MALAYSIA: History was made at the iconic Bukit Jalil National Stadium as the audio launch concert for the forthcoming Tamil film Jana Nayagan unfolded before a staggering crowd of 85,000 fans, marking the first time a Tamil film’s audio launch has been staged outside India at such scale. The sold-out spectacle — which has since earned a place in the The Malaysian Book of Records — celebrated the film starring Tamil cinema icon Vijay, with composer and performer Anirudh Ravichander igniting the stadium with live renditions of songs from the film.

Delivering the sonic backbone for the historic event was L-Acoustics Certified Provider Distributor Digital Aid (D8 Projects), which deployed a large-scale L-Acoustics system for concert organisers Malik Streams. Tasked with ensuring intelligible, high-impact audio for 85,000 fans packed across every tier of Southeast Asia’s largest multi-purpose stadium, the production demanded a system capable of cutting through the roar of the crowd while maintaining pristine vocal clarity and powerful low-frequency impact across the immense venue.

D8 Projects has been Malik Streams’ trusted audio partner since 2022, providing live sound solutions across its productions. For the Jana Nayagan audio launch, the brief centred on achieving uniform coverage with well-defined, impactful low end while retaining clarity in the mid-range for vocals. The system also needed to deliver exceptional SPL to maintain intelligibility when tens of thousands of fans erupted in celebration as their favourite artists and actors took the stage.

The system design addressed a particularly complex stage layout, with front-row concertgoers surrounding an elevated runway connecting the main performance platform to a VIP seating zone reserved for the film’s cast. Combined with the full-size football field and the three-tier stadium seating configuration, the environment created significant acoustic coverage challenges.

Visual production was equally ambitious. As with most film audio launches, the LED display infrastructure formed a central part of the experience, making integration between the PA system and large-scale visual elements a key design priority. Ensuring that audio deployment complemented the LED configuration without obstructing sightlines proved critical, particularly given the stadium’s sold-out capacity. The event’s length-wise concert layout further intensified the challenge, necessitating a robust delay system capable of maintaining consistent coverage from the stage front to the furthest seating tiers.

Planning and optimisation relied heavily on L-Acoustics Soundvision 3D modelling software, with Kim Fai Hep, Application Engineer at L-Acoustics, providing additional support in the system design phase. Through close coordination between the audio and visual production teams, D8 Projects was able to achieve optimal loudspeaker placement while preserving unobstructed views for the visual content.

The final system design featured a main hang of 16 L-Acoustics K1 and six K2 down per side, with 12 K1-SB subwoofers flown behind. An out-fill system comprised 12 K1 and four K2 down, while front-fill coverage was delivered via 16 Kara II enclosures deployed in groups of two, positioned above 56 KS28 subwoofers ground-stacked across the front of the stage. Side-fill coverage for dancers utilised Kara II loudspeakers paired with SB28 subwoofers, while X15 HiQ monitors provided foldback monitoring for on-stage musicians.

Further coverage across the vast stadium was ensured through a delay system of six K2 per side, complemented by additional out-fill using two L2 and one L2D per side. Powering the entire system were 70 LA12X and six LA7.16 amplified controllers, with signal processing handled by L-Acoustics P1 processors operating across a Milan-AVB network protocol.

“The system was networked using Milan-AVB, which provided low-latency and reliable live audio transport across all endpoints,” notes Bryan Chia, System Engineer of D8 Projects. “L-Acoustics electronics supported this natively, allowing straightforward integration and reliable system monitoring. An analogue fallback was also implemented as a precaution, ensuring continuous operation in case of network issues.”

The event’s scale and complexity did little to faze the system once showtime arrived. Feedback from artists, performers, FOH and monitor engineers, and concert organisers remained consistently positive throughout the night.

“Performers reported clear, intelligible monitoring with consistent coverage across the stage without being affected by the main PA volume,” notes Henry Hari Ram Mariapan, CEO of D8 Projects. The system delivered exceptional bass pressure and impact with pristine clarity for vocals and backing music, successfully matching the energy of the 85,000 fans celebrating their favourite Tamil cinema icons and musical artists.

“Without a doubt, the K Series maintained exceptional reliability throughout the historic, record-breaking event despite the operational scale and demanding performance requirements,” he concludes.