AVNation TV

Tag: loudspeaker

  • L-Acoustics K Series Sound Flies Again Along with The Eagles (and The Chiefs) at Super Bowl LIX

    L-Acoustics K Series Sound Flies Again Along with The Eagles (and The Chiefs) at Super Bowl LIX

    The Caesars Superdome in New Orleans has seen it all, and then some. It hosted Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, February 9, its eighth NFL Big Game since the iconic domed venue opened in 1975. In that time, it’s also served as the Big Easy’s largest event facility and, more importantly, as its main refuge during storms. Even in 2005, when Hurricane Katrina damaged the structure’s outer cladding and forced its closure for repairs, the Dome’s eventual reopening became a powerful symbol of the city’s resilience and determination to rebuild and thrive.

    What also endures about the Superdome has been its sound. Each of those Super Bowls additionally hosted one of the event’s emblematic halftime music shows, including this year’s concert by 22-time Grammy Award winner Kendrick Lamar. Like a phoenix that it is, the Superdome arose and readied itself once again, this time with a completely new sound system brought in specifically for the halftime show and the game, and one that’s become a mainstay of high-end concert performances globally: an L-Acoustics K2-based system, provided by ATK Audiotek/Clair Global, who have managed the halftime-event sound for nearly 30 years.

    The Grid Above and Around the Gridiron
    The system comprised 16 hangs of K2 arrays and eight hangs of KS28 subs. A dozen of those K2 hangs had K1-SB above; eight of the K2 hangs had closely-coupled K1-SB, while four of the remaining K2 hangs used K1-SB as a line extension. The number of subs has been increasing over the last few years, reflecting the halftime shows’ production by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation company, which has steered the events in a hip-hop direction since 2019.

    This temporary sound system was similar to that used the past two years. It is, in fact, the third time that Kirk Powell, design engineer at ATK Audiotek (acquired in 2021 by Clair Global) and his staff – including show mixers Alex Guessard and Dave Natale, monitor mixers Tom Pesa and Chris Daniels, and systems engineer Johnny Keirle – have put a separate sound system up in the air in a Super Bowl venue. That process began two years ago, when State Farm Stadium’s roll-out grass field prevented the carts that had been deployed for decades to trundle PA components quickly out to the field for the changeover to Usher’s halftime show. Until 2023, the halftime-dedicated sound systems were used exclusively for the music performances, with the installed house PA used for announcements and effects sound.

    Since then, the temporary L-Acoustics PA systems have also handled all of the live sound in the bowl for the game and all related events, such as the Opening Night event at the stadium on Monday, where hundreds of media interview Super Bowl players and coaches for the first time during their only public appearance before taking the field for The Big Game. But because this year the temporary system was also being used for the entire game, there were actually a total of 200 K2, 40 K1-SB, and 64 KS28 – the largest such system yet deployed of any type for a Super Bowl. It also served as the first-listen opportunity ahead of the game and halftime events, as well.

    “The halftime show is so different than what we’re doing for opening night, but we get a good handle on how the room feels,” Powell says. “Having a flown system makes a lot of difference because the coverage is better and it’s consistent – it’s there all day; we’re not moving it in and out during rehearsals. It’s the third time we’ve done this and it’s a continuation of just trying to improve and tweak and see if we can make it a little bit better than last time.”

    Super-Challenging Dome Design
    The Superdome – the fifth oldest in the league and the second-ever domed NFL field – is an iconic relic from an earlier era of stadium architecture and a living historical record of sound-system design. “It’s got really deep under-balconies and that creates a big challenge,” says Powell. “You have to rely on the installed house system for the fill speakers you need to reach those areas. And acoustically speaking, there are other challenges, because it’s an older stadium that wasn’t updated like a newer stadium would be for acoustic treatments to address, for instance, the reflectivity of a lot of exposed concrete. Plus, it’s a big, roofed room. So yes, there are acoustic issues.”

    K Series for the Win
    But the L-Acoustics K Series was more than up to the challenge. “One of the biggest challenges was the trim height restriction, as no rigging elements could be lower than 153 feet from the field,” explains PA systems designer Johnny Keirle. “That forced me to design the system higher than ideal, which introduced coverage and tonal balance challenges, as well as potential temporal issues. The flexibility of the K Series, particularly K2’s adjustable Panflex and rigging flexibility, was key in combatting these constraints. Narrowing the horizontal dispersion of the K2 using Panflex, and using K2 rigbars to allow for extreme curvature where needed, helped to both maintain coverage and tonal consistency despite the higher-than-optimal trim requirements.” Further, he adds, L-Acoustics’ Soundvision design software allowed for fast and accurate on-site optimization of the designs.

    The event’s music component was substantial – in addition to the Kendrick Lamar halftime show, Louisiana jazz legends Jon Batiste and Trombone Shorty with singer Lauren Daigle also performed live – and the K Series assured they all had a great show. “With K Series, rather than having a public address-type system, I can design a system that delivers a true rock and roll experience, not just for the halftime show, but also for pre-game entertainment and the game itself,” says Keirle. “Both elements of the event – the game announcements and the halftime show – have different criteria, and I approached the system design with both in mind from the start. The system was designed to deliver plenty of SPL and LF contour for the halftime show to hit with impact, while maintaining the clarity, intelligibility, and immediacy required for game announcements and referee calls.”

    The Big Game had an unexpected ending: a lop-sided score that saw the Philadelphia Eagles prevent the Kansas City Chiefs’ widely predicted three-peat win. But what everyone got was a superb sonic experience via the L-Acoustics K Series arrays. “Everything went just as fantastic as we expected,” Powell concluded. “We had plenty of headroom with the L-Acoustics system all night long, and it sounded great for both the halftime show and the game itself. It was a win.”

  • Winspear Centre Installs Canada’s First L-Acoustics L Series Concert Sound System

    Winspear Centre Installs Canada’s First L-Acoustics L Series Concert Sound System

    From its grand opening in 1997, the Francis Winspear Centre for Music’s 1,716-seat Enmax Hall has served as the primary performance space for the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. But the resplendent concert hall is just as well known for hosting a steady stream of other performers as well—including touring artists from blues, country, folk, jazz, rock, and other genres—in addition to a diverse roster of community events. To best accommodate the room’s wide range of sonic styles, dbi Systems Integration collaborated with L-Acoustics Certified Provider FM Systems to equip the Winspear Centre with Canada’s first permanently installed L Series loudspeaker system.

    dbi Systems and FM Systems are shared providers of services to the Winspear Centre, with dbi providing all permanent in-house AV systems and FM providing all production services and rentals. Since 2014, dbi Systems has worked with Winspear Head of Audio Jonas Duffy on a wide variety of short- and long-term plans to allow for ongoing A/V systems upgrades with a purposeful long-range vision.

    “As a part of these ongoing system upgrades in 2021, it was decided that it was time to look at replacing the existing house loudspeaker system in the main hall,” says dbi Systems Integration Principal Jerry Van Dyke. “After several years of auditioning products from some of today’s premier loudspeaker manufacturers, L-Acoustics was deemed the loudspeaker of choice for this project. Over the next two years there was collaboration between Winspear Centre, dbi Systems, FM Systems, and L-Acoustics on the design and configuration of the system, which was integrated by dbi Systems.”

    The Centre’s prior PA had been installed in 2007 and struggled to meet the demands of current touring acts that were looking for higher SPL capabilities. “As is always the case in our industry, there had been major changes in technology since that system had been installed and the Winspear wanted the performance capabilities of today’s best loudspeaker systems,” notes dbi Associate and Senior Systems Designer Joshua Duguid. “The three major requirements were: premium sonic quality, high SPL capability, and smooth, even coverage throughout the entire room—all of which L-Acoustics was perfectly suited to deliver.”

    Originally, the new system design consisted of an assortment of L-Acoustics Kara II loudspeakers, flown KS28 subwoofers, KS21 floor subwoofers, A15i choir-fills and 5XT lip-fills. However, two weeks before the bid submission deadline, dbi Systems learned that L-Acoustics was going to be debuting a new loudspeaker line that would be a “game-changer in the permanent install and touring worlds,” he describes.

    Following discussions on performance capabilities, aesthetics, suitability for the room, and rider acceptance, L Series was chosen for Winspear’s main chamber hall. “After modeling the room with the L2/L2D enclosures, it was clear that the L Series concert sound system would provide even better coverage and superior sonic capabilities in a smaller footprint,” says Van Dyke. While acknowledging that there was a degree of risk in going with a product that dbi Systems had no prior experience with, it was decided that the pedigree of L-Acoustics products and the company’s history of delivering on what it promised made the risk worthwhile. With a great deal of collaboration between Duffy, dbi Systems, and L-Acoustics, the entire system was re-designed in two weeks.

    The resulting design now features left and right main arrays of two L2 enclosures over one L2D per side, with a third central array planned to be flown later this summer. For low frequency reinforcement, four KS21 subs arranged in cardioid configuration sit on both the far left and right sides of the stage, directly below the main arrays. Eleven ultra-compact X4i in a custom RAL color are mounted across the stage face for low-SPL front-fill, while six larger X8 supply high-SPL front-fill. Onstage, two clusters of two A10 Focus—mounted to the top back sides of the L Series hangs—serve as stage monitors for the choir loft.

    Out in the house, 14 compact 5XT are mounted to the ceiling of the underbalcony area for additional fill, with two X8 functioning as dress circle loge fills. The FOH mix position benefits from a near-field monitoring setup of two 5XT paired with a single SB10i sub, while a projection booth/mother’s room benefits from three X8 and one SB10i. The venue’s lobby area also features an L-Acoustics system comprised of six Soka accompanied by six more SB10i.

    Milan-AVB is used as the audio signal path for the entire system. “With amplifiers being in five different room locations at distances between them being up to 500 feet, Milan-AVB was integral to this design,” says Duguid. “The Winspear venue relies heavily on AVoIP, and already had Dante, Q-SYS, and Video over IP in place. A large part of this install was upgrading and redesigning the network infrastructure. Redundancy was key, and many steps were taken in the design/install to ensure the system always functions.” Two fully independent switching infrastructures were connected by redundant fiber trunks, and mission-critical devices are on two separate UPS circuits. All of the L-Acoustics amplified controllers also utilize the 24-volt backup to ensure minimal downtime in the event of a power outage.

    The first show after the system commissioning was, appropriately, an Edmonton Symphony Orchestra concert—a tribute to the music of Canadian-American singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. “We heard so many comments from the guests that night on how amazing our new system sounded and looked,” says Winspear’s Jonas Duffy. “Our technicians were amazed at how smooth the coverage was. Our old system had spots in the room where you would hear the gaps or interactions between the array boxes, but the new L Series system is completely seamless, and it sounds great all the way back in the fourth-floor gallery.”

    Duffy shares that the L2/L2D system has received many positive comments from both staff and administrators on how much cleaner and less imposing the look of the loudspeakers are. “Also, from the audience’s perspective, you cannot see individual array boxes or any speaker cables, and because the L Series arrays are flown much higher than the previous ones, they leave more room for our venue’s beauty to shine through.”

    Beyond the main chamber system, the booth and projection/mother’s room systems offer a sonic experience that is virtually identical to that of being in the main chamber. For events where technicians need to mix from inside the sealed booth, they can be sure they are making sonic choices that match what the audience hears.

    “L-Acoustics L Series was an excellent choice for this project,” enthuses dbi Systems Consultant Jordan Van Dyke. “The sonic performance and SPL capabilities of this system ensure that it will meet or exceed virtually any guest act rider for years to come. For Edmonton Symphony concerts, which are the most common events in the venue, the fact that this system does not require subs to be full-range cleans up the stage exceptionally, and the ability to have the arrays in cardioid or supercardioid mode gives the musicians onstage a much-improved experience as well.”

    “Our team here at dbi realizes that an opportunity like this does not come along very often, and to see it happen at a venue that we have been partnered with for over ten years is extremely satisfying,” Van Dyke adds. “This project has been years in the making, and to see it all come together was magical. Watching the reactions of the staff at the Winspear when the system was turned on for the first time, the looks of shock and awe, followed by silence and spontaneous applause, is a moment that we will never forget.”

  • More AV expands its Funktion-One distribution across Benelux

    More AV expands its Funktion-One distribution across Benelux

    More AV has extended its Funktion-One distribution to include Belgium and Luxembourg, making it the loudspeaker manufacturer’s representative for the entire Benelux region. The company, which is headquartered in Zoetermeer, Netherlands, has been a key Funktion-One partner for almost 20 years.

    More AV, which is led by founder Remco van der Werff, will build on the strong foundation left by outgoing distributor, Soundsystem.be, whose owners – Tia Broodcoorens and Lieven Pillaert – have decided to close the company and pursue personal projects. For Pillaert, that includes working closely with More AV in a consultative capacity.

    Funktion-One’s Ann Andrews comments: “We’re delighted that More AV has grown its operation and taken over the distribution of Funktion-One throughout Benelux. We’ve known Remco and his team for a long time and know they will continue with their professional and attentive approach. We’re thankful for everything Soundsystem.be has given as part of the Funktion-One family and wish Tia and Lieven every success in the future.”

    More AV’s van der Werff adds: “We are looking forward to growing Funktion-One’s presence in Belgium and Luxemburg and working closely with local dealers and rental partners. We take a lot of pride in the work we do and the brands we represent and understand the importance of building lasting relationships with our partners.”

    In addition to the new distribution arrangement, More AV has increased the size of its headquarters, adding a small demo room for Funktion-One’s Compact Range.

    “Following the challenges of recent years, we’re looking forward to a bright future across the Benelux region,” says van der Werff. “This will be underpinned by the exciting innovations that continue to come out of Funktion-One, with new product launches planned for the coming months.”

    For additional information about More AV, please visit https://more-av.nl. 

  • L-Acoustics Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force Seize and Destroy Fake Loudspeakers

    L-Acoustics Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force Seize and Destroy Fake Loudspeakers

    Imitation is not always the greatest form of flattery. And in the case of counterfeit loudspeakers, it can be dangerous and illegal. In an active fight against counterfeit products and working in conjunction with the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC), a key border agency of the Chinese nation which boasts 100,000 staff throughout the country, L-Acoustics recently had illegal counterfeit ARCS II loudspeakers seized and destroyed.

    After an investigation conducted by the GACC, and information provided by L-Acoustics to determine the authenticity of the suspicious ARCS II, the counterfeit loudspeakers were seized and taken to a recycling facility, where they were dismantled. GACC officials attended the products’ destruction to attest that they effectively destroyed the fake loudspeakers and recycled the materials.

    The counterfeiters were prosecuted as part of the L-Acoustics Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force’s mission to eradicate fake products. “We thank the Youyiguan Customs team and our local counsel, Wanhuida, for their cooperation,” says L-Acoustics Legal Counsel Laurent Ostojski. “This is but one small step in our anti-counterfeiting initiative, and we’re poised to take legal action against any perpetrators in the future.”

    L-Acoustics dedicates significant financial and human resources to remove counterfeits from the market. “These products can be deceptively similar to ours on the outside but feature poor quality components and are marketed without any warranty, service, or electrical or mechanical certification,” explains Stephane Ecalle, Director of Market Intelligence at L-Acoustics. “The role of our task force is not only to defend our intellectual property by constantly monitoring the market, but also to alert the public on safety risks for users, and the legal risks associated with ownership or resale of counterfeits.”

    All L-Acoustics products are manufactured in Europe. More information about the L-Acoustics Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force can be seen on L-Acoustics.com, where users can also report any suspected counterfeit L-Acoustics products.

  • The Woodlands Methodist Church Gets the Immersive Treatment with L-Acoustics L-ISA and A Series Loudspeakers

    The Woodlands Methodist Church Gets the Immersive Treatment with L-Acoustics L-ISA and A Series Loudspeakers

    With a 14,000-plus-member congregation, The Woodlands Methodist Church is one of the largest in Texas. Back in 2001, when it moved into its new 2,200-seat main worship campus in The Woodlands, a suburb just north of Houston, the sound system was designed by consultancy Idibri, a Salas O’Brien company —then known as Acoustic Dimensions—and installed by integrator LD Systems. Twenty years on, both the church’s and companies’ commitment to advanced worship technology remains unchanged. Just ahead of The Woodlands Methodist Church’s annual Christmas stage production last December, Idibri and LD Systems came together once again to keep the church at the forefront of audio technology with the design and installation of L-ISA immersive technology using L-Acoustics A Series loudspeakers.

    “The music of The Woodlands Methodist Church ranges from contemporary to blended to traditional choir and orchestra. The original system we designed there was a hybrid mono-plus-stereo system that let the spoken word use mono while the music was performed in stereo,” explains Ryan Knox, Senior Consultant at Idibri, who worked on both the original project and the recent renovation. “The bid request they had ready to go last year was for a stereo system, and we were concerned that it could de-emphasize the center for speech. So we recommended L-Acoustics L-ISA technology, which would take the church into an entirely new and immersive place for audio.”

    Idibri’s Senior Vice President, Acoustics & Technology Robert Rose, PM on the project, adds, “We have a 20-year relationship with The Woodlands Methodist Church. So, we were in a unique position to influence their choice in a way that would keep them at the cutting edge while ensuring that the music and the message remain the center of every service.”

    Integrated by LD Systems, the new loudspeaker setup comprises a Scene system with five hangs of five A15 loudspeakers each, flanked on either side of the proscenium stage by two hangs of three A10 each, with a center array of eight KS21 subwoofers hidden behind a color-matched grille cloth. The system also includes 13 X4i enclosures mounted into the stage lip as front-fills and 11 X8 as under-balcony fills. All are powered by 11 LA4X and seven LA2X amplified controllers and managed by dual L-ISA Processors that interface with the church’s DiGiCo SD10 mixing console.

    “It was very cool to be back in the same place we worked on 20 years earlier, where we were installing what was then a very cutting-edge sound system,” recalls LD Systems Sales Engineer Kevin Broussard, referring to the line array system they fitted into the new sanctuary at the time. “Line arrays had become common as touring systems, but this was among the first to be done as an installed system.” And now as then, Broussard says, they were once again keeping the church at the leading edge of sound.

    While implementing the cabling infrastructure for the L-ISA setup was the most labor-intensive part of the project, accomplished under time pressures to have the system ready for the church’s annual Christmas production, Broussard notes that the commissioning of the system, done in concert with L-Acoustics’ technical assistance, went remarkably smoothly. “Soundvision is such a reliable and accurate prediction software that we were able to verify that the performance of the model matched reality almost as soon as it was installed,” he says, leaving only some fine-tuning to be finished. “That’s one of the reasons we’re so tightly linked to L-Acoustics—we can rely on the fact that whatever we design and install will meet or exceed the client’s expectations.”

    Jonathan Gentry, The Woodlands Methodist Church’s Technical Director, says the church was understandably apprehensive about making the leap from a conventional sound system to immersive. He expected that it would be overly complex, that its components would interfere with the auditorium’s visual aesthetics, and finally, that it would be cost-prohibitive. But he was quickly reassured on all three counts.

    “Initially, I thought that in no way was I to bring this before the building committee, with this many arrays across the top of the stage,” he recalls. “And I figured it would be way too expensive, so I said to Robert Rose, ‘Tell me the price—I could use a good laugh.’”

    However, the system’s cost was surprisingly in line with what a conventional modern line array setup would have cost. After Gentry saw architectural renderings of what the system would look like in place, he realized that L-ISA would bring not only immersive sound but also a host of other significant benefits to the church. “The way that the A-Series speakers are configured up high, it allowed us to move the side video screens in toward the center more, which created a more balanced look,” he explains. “It very much worked with our larger design goals to keep them more focused on the stage.”

    Production Manager Steven Rector adds that L-ISA technology takes worship engagement to another level. “Compared to a typical left-right line array, L-ISA makes worship so much more intimate, even in a very large room,” he says. “There was a concern early on that immersive sound might be a passing thing—was it going to last? We have a conventional L-Acoustics Kara rig in our Harvest worship space, so we knew the quality of the brand, but immersive is still a very new thing. However, once you experience it, you realize how much it enhances the worship experience.” He says that’s especially been the case for the church’s musicians and vocalists. “For them, the difference is night and day—the clarity and the spatial effect is remarkable.”

    The Woodlands Methodist Church’s audio technology renovation brought together the original staff and crews that put the house of worship’s first sound system together. Gentry has photos of LD Systems’ longtime Project Manager Nelson Wilcox hoisting the first system and the new one over 20 years apart—a reminder that, in those two decades, they’ve become kind of a family. L-ISA is the next step in audio technology that’s bringing the entire congregation closer together. “This immersive experience is ultimately one that helps us all feel closer to each other and our Creator,” Gentry says. “It’s really created something intimate and special, especially for a large space like ours.”

    For more details on The Woodlands Methodist Church, visit www.thewoodlandsumc.org. Find Idibri and LD Systems online at www.idibri.com and www.ldsystems.com.

  • Renkus-Heinz Hosts VIP Technology Showcase in Las Vegas on August 31

    Renkus-Heinz Hosts VIP Technology Showcase in Las Vegas on August 31

    FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. — Renkus-Heinz is displaying the full power of its audio solutions on Aug. 31 at the aptly named Renkus-Heinz Theater – located inside The Notoriety Theater – in Las Vegas, Nevada. While the event is attendance capped, Renkus-Heinz is welcoming those in the Las Vegas area – and those willing to travel to the city – to experience the new and exciting solutions on display.

    Live demos take place at 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. on Aug. 31 at The Notoriety Theater in Las Vegas. A ribbon cutting ceremony for the Renkus-Heinz Theater will take place at 6 p.m. followed by a live performance.

    Renkus-Heinz loudspeaker technology offers The Sound Solution and allows venues of all sizes and acoustic complexity to place sound exactly where they want it: on the audience. The Renkus-Heinz team is demoing its full range of new, flexible loudspeaker products that fit nearly any installation. These solutions include the impressive ICLive X Series; new SA112 and SA28 Subwoofers; the full line in the recently introduced Iconyx Compact Series; the CA121, CA81, and CA62 Stage Monitors; and the P3-15 Point Source speakers.

    “We are excited to showcase our new and cutting-edge product series in person as the clarity and intelligibility we’ve innovated into our products over the past year is truly stunning,” said Garrison Parkin, Western Regional Sales Manager at Renkus-Heinz. “After more than a year of virtually attending events and shows, Renkus-Heinz is eager to work with integrators and venues to ensure they are providing the best experience for audiences. That starts with showcasing our technology to decision makers so they can fully understand the difference that Renkus-Heinz solutions provide.”

    The event is registration only to ensure best safety practices for attendees. To receive an invitation, contact Renkus-Heinz at: Christine.Thieroff@Renkus-Heinz.com