LDA Audio Tech is a Spanish manufacturer of EN 54-certified public address and voice evacuation systems based at Málaga TechPark, responsible for designing and commissioning the acoustic safety system at the MADRING International Circuit in Madrid.
The venue had a capacity of 120,000 people per day and hosted the first Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix to be held in the capital, as part of an agreement between IFEMA Madrid and F1 that runs until 2035.
With the inaugural race date fixed and an unchangeable deadline, less than two months were available to complete the project over the summer. The main technical challenge was not just a matter of time: MADRING combines a race circuit, exhibition halls, Fan Zones and hospitality areas within a single venue, each with its own existing audio systems. LDA Audio Tech integrated all these systems under a single public address architecture, operating alongside the race audio system managed by the FIA.
Based on NEO+ technology, the solution is organised into 15 islands connected via NEXO Hub, with digital audio synchronisation via AES67. The circuit island (the largest of the system) comprises 59 NEO-4500E+ extensions in 20 racks distributed along the track, and 456 Biamp Community loudspeakers covering the grandstands.
The system was tested and validated with the involvement of the FIA and IFEMA’s security staff, with results for intelligibility (STI greater than 0.5) and sound pressure (greater than 100 dB) exceeding the regulatory minimums. LDA Audio Tech worked alongside the integrators Ruybesa and DZ Engineering to complete the installation on time.
This isn’t the first time that LDA Audio Tech’s technology has been used at a Formula 1 circuit: the system at the Valencia street circuit carried its hallmark during the first two editions of the European Grand Prix, in 2008 and 2009.