No less important, of course, was the quality of the sound reinforcement for the 10,000-odd revellers, which is why for the third year running the organizers commissioned StereoMike Veranstaltungstechnik of Straubing to look after the sound.
"Given the worldwide fame of the festival, expectations for sound quality are extremely high," says Michael Wittenzellner, StereoMike's managing director. "On the one hand, the sound within the marquee needs to be homogeneous - neither too loud in front of the stage nor too quiet near the perimeter of the tent. On the other hand, care has to be taken not to exceed the decibel limits imposed by Munich's District Administration Authority, the levels in question being 85 dB during the day and 90 dB from 6 p.m. onwards."
To ensure strict compliance with the legal guidelines, Wittenzellner and his team opted for a sophisticated sound system from Dynacord. On either side of the central aisle, the main hangs comprised four Cobra-4 Tops and three Cobra Subs each. These were complemented by 14 Dynacord CXM 15 loudspeakers at strategic locations to ensure even coverage.
"The CXM 15 is exceptionally versatile," explains Wittenzellner. "It can be used as a monitor, stand-mounted, or flown, as was the case here. With a radial coverage pattern of 60° and 135 dB maximum SPL, it fitted the bill perfectly."
The requisite power in the XXL marquee was provided by ten Dynacord L2400 and six LX3000 units affording the soundmen plenty of headroom. Four DSP 244 controllers and an Electro-Voice NetMax N8000, with 24 auxiliary channels for loudspeakers, emergency microphones and multimedia, ensured that the manifold components of this impressive setup functioned as one. Twenty-four Electro-Voice EVID 4.2 loudspeakers in the reserved boxes and 12 ZX1 in the open-air beer garden rounded off the installation in the Schottenhamel Marquee.
(Jim Evans)
