Link, the Italian manufacturer of cables, connectors and signal/power distribution systems, made a major infrastructural intervention inside the Auditorium Santa Cecilia in Rome: a concert hall with an extension of approximately 3400 square meters that can host up to 2800 spectators and is considered one of the most innovative music halls designed for symphonic concerts in the world.
We met Angelo De Santis – Head of the Information Systems Technical Office of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Alberto Virdis – Technical Sales Support of Link, and Massimiliano Mercante – Sales Manager of Link, who explained this important digital upgrade within the hall.
LSJ.com: Angelo, tell us about your role in detail.
Angelo De Santis: As head of the Technical Information Systems Office at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, I am in charge of all hall services: from guarding to the management of hostesses and stewards, security, medical unit, fire brigade, and all RAI recordings, recordings and TV filming.
LSJ.com: What was the need that prompted you to turn to Link for this upgrade?
Angelo De Santis: We have a multi-year contract with RAI Com, and specifically we assist the RAI Radio Three audio recordings and RAI TV filming both live and delayed. Given the modernization of the media from analog to digital, there was this contracted requirement so the Accademia Santa Cecilia also had to upgrade all its systems. There was an analog TRIAX system inside the main hall and we replaced it with an SMPTE digital fiber system. Link is a partner of Agora, the Auditorium’s resident audio-video service, which, following a decisive inspection made its name.
LSJ.com: What kind of benefits will this installation bring?
Angelo De Santis: The Auditorium recently celebrated its 22nd anniversary, but at the same time technology has evolved rapidly. This modernization brings broadcasting up to today’s fibre-based standards, with clear improvements in both audio and video signals. Consider that we do a lot of recordings in this space as we are partners with Deutsche Grammophon and many other record labels.
LSJ.com: What were the critical issues in the setup phase and how were they solved?
Angelo De Santis: The most critical issue in these places is finding the cable routing and not so much the installation itself by Link. Consider that fibre cables cannot be cut or spliced. So the main job was to lay the approximately 344 meters of fibre also through routes that we discovered at the time. The four-day operation involved a team of at least eight people including technicians, video technicians and helpers who managed to lay the fibers from the outside broadcast area where the OB trucks and RAI vehicles are parked, to the backstage area of the hall which is the SCV room.
LSJ.com: Alberto and Massimiliano, let’s go into the specifics of Link technologies.
Massimiliano Mercante: We had already had previous experiences with Angelo De Santis. In addition, the Santa Cecilia Auditorium has a a permanent partnership with the Agorà service for audio and video management inside the Auditorium. Finally, there is also a reference from RAI, which indicated Link as a certified company for the installation of SMTPE connectors, which in fact take the system from analogue to HD and Ultra HD.
Following the initial contact, the Auditorium in the person of Angelo provided us with the floor plan of the Santa Cecilia for our first inspection, during which we went into detail about what was the primary need, which was to pass these control signals from the TV media while trying to be as unobtrusive as possible, especially inside the hall where there are fixed stations for video filming.
LSJ.com: What products have been chosen?
Massimiliano Mercante: For the interconnection part we have used all cables that comply with the CPR Cca anti-flammability and CPR class regulations. These are highly professional materials of premium quality. In addition, there is a whole series of LK Connectors (a leading manufacturer of connectors, owned by Link) such as the LKO MTP made to distribute up to 12 OS2 single-mode fibers, 12 OM4 multi-mode fibers and 3×12 AWG power contacts. A system that allows the transport of different types of signals to be optimized to the maximum in a solution consisting of a single cable that in fact allows a very low impact on the infrastructure apparatus.
To this must be added the special interface panels also conceived and designed by Link, useful for exchanging and patching signals within the SCV room.
LSJ.com: So we are faced with a system that offers several possibilities?
Angelo De Santis: The theater is relatively young but has adopted a technology that paradoxically is already as old as TRIAX, which in recent years has been overtaken by SMTPE. In terms of stability and innovation, Link has installed a series of panels with this particular LKO MTP connector that was not part of the specific request but will be able to meet all requirements, new needs, and future upgrades.
The result is 15 patchable fiber optic signal hatches throughout the Auditorium with the possibility of permutations between points, basically making possible a very wide, flexible and powerful network.
LSJ.com: I also ask you if there were any critical issues and especially if any special customizations were necessary.
Alberto Virdis: A need for the Auditorium was logically to get hands on with the system, add technology but without eliminating the existing connections. There are hatches that we took advantage of and went in and replaced the duct system and added new panels without eliminating all the pre-existing connections as they were working and useful to maintain. Certainly the customization was necessary both to make the connections more usable and practical but also to concentrate more connections within small spaces, making them even more practical.
We also relied on the experience of the technicians who work there on a daily basis, who pointed out many points for improvement. Our goal was to make it more practical with custom, made-to-order panels that have to fit in a depth of only ten centimeters in some cases, with connectors that often willingly take up at least twice as much. There are so many requirements concentrated in a 50 by 50 that it was not the easiest to fit in, but in the end we succeeded.
LSJ.com: To date, what is your status?
Angelo De Santis: We have completed the outside broadcast area, which was the most important one as that is where RAI equipment such as generator set, director’s bus and others arrive. We are at a distance of 400 to 500 meters from the hall and it has been in operation for about six months. The internal part, on the other hand, will be completed during the summer, and it needs masonry works, as well as the creation of the 15 manholes where the cameras will be placed. Since these are very important and invasive works, and given the high use of the hall, we need to arrange for specific days and time slots.
By partnering with Link and implementing state-of-the-art broadcasting technology, the Santa Cecilia Auditorium remains on the cutting edge, ready to meet future challenges and offer an ever-higher experience for artists and spectators.
Walter Lutzu
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