AUSTRALIA: White Bay Power Station’s vast industrial halls presented a demanding acoustic challenge for Ministry of Sound Testament, where three sold-out Sydney shows in July 2026 brought warehouse-era club music back to the heritage-listed site. For Sydney-based VLA Production, the brief was to deliver festival-scale impact while controlling reflections, maintaining intelligibility and limiting noise spill into the surrounding residential neighbourhood.

The former coal-fired power station, which opened in 1917 to supply electricity to Sydney’s tram and rail networks, was decommissioned in 1984 and added to the NSW Heritage Register in 1999. Following conservation and remediation works between 2021 and 2024, it reopened as a cultural, commercial and community precinct. Its high ceilings, hard surfaces, long throws and open voids above the floor, however, make it a challenging environment for amplified sound, while heritage restrictions limit where equipment can be rigged and cables routed.

VLA, the event’s primary production supplier since Testament’s inaugural Sydney edition in 2021, supplied audio, lighting, video and staging. For the 2026 event, the company made its first major deployment of the L-Acoustics L2 platform, supported by Group Technologies Australasia, the manufacturer’s distributor for Australia and New Zealand. Ahead of the event, L-Acoustics’ Australian team had also provided on-site training at VLA’s Sydney headquarters following delivery of the system earlier in the year.

“The brief was clear: deliver a system that feels like a world-class festival inside a heritage-listed industrial building, without compromising the building, the neighbours, or the audience experience,” says VLA Production Director Keith Eisenhuth.

With a generous lead time, VLA used L-Acoustics Soundvision to model venue coverage, establish array aiming and angles, and assess subwoofer configurations for low-frequency control. This enabled the team to address potential coverage and noise-management issues before arriving on site, reducing the need for reactive adjustments during deployment.

“Soundvision was invaluable because it let us solve problems before we ever stepped foot in the venue,” says Eisenhuth. “By the time we arrived on site, we already knew the coverage, SPL distribution and potential trouble spots, which meant faster deployment, cleaner tuning and a system that behaved exactly as expected from the very first show.”

For the main dancefloor, VLA deployed one L2 and one L2D enclosure per side. The L2 handled long-throw coverage down the length of the room, while the L2D addressed the nearer audience area. Both enclosures combine Panflex horizontal directivity control with an integrated cardioid pattern, helping focus energy on the dancefloor while limiting unwanted excitation of the surrounding structure and sound escaping towards nearby streets. Their shared flush-fitting four-point captive rigging and single-connector design also helped minimise attachment points and cable runs in a building where heritage restrictions constrained installation options.

Low-frequency reinforcement came from nine KS28 subwoofers arranged in three cardioid-configured clusters. Kara II enclosures provided front fill, while delay positions used two A15 Focus and one A15 Wide per side. Four positions serving the VIP and upper-level areas each combined Syva over Syva Low, with an SB18 providing additional low-frequency support. DJ foldback comprised one KS21, one A15 Focus and one A15 Wide per side.

Amplification was provided by LA-RAK II and LA-RAK III racks. An L-Acoustics P1 handled system control and tuning, while an LC16D formed part of VLA’s primary AES signal path, maintaining a fully digital signal architecture for the channel count and distribution required by the L2 deployment.

The second stage operated as a separate system, with nine Kara II enclosures and two SB18 subwoofers per side forming the main hangs. Six KS28 subwoofers, configured in cardioid groups of three per side, were ground-stacked, while two X12 enclosures provided out-fill. DJ foldback again comprised one KS21, one A15 Focus and one A15 Wide per side. LA-RAK II racks provided amplification, with system control handled by P1.

Across the three Sydney shows, visiting engineers reportedly commented on the balance and control maintained at high sound pressure levels, as well as how quickly they could work comfortably with the system. Artists and DJs also praised the clarity and impact of the low end, which translated their sets without becoming harsh or fatiguing.

“White Bay Power Station is a uniquely challenging space, and for our first major deployment of the L2 system we wanted to ensure every detail was validated,” says Eisenhuth, crediting both L-Acoustics and Group Technologies Australasia for their support. “Their willingness to come on site, review our design and assist during commissioning made it a great experience.”

“IInvesting in the L2, and in the broader L-Acoustics ecosystem, has significantly elevated VLA’s capability, giving us the consistency, headroom and flexibility needed for bigger, more complex shows,” concludes Eisenhuth. “The launch of our L2 at Ministry of Sound was an incredible kickoff, a moment that immediately showcased what the system could do.”