Porto’s World of Wine (WOW) district has deployed more than 400 Genelec loudspeakers to guide visitors through a series of exhibits and soundscapes.
The cultural district in Portugal’s second largest city comprises seven museums as well as restaurants, bars and shops that form an immersive journey through the region’s port production heritage.
Genelec distributor Garrett Audiovisuais secured the contract and worked with museum experience creator Gema Digital who handled storytelling, multimedia production, AV installation, execution, and maintenance.
Gema Digital’s Francisco Brandão said: "In each space, completely different environments are presented, and it was necessary that the sound design reflects this change in dynamic.”
The Wine Experience, Planet Cork, Porto Region Across the Ages, and The Chocolate Story museum experiences were all designed and developed by Gema Digiral. Nine different loudspeaker models were used throughout the project, including all variations of the 4000 Series. The 7.1 surround sound systems located in "Porto Region Across the Ages" and "The Wine Experience" auditoriums consist of exclusively Genelec loudspeakers.
It was also important that the loudspeakers blend seamlessly with the interior of their environment and Genelec’s ceiling-mounted AIC25 models are used extensively with 192 installed across the site. Amplification for each AIC25 is supplied via a remote RAM2 amplifier module, which also allowed technicians to adjust the loudspeakers’ frequency response.
Some of the larger models required a little more creative thinking to ensure they remained hidden without compromising sonic quality. "In the Civil War section of ‘Porto Region Across the Ages’, we made the decision to hide the Genelec 5041A active in-wall subwoofer in the scenography, in the chimney," recalled Brandão. "Likewise, in the jungle of ‘The Chocolate Story’ we made a creative decision to position the loudspeakers behind the wall of vegetation to provide the feeling that there are animals hidden along the entire wall, simulating the thriving wildlife of an actual jungle, and conveying a sense of 360° immersion."