofers. In the premises of the circus, the voice area occupies only a part of the volume, since behind the scenes there is actually another hall invisible to the viewer. If you place subwoofers in a standard configuration, the low frequencies will propagate in all directions and reflect, which will create a hum. We collected subwoofer clusters on both sides of the hall, four subwoofers each. The second element in each cluster is turned in the opposite direction. At first glance, it may seem that the installers were mistaken when installing, but this is not the case. The deployed subwoofer works with a delay, in antiphase, compensating for the sound pressure at the back and forming a cardioid sound front. So the sound is directed towards the audience, the readability of low frequencies is better, and the hum and sound pressure in the arena are lower. The ECHO ACOUSTIC EVL208SP-DSP that we used in this project allow you to select a "cardioid" preset on an deployed subwoofer, and the built-in processor will automatically set the desired delay for the desired signal phasing. reported by Maria Erenkova

Behringer X32 digital mixing console controls sound. This remote has extensive audio processing capabilities: each microphone, instrument or output channel can be individually configured using an equalizer, compressor and various effects. Plus, motorized faders are installed in this remote control, which allows the sound engineer to easily switch between layers, preventing errors in the settings. An additional feature is the ability to remotely control the remote control, through a tablet or smartphone. This is especially convenient during tuning: the sound engineer can move around the hall or stage, adjusting the sound in real time.

Another feature of this object is the weight of the equipment. Linear arrays and subwoofers would create an unsafe load on the roof, so they decided to place the equipment on vertical supporting reinforced concrete columns. However, a gap must remain between the wall and the acoustics, so special brackets with multiple safety margins and a reliable fastening system have been developed and manufactured for installation. Each system of the stage complex of the Yu. V. Nikulin School is controlled separately, but the automation commands for controlling the mechanics of the scene from the light console are registered, so that, if necessary, full synchronization of all systems using time stamps is possible. User scripts are implemented: they define algorithms actions for each device, the user writes the scene to the control panel queue. Also automated control of scene mechanics, lifting and lowering post, motorized projection screen, intermission-sliding curtain system. The projector can also be controlled using commands that can be tied to a script, to a scene automation queue. The same applies to the installation of vocal presets, scenes, clips on the sound and video remote.

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Фото: IT of the "Opening" group

The equipment also allows you to organize high-quality webcast of high-resolution performances: this feature is implemented using a high-quality PTZ camera and OBS software complex. Control is available both through the web interface and using the remote control. The system has the potential for a subsequent upgrade: the installation of additional video cameras will not require the modernization of the control system. Specialists of the IT group OTKRITIE conducted training for technical specialists of the center. Yuri Nikulin and continue to be in close contact with them to help adapt to systems.