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.”
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Continuing its tradition of investing in large-format digital consoles JPS recently acquired a Soundcraft Vi6 desk.

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

Based on the 1994 Stephan Elliott film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the musical, tells the story of drag queens traveling through the Australian desert to put on a cabaret show.

Priscilla had its World Premiere at the Lyric Theatre, Sydney in 2006, and is now headed for the Regent Theatre, Melbourne.