Silverstone Circuit

Recognized as the host of the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit boasts a rich history dating back to 1948, attracting global racing enthusiasts to witness Formula 1’s elite navigate its historic track at impressive speeds. Phill Beynon, the director of NoiseBoys Technologies, remarked, “This project came to us through Tukans“. A new audio system was provided to Silverstone Circuit; this was controlled by a touchscreen.

The targeted upgrade of the PA system at Silverstone Circuit’s Hamilton Straight, Club Corner, and Abbey sections showcased the venue’s commitment to enhancing the spectator experience through strategic technology investments. By addressing specific challenges, implementing tailored solutions, and seamlessly integrating with event management, Silverstone Circuit demonstrated its dedication to maintaining its status as a premier motorsport destination.

Silverstone Circuit’s commitment to excellence led to a targeted upgrade of the PA system in areas critical for spectator experience: the Hamilton Straight, Club Corner, and Abbey. These locations were chosen due to their strategic importance and high spectator traffic during events, especially the Formula One British Grand Prix. A kit list was provided by Tukans, after a lot of design had been done to make this project a success.

NoiseBoys brought enhanced functionality to Silverstone by incorporating a 55-inch Kindemann touchscreen with an OPS PC, allowing for visualization and control of the entire track. “The solution was a massive touchscreen with the full track layout, where you can select individual zones with a tap to put them into ‘emergency state’ and play pre-recorded messages, make announcements to them, or mute each as necessary. That was our basic premise, which Silverstone added to by requesting individual EQ-ing of zones, specific priority alarms, etc.—it was quite a complicated arrangement, so there was a lot to work on. We spent most of our time focused on the interface and interaction of the system rather than the sound design. We’ve integrated the entire system into one big touchscreen that accounts for the split tracks or the joined F1 track.” Each grandstand is represented by a zone, offering users the ability to select a zone, play announcements, activate emergency mode with corresponding announcements, and more, all through the touchscreen.

“Each zone can be paged, or music can be played. They can also arrange the priorities as they need, just from that one screen,” says Beynon. “This level of control is totally new for Silverstone; they didn’t have the ability to play certain sounds in certain spaces. This system also had to be quick and easy to learn, which is why we spent a lot of our time making this system as user-friendly as possible; all of the thinking is done in the background”.

The phase one installation proceeded smoothly, with NoiseBoys meticulously following Tukan’s specifications, laying the foundation for a system set to define the Silverstone experience for years to come.

Silverstone now boasts enhanced functionality, providing an unparalleled sound experience for its premier events. Beynon concludes, “The way that the interface worked out and the way that the system works together as a whole is a key highlight for us”.

Products used:
– 1 Kindermann TD-1155 55” touch screen
– Luxul SW-610-24PR-U/AMS-1816P-U network switches
– 61 Audac HS208T full-range loudspeaker system engineered to provide long throw, full-range sound projection in a variety of fixed indoor and outdoor applications.
– 3 Powersoft Duecanali-480DSP+ Dante 2 x 3,000W (2 Ohms), 2 x 2,400W (4 Ohms & 100V). Integral DSP and Dante
– 2 Symetrix Prism 16x16D, 16 in, 16 out DSP, 64×64 Dante.

The new systems were meticulously installed, fine-tuned, and rigorously tested to guarantee audio quality, intelligibility, and seamless integration with the existing PA system.