Sweden comprises thousands of coastal islands, inland lakes, vast boreal forests, and glaciated mountains. Along the eastern coast lies Stockholm, Sweden’s capital and most populous city, with approximately 1 million inhabitants. Initially chartered in the 13th century, Stockholm is built across 14 islands and acts as the country’s financial, cultural, and sports hub. Sports are a national movement in Sweden, with over half the population participating in organized sports. Sporting events are not limited to fair-weather months, either, as Sweden is renowned for its love of ice hockey, winning multiple World Cups and Olympic medals.

Near the downtown area lies Zinkensdamms IP, a multi-purpose outdoor sports venue turned into an ice skating rink in winter. The rink is covered by an inflatable “bubble” or dome to protect the ice skaters and rink surface from inclement weather. Unfortunately, the bubble is not soundproof, and the combined audio and background sounds from the ice rink activity disturbed nearby neighbors during the evening.

To reduce the audio to a reasonable level, the ice rink proprietors turned to Robert Nilsson, the owner of local AV integrator Dat AB, to recommend and install a solution that neighbors would find acceptable. With over 30 years of experience in pro AV, Nilsson was well-equipped to solve the ice arena’s audio needs. He immediately considered AtlasIED’s Atmosphere platform the perfect solution to correct the venue’s issues.

“The primary concern was limiting the volume to avoid disturbing the neighbors,” said Nilsson. “However, there really needed to be two zones set up — one for the ice rink itself, which needed to be louder because of the ambient noise, and a second, quieter zone for the spectator areas.”

The Atmosphere AZM4, a four-zone digital signal processor, controls the audio distribution. Using the AZM4, Nilsson can create up to four zones across the ice arena, including the rink and spectator areas. Using Atmosphere, he could limit the maximum volume level for each zone, capping each at 87dB instead of the previous system’s 105dB, which was much too loud, given the proximity of the audience and surrounding neighborhood. Nilsson installed an Atmosphere C-V volume controller rinkside to provide local volume control. He also installed an Atmosphere A-BT Bluetooth wall audio input that allows personnel with access to the system to connect their phone via the A-BT to stream music.

The ability to remotely manage the system was another primary benefit for Nilsson when choosing Atmosphere for the Zinkensdamms IP project. “It is very easy for me to access the system from my office in Säter, which is about a three-hour (200 km) drive to Stockholm,” said Nilsson. “The ability to access the system, troubleshoot, and hopefully solve the issue remotely saves time and money on service costs. It’s a major benefit for everyone.”

A second AZM4 is installed in the operations room, connected through AtlasIED1544AIO-D Dante converters that interface with the fire alarm system. If an alarm is triggered, the AZM4 mutes all zones so everyone in the ice arena can hear the alarms. There are future plans to play a pre-recorded message if the fire alarm is activated.

“The ice rink’s been using the Atmosphere system for over 6 months, and I haven’t received a single trouble call,” said Nilsson. “Atmosphere just works.”