Decadence indulges in L-Acoustics sound system
- Details
Attracting approximately 18,000 electronic music fans on both 30 and 31 December, Decadence hosted performances from some of the biggest names in EDM, including Armin Van Buuren, Bassnectar, Big Gigantic, Diplo, Galantis, Gramatik, Justice, ODESZA, Porter Robinson, Zedd and nearly 20 other top acts of the genre.
For sound reinforcement, the event’s three promoters turned to local L-Acoustics certified provider Brown Note Productions, Inc., which, with the support of K Systems Engineer (KSE) Dan Bowers, supplied identical K1/K2/Kara systems for the two main performance spaces, Halls A and C.
Primary arrays for each hall were comprised of eight K1 enclosures over three Kara down-fills per side, complemented by a sub arc of 32 KS28 in 16 stacks of two. Eight Kara plus four ARCS II were deployed across the stage as front-fills and VIP section fills, while six more Kara plus four SB18 subs served as the DJ-fill system. Power and processing for all systems were accommodated by 36 LA12X amplified controllers housed in a dozen LA-RAK II touring racks.
With each hall being 720ft deep, two waves of delays were also utilised - the first at 168 feet out, and the second at 264. These featured left and right delays of six K2 per side, with three K1-SB flown immediately behind each array.
“Because Halls A and C were so deep, the promoters asked us to increase the size and SPL of the delay arrays,” says Brown Note’s Ryan Knutson. “By flying the K1-SB behind the K2 delays, we reinforced the LF contour, freeing up more resources in the low end to achieve the desired contour without having to tax the LF resources of the arrays. The K1-SB really gave the mid to rear sections of the rooms the added LF SPL required to help the fans be fully enveloped in full-range audio throughout the room.”
EDM artists and fans obviously love their low end, which was more than generously supplied by Brown Note’s LA12X-powered KS28. “Our deployment of KS28 really reinforced the low frequency content provided by the artists over the two nights,” adds Sara Knutson. “We never had issues having enough low end or running into gain reduction for long periods of time. The sub arc offered the width we needed to cover the wide rooms and there was a noticeable increase in bandwidth from the previous year’s deployment.”
(Jim Evans)
