VIVACE in the AFAS Experience Center

Together with our Dutch distributor, Heuff Sound & Vision Import, we successfully completed our first Dutch project: the AFAS Experience Center.

With its 62,000 m² new building, the software company AFAS has not only created a new innovative company location, but has also built an Experience Center. Only 20 % of the entire building is intended for staff and workplaces of AFAS. The remaining 80 % of the huge complex consists of a demo area, a sports complex, an event location, a restaurant, an indoor garden as well as a theatre. In the theatre hall, which holds 850 people, our electronic room acoustic system VIVACE was installed, which plays a central role in the acoustics of the hall.

The entire new building project was shaped by the magic words “innovation”, “automation” and last but not least “experience”. The buildings are equipped with the latest technology with the aim of providing the ultimate experience for staff, customers and visitors.

The AFAS Theatre

The theatre offers seating capacity for 850 people and is the heart of the AFAS Experience Center. Our distributor Edwin in ‘t Veld von Heuff tells about the first acoustic experience with our electronic room acoustic system VIVACE: “We recently had a demo day here with conductor Pieter Jan Leusink. He was very sceptical towards the system, but after hearing it he was completely convinced. He thought it was fantastic! With a simple tap on the touch screen, you can create the desired acoustics – of a stadium or a cathedral, for example – and the reverberation time – 2, 3 or 6 seconds, for example.”

Theatre director Herman Zondag and pianist Jan Vayne are also thrilled. Herman Zondag: “In this VIVACE system, the best unique selling points have come together. I come from a classical music background, so I know better than anyone that in a hall like this the acoustics are often very dry.”

Jan Vayne nods in agreement: “It is often incredibly exhausting to play in halls where the acoustics are dead. I like to improvise a lot and notice that I often ‘overdo’ it in order to conceal these dead acoustics. I don’t enjoy that and therefore, of course, neither does the audience. When I heard about the VIVACE system, I was very curious and now I am extremely satisfied. I’ve had the opportunity to play here a few times and I love the sound! For me on stage it sounds more perfect than perfect, but that goes for every seat in the hall. From the front left in row 1 to the back right in the balcony. The acoustics are literally buoyed by the system and it’s great luck to have the opportunity to play in this hall. It’s like a virtual reality.”

Virtual reality – that’s what makes VIVACE so special. The good qualities of the hall are optimised and the bad qualities are reduced as much as possible. With 79 speakers used for the VIVACE system and 40 microphones, the theatre is ready for the premiere on 25 September with the musical “14 DE MUSICAL” about the life of Johan Cruyff.

We are already looking forward to more exciting projects in the Netherlands.