Reykjavík, Iceland (June 22, 2023)—Reykjavík’s Harpa is a stunning multi-purpose facility, and has hosted hundreds of shows in its four primary performance venues since opening in 2011. The rooms, ranging from 200 to 1,800 capacities, are a symphonic concert hall, recital hall, dividable black box conference hall, and a small theatre, but they all tie together via a Clear-Com system with approximately 33-36 paging zones.
Harpa has always had an Encore Analog Partyline system and Eclipse HX Matrix system, but it has since been augmented with V-Series Iris Keypanels, a FreeSpeak II Wireless intercom, E-IPA IP capabilities, and the Agent-IC Mobile App. The recent integration between Clear-Com’s intercom and QSC’s Q-Sys amplifier platform has augmented the integration between the venue’s paging, intercom, and house audio systems.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Harpa began shifting its infrastructure to Dante interfaces to address the increasing demand for virtual and streamed event and find ways to create an advanced programming system to interface between Clear-Com and Q-Sys and include Dante connectivity. For example, Andri Guðmundsson, Harpa’s Technical Director – Events and Technical Management, wanted the stage manager to be able to run paging messages and announcements straight from the intercom panels.
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The effort involved replacing Harpa’s paging system and reusing some existing infrastructure, including their original Clear-Com Eclipse and Encore systems. They upgraded to FreeSpeak II and added E-IPA cards for remote connectivity to broadcasters, additional Agent-IC licenses for future use by ushers and other front-of-house staff, and E-DANTE cards to interface between the Clear-Com matrix and Harpa’s new QSC Q-Sys distribution system.
Harpa is still working on the full implementation of Agent-IC for ushers’ use, but that’s something the young people in that role are looking forward to. “They don’t want to use bulky radios,” Guðmundsson laughs, “they want an app.” Moreover, the ability to use smartphones and Wi-Fi eliminates the need for additional infrastructure and components.
The project required the development and implementation of a custom-made plug-in by Clear-Com’s local distributor and integrator on the project, Atendi ehf. The plug-in allows Eclipse to route audio in Q-Sys, trigger pre-recorded messages and provide feedback for paging status via an Iris panel or FreeSpeak beltpack.
