Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, one of the most iconic live entertainment venues in the Middle East, has recently undertaken a significant upgrade of its resident audio infrastructure. The arena is the first multi-purpose, fully air-conditioned indoor arena in the Middle East operating all year round.
Driven by the need to meet the increasingly demanding technical requirements of internationally touring productions—while seamlessly integrating with the venue’s complex, multi-use service ecosystem—the arena invested in a new state-of-the-art audio system. As part of this major upgrade, unveiled in September 2025, the venue introduced a brand-new d&b line-array system alongside the integration of DirectOut PRODIGY.MP platforms. The result is a flexible, future-proof audio environment capable of supporting the highest-level live performances, broadcast
workflows, and event production standards.
Julian A Chetty is Head of Technical Services at Coca-Cola Arena and for him, working in one of the most iconic venues in the world is both exciting and demanding. He is responsible for overseeing the venue’s Technical department and ensuring that every event meets the highest possible technical standards. For Chetty, the choice of PRODIGY.MP to upgrade the system with felt like the natural choice and a perfect solution for their needs allowing the audio team to adapt to any workflow required by the show.
“With the integration of our new system, choosing DirectOut was the obvious direction to take,” he explains. “Malcolm Giles, our Senior Director Venue Management and Mark Jan Kar, General Manager of Coca-Cola Arena, have a strong understanding of new technologies and how quickly the industry evolves, so they were instrumental in the choice. The PRODIGY Smart Platform has become an industry standard across major touring, live, and broadcast environments. I had originally specified MAVEN.A, so being able to integrate two of the larger PRODIGY.MP was ideal.”
Both PRODIGY.MP units are fitted with Dante/Milan Dual network cards, plus two AES SRC I/O cards and an AN8 I/O card. Typically, the PRODIGYs act as primary and secondary units, with the secondary providing complete redundancy. Thanks to the flexibility of this setup, the PRODIGY.MPs are able to function as matrix processing, but also fulfil several other uses, depending on the application.
“I believe the PRODIGY platform is a device with virtually no limitations,” he expands. “While we primarily refer to it as a matrix processor, it can just as easily function as a standalone
mixer for almost any application. With all the features added over the past two years, the PRODIGY now feels closer to a fully capable audio console rather than just a processor.”
There are many artists visiting the arena and most recently Majid Al Mohandis returned for another sensational performance. Known as the Engineer of Arabic song, the record-breaking, best-selling Middle Eastern artist celebrated Eid at the arena in May 2026, selling out the landmark venue. With artists as huge as Majid Al Mohandis, there could be additional pressures on Chetty and his team but, as he expands, with exceptional solutions like PRODIGY.MP providing the central brains of their system, they can take everything in their stride.
“Pressure is always part of a live show environment, regardless of the artist,” he notes. “The audio department is always thoroughly prepared and take every precaution to ensure each show runs smoothly. The PRODIGY.MPs serve as the master clock for our MILAN setup, while also providing analog outputs as a redundant secondary protocol. They are responsible for system management, clocking, routing, and backup paths, essentially ensuring that every part of the signal chain remains stable and secure. Having the PRODIGY.MPs is a major advantage, a real asset. They provide quick, reliable solutions even in complex and demanding setups, which definitely helps reduce stress on show days.”
Looking ahead, Chetty expresses full confidence in the team's ability to navigate future challenges successfully. Even with the ultra-high expectations set by this unique venue, the overall excellence of the audio system is able to wow the audience every night. When international star Teddy Swims came through on tour, they brought three PRODIGY.MPs with them.
“It’s always exciting when visiting productions arrive with the same level of technology we’ve invested in, but for me, the most important thing is to keep those systems simple, while still retaining the flexibility to handle any request at any level,” he finishes. “The PRODIGY.MP gives us exactly that balance; simplicity in daily operation, but huge capability when we need it. It has definitely made many tasks easier without adding any unnecessary complexity. 7Hertz team – the official DirectOut pro audio distributor in UAE ed. - is always available, both by phone and email, and DirectOut Luca Giaroli’s CEO videos go into impressive depth, especially on more complex topics. With all the excellent documentation and support on hand, I feel more than lucky.”
