While 32 nations played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Sydney was one of only six cities around the world to host an International FIFA Fan Fest. More than 500,000 people visited the Cockle Bay and Tumbalong Park sites, at Darling Harbour, where all 64 matches were broadcast live on four large screens.

JPS provided sound reinforcement and crew for the 31 day event.

Excessive temperatures and strict noise pollution controls faced Pearl Jam and their crew at their massive outdoor gig at Sydney’s Football Stadium in support of their latest release, Backspacer. This was also the tour that Australian rental-company and long-standing L-Acoustics Rental Network Agent, Jands Production Services (JPS) was using to debut its new K1/Kudo line array system.

JPS – along with several of the world’s leading rental companies – are collaborating with the L- Acoustics R&D team in advanced field proofing of the new system that is specifically designed for stadiums. As a result the company has taken delivery of one of the limited number of K1 systems in the pilot programme. “The new K1 isn’t intended as a replacement for V-Dosc,” explains Jim Straw, JPS general manager. “The combination of K1 and Kudo is aimed at providing a scaled solution for large venues with Kudo providing a flexible horizontal and greater vertical dispersion, while the K1 offers fixed horizontal dispersion with a maximum of 5° inter-element angles for larger venues.”

Pearl Jam’s FOH engineer, Greg Nelson, first heard the K1 system at Coachella, admitting that he was ‘blown away’ with how much sub bass could be achieved out of the main flown system. “Ratsound, our sound provider in the US, had purchased the system and I got to preview it at last year”s Coachella festival. I was wildly impressed with the performance,” he says. “The box just sounded better than anything else I had ever heard – straight out flat, just turn it on and go.”

Mr Nelson was anxious to use the K1 system as soon as possible so when Pearl Jam hit the road in the US a couple of months ago, he did just that. “I had a great time with it and it is instantly noticeable that we were using a better sounding PA system,” he says. “From management to the band, to people who know nothing about sound – it was obviously a much better system. It throws better, it covers better… in fact, the coverage on it is a lot wider so It’s been possible to spread the sound system around a bit. I was actually able to lose one of my rear hangs all together; the K1 enabled us to use less PA in a room which is great for truck space and means less time to hang the system.”

In conversations with JPS prior to the tour, Mr Nelson mentioned how fabulous he thought the K1 system was and how much he’d love to use it in Australia. “JPS made it happen,” he says. “

The K1 enclosure includes dual 15-inch woofers, a re-engineered mid/high section that includes a third compression driver, and uses internal captive rigging. The K1 is designed to hang 24 enclosures deep, creating much longer arrays than is possible with V-Dosc. The new dual 15 K1-SB subwoofer is also flyable providing system designers with longer LF throw and cardioid pattern physical arrangements and presets to suit the SB28 subwoofers. “Using the K1 system in Australia has been a great experience,” Mr Nelson reports. “It requires almost no EQ, there’s nothing that needs to be done with the system – we literally turn it on and go and it performs wonderfully.”

He describes the sound of the K1 as “very hi-fi with an incredibly smooth high-end and mid-range” – basically a big improvement over the V-Dosc: “As I said, It’s a wider box especially in the high frequencies, where you’re covering a lot more area with it. The low end is also fantastic. The main PA, without turning the subs on, goes down to 45Hz and so I’ve been able to stop flying the subs because the main PA is putting out so much energy. I can just stack some subs on the ground and you can feel that kick drum throughout the whole venue. It’s great for Pearl Jam, as having subs on-stage really annoyed them; the feel of them can be disorientating. With the ability to place the SB28 subs in front of the band, I can get a lot more sub and the band don’t feel a thing. It makes for a better show all round and the band have a better time on stage as there are no low frequency distractions.

“The cardioid sub pattern I am using with the SB28 means I am able to get away with way more sub bass than I have in the past and even now have complaints from my monitor engineer that the PA is too quiet,” he continues. “The clarity of the system is great. A lot of times during the show I have three guitars just hammering away and it is very easy to make them all individually heard with this new system.”

For the Australian tour, the PA system is made up of 48 K1, 24 K1 Subs, 24 SB28 subs, 16 Arcs, 24 V-Dosc and 18 dV-Dosc elements. The main hang consists of eight K1 subs and 14 K1 boxes, with three dV-Dosc boxes at the bottom. Side hangs are four K1 subs with 10 K1 boxes, and six dV-Dosc on the bottom. The SB28 subs are spread out in blocks all over the floor in front of the stage with L-Acoustic Arcs on top on them, the amount changing every day depending on what each venue requires. “Some days I only use eight of them and on others I use all 16,” explains Mr Nelson. “The K1 sub is basically an extension of the low-end in the main hang so it is flown on top – it just gives you a little extra punch.”

The K1 system is powered by the LA-Rak, a 9U-high touring rack, incorporating three LA8 amplifier-controllers, and space for dual Ethernet switches for control and monitoring (L-Net) and digital audio (L-DGA). The LA Network Manager software, running on a PC, offers a graphic interface for control and monitoring of up to 253 units. The software also includes EQ balance tools to adjust for array height, listening distance and line source type.

For the past three years Mr Nelson has been using the Digidesign D-Show Venue console, which he describes as fantastic. “I wouldn’t change a thing about it,” he claims. “I’m really comfortable on it – it sounds good and, at this point, It’s kind of like an old friend.”

The Sydney Football Stadium has very severe noise restrictions taking into account C-weighting which most venues do not. In fact, not only do they take C-weighting into account but it wasn’t an average rather a peak. At no time could the show exceed 100dB C-weighted.

“The metering point was only about 70m away from the stage,” says Mr Nelson. “It was also right where the subs kind of lobed, so if you walked to the left or right it was quieter than where they had the meter. That made it even more difficult and meant I had to play with turning the low end up in the main hang and down in the subs, and vice versa just to try negate that lobing where the actual level meter was positioned. I think it made for a less impact in the show and it was actually noticed by the crew and management as quite a different show. If the city council doesn’t want a rock band to play there then don’t book one.”

“Other than that it was fine and everyone had a great time. It’s only people like us who know what it could have been. Not that it needed to be exceedingly loud. The average A-weighted at FOH is 101dB or 102dB and the average C-weighting is 115dB. It’s not like I’m killing people out there, I just like a bit more impact. You can use low end to make a show seem louder than it actually is and unfortunately I couldn’t.”

During soundcheck and the support acts of Liam Finn followed by Ben Harper, Mr Nelson tried to gauge how loud he could go at front of house to determine what it would be at the meter. “I didn’t want the guy on at me all night telling me to turn it down, I really didn’t want to have to deal with that,” he adds. “With Eddie Vedder having the flu his voice was incredibly raspy and there were times when he wasn’t really hitting the high notes but it was still strong. You could still understand everything he was saying and he was still in key. Eddie has such an amazing voice even when he is sick with the flu. He still went for it and threw everything he could into his performance in fact I really didn”t have to do much that was different. Maybe my fader was 3dB higher than normal but that was all.”

Long-time monitor engineer Karrie Keyes was having a difficult day sweating it out at the helm of a Midas Heritage console. Earlier in the day the Midas got heatstroke and went into shut down with the thermal and so a bunch of fans were set up to keep it going. Fortunately everything ended up being fine and the Sydney show was a good – if somewhat stressful – test run for the gear, and the K1 system in particular. According to Mr Nelson, everyone on stage was miserable but the gear held up well and it all performed well: “The heat never makes for a fun day or fun show,” comments Ms Keyes. “The sound suffers considerably, so it was pretty brutal.”

She has been mixing the monitors for Pearl Jam for 18 years, and knows the band’s needs well. Among the challenges this tour she faces is the sheer volume on the stage, small stage space and each member of the band wanting to hear different things – except when they want a ‘crossfire’ sound. The goal is to have no pockets on stage without sound, with Eddie Vedder being the loudest and the clearest as he thrives on the volume. For this reason, she chose to tour with the new EAW MicroWedge 12s. Plus, with limited stage space the small footprint of the MicroWedge is a definite bonus. “I am using the Microwedge 12 for Ed’s guitar mix”, she says. “I can get them very close to his guitar rig’s sound without much EQ or trouble. We’re also using MicroWedge 12s for Matt [Cameron]’s drum fill, with a left and right mix plus a sub.”

Previously large drum fills and in-ears systems had resulted in the drummer feeling fatigued and with ears ringing. Currently she is running the MicroWedge 12 at full volume with him wearing fully sealed ear-plugs and that seems to be the perfect balance. “Again, they need very little EQ and I can over power them if needed and the smooth high end does not add to ear fatigue.”

Despite a valiant effort the show was cut short due to Eddie Vedder losing his voice but no one seemed to mind. They had still been on stage for a mammoth couple of hours and besides, he promised $20 off tickets next time Pearl Jam return to Sydney… And the guys at JPS also went home happy, if tired and a little sweaty. “JPS, after investing in the latest L-Acoustics K1 system, was excited to debut the K1 on the recent Australian Pearl Jam tour,” concludes Jim Straw. “We have received a great response from the act and client alike, the great comments about the system from across the country has confirmed our decision about the purchase of this system.”

K1 / KUDO is the new L-ACOUSTICS line array system for stadiums and JPS along with several of the world’s leading rental companies are collaborating with the L-ACOUSTICS R&D team in advanced field proofing of the new system.

The JPS K1 system will consist of 48 of the new K1 line source cabinets along with K1 SB and SB28 subwoofers, KUDO line source boxes and LA-RAK touring racks fitted with LA8-amplified controllers.

The new K1 isn’t intended as a replacement for V-DOSC, instead the combination of K1 and KUDO is aimed at providing a scaled solution for large venues with KUDO providing a flexible horizontal and greater vertical dispersion, while the K1 offers fixed horizontal dispersion with a maximum of 5-degree inter-element angles for larger venues.

The K1 enclosure includes dual 15-inch woofers, a re-engineered mid/high section that includes a third compression driver, and comes with internal captive rigging.

The K1 is designed to hang 24 enclosures deep, creating much longer arrays than is possible with V-DOSC. The new dual 15 K1-SB subwoofer is also fly-able providing system designers with longer LF throw and cardioid pattern physical arrangements and presets to suit the SB28 subwoofers.

The K1/KUDO system is powered by the new LA-RAK, a 9U touring rack, incorporating three LA8 amplified controllers, and space for dual Ethernet switches for control and monitoring (L-NET) and digital audio (L-DGA). The LA Network Manager software, running on a PC, offers a graphic interface for control and monitoring of up to 253 units.The software also includes EQ balance tools to adjust for array height, listening distance and line source type.

For more information the K1 / KUDO system visit : www.l-acoustics.com

The new console from Soundcraft is the result of a joint development with sister console company Studer and uses touch-screen colour TFT monitors with integral rotary controls and switches mounted directly on the glass to provide a ‘where you look is where you control’ user interface.

The VI6 is currently on the road with Delta Goodrem who is touring again for the first time in three years.

Slade

Writing in Audio Technology magazine Mark Davie interviews the team responsible for Steely Dan’s audio on their Australian tour.

Tour Dates: September 8 – 24, 2008
Excerpt:
“Steely Dan has probably played through more PAs than any other band. Well, maybe that should read been played. Walter Becker and Donald Fagens back catalogue can be heard echoing in empty concert halls and arenas across the globe Steely Dan has for some time been the discerning engineer’s recording artists of choice for tuning PAs. Given a Steely Dan gig is a rare occasion, even rarer in Australia it’s sometimes difficult to imagine Steely Dan the band coming out of the PA, and not just Steely Dan the CD. Sure enough, Walter and Donald have entrusted their live sound to one man and he’s known simply as JR.”

Download / read the complete article. [PDF - 564KB]

JPS used the Kylie tour to debut one of its new Dolby Lake Processor (DLP) drive racks made up of 4 x LP4D12 units and a Motion 1200 wireless tablet.

“They sound very, very nice,” said Pat Richardson, JPS’s crew chief. “I believe that they are quite a marked development audio wise and you can definitely hear the difference.” Other JPS crew on the tour includes Cameron Elias, Dave Richardson and Simon Farrell.

Chris Pyne is also trialing an experimental convolution reverb that Dolby/Lake has produced

“As far as I know it’s the only one that exists,” Chris revealed. “It can alter parameters by computer, convolution reverbs are usually just a sampled space such as a room and that’s all you get. This model has sampled spaces that you can adjust the parameters on and that’s very interesting. Bruce Jackson, who works for Dolby, spoke about this prototype when I visited him in the US recently where he is doing front of house for Barbra Streisand.”

Dolby Live Sound

Speaking about the purchase JPS General manager, Jim Straw, said “JPS purchased the Digidesign VENUE as part of our commitment to supplying the latest technology to our clients. Due to its stable platform, reliability and constant appearance on technical riders. We are now the first rental company in Australia to offer a fully optioned 96ch D-Show Console.”

The Digidesign VENUE console has made its debut for JPS on the current Pearl Jam tour with front of house engineer Greg Nelson in the drivers seat. Having graduated from a Midas XL4 to a Yamaha PM5D last year, Greg decided to switch to the VENUE console four months ago.

I’m very comfortable operating the VENUE, stated Greg at the band’s sold-out Sydney gig. It’s laid out so well and is very user friendly. It sounds fantastic and makes my job so much easier. I can go anywhere with just my USB key, plug into the console and my whole mix is up. I believe that making the switch from an analogue console to the VENUE is easier than any other digital console. You’re not consciously thinking about how to do things, you just find yourself doing it instinctively. It makes the mixing more emotion driven than cerebral.

Greg believes that the wide variety of plug-ins available for the VENUE bring a whole new element to a live digital console. They add all sorts of different colour to everything, he said. It makes the console a lot of fun to mix on.

The Pearl Jam audio rig supplied by JPS also included an L-Acoustics V-DOSC speaker system, Crown amplifiers and BSS system drive whilst the band tours its own monitoring equipment.

JPS has been fantastic and Paul Schofield in particular has taken great care of me, added Greg. When turned on, the PA sounded just as it should and that’s all you can ask for. Everything I requested via email was here and working perfectly. The JPS crew (Tristan Johnson, Guy Gilchrest and Tim Seconi) are nice, pleasant to be around and it’s been a really good experience.

Digidesign

Photo: Jim Straw, JPS General Manager, Justin Baird, Product Manager, Dolby Live Sound Group, and Brad Adamson, JPS Operations Manager, show off some of the new monitor racks.

The new monitor racks debuted in September on a national concert tour by Australian electro-rock band Rogue Traders. ‘This is the best monitor system I have ever heard, they sound absolutely fantastic.’ said monitor engineer Ben Shapiro after the event. ‘After I ran the 12AMs with the new Clair Dolby Lake Processor presets, I left my outboard equalisers back at the shop.’

The Dolby Lake Processor provides a unique set of features for monitoring applications, including reference quality audio converters, the Iso-FloatT ground isolation system, and patented low-latency sample rate conversion. Coupled with the SmaartLiveT Controller, the Dolby Lake Controller integrates RTA and Spectrograph displays within the EQ user interface to provide immediate identification of feedback and spectrum analysis.
Dolby Live Sound

In order to clarify the current situation L‑ACOUSTICS would like to use this opportunity to clearly set out our intentions with regard to second-hand and non certified V‑DOSC systems and their owners.

The complete statement is available on the L-Acoustics website:
www.l-acoustics.com
For a list of official V-DOSC Partners:
International V-DOSC Partners List

Jands Production Services have designed an audio system for the show which incorporates an L-ACOUSTICS V-DOSC speaker system as well as an Aviom AN16-ii Personal monitor system. Jands once again chose the PM5D-RH after extensive listening tests among their senior monitor engineers and believe that the Yamaha PM5D-RH console with it’s direct interface with the Aviom system via the 16/0-Y1 A-net card , along with it’s onboard effects/dynamics and proven road-worthiness & reliability makes this the complete digital solution.