Coda Audio up on the roof in Copenhagen
- Details
Experienced audio engineer Ally Kerslake was the project manager for this ambitious event. Dealing with more than 50 acts, some with multiple personnel, would be a tall order on any stage - to present them seamlessly for twenty four hours on a roof accessed via a small elevator and an even smaller stairway was something of a challenge.
Kerslake comments: “This was only the second time an event had been staged on the Opera House roof. The first was a Red Bull diving event in 2018 where we supplied an audio solution, so having been chosen again, we knew the kinds of challenges we’d face. Safety was a key concern, both in terms of COVID-19 and the access issues.”
The fact that the audience for the event would be at home rather than on the Opera House roof, meant that there was no requirement for a traditional main PA. Instead, the need for an extremely solid monitor solution was Kerslake’s top priority.
“The stage was situated on the centre roof section of the Opera House,” continues Kerslake. “It was effectively a blank canvass in terms of planning, because there had never been a concert style production up there. We knew there wouldn’t be a stage roof because of building regulations and no chance of a usual monitor mixing position.”
The consoles for monitoring and broadcasting were located three floors below inside the main building, with performances watched on a screen, and since the nature of the event demanded five-minute turnovers, everything took on the air of a festival rather than a TV production.
DPA Soundco deployed six biamped Coda Audio Cue Two stage monitors across the front of the stage with a Coda Audio APS ‘booth’ system to cater for the many DJs who performed. This consisted of a single APS-SUB and three APS per side. The team also used a stereo system of Coda Audio SCV and HOPS8 for broadcast reference monitors. A further pair of Cue Two were used as listen wedges for the monitor engineers downstairs.
The high pressure show, which featured all manner of configurations, ran its 24-hour course very smoothly. Every aspect of the production scrupulously complied with the regulations regarding COVID-19. A work station was placed on the roof equipped with a full disinfection set-up, with dedicated windscreens for each artist and all IEMs and transmitters thoroughly cleaned between uses.
Kerslake sums up: “I’ve worked with most of the main PA systems out on the road, and in my opinion Coda brings all the required principal elements together in one package. They’re by far the easiest to rig and fly and as an operator, the high fidelity and power you get from a Coda box is pretty astounding. The size and weight of the bigger line arrays like AiRAY and ViRAY is very favourable compared to other manufacturers. In today’s world, where truck space is at a premium, the advantages add up in economic terms without compromising audio quality in any way.”
(Jim Evans)
