Out of the more than 140 groups performing at this year's ACL Music Festival, AMD/Lady Bird hosted some of the biggest headliners, including Depeche Mode, The Cure, Vampire Weekend, fun., The National, Passion Pit and Atoms For Peace, featuring members of Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Beck.
According to LD Systems director of production services Robert Ausmus, the stage was equipped with a total of 24 K1 with six Kara for down-fill, plus 24 Kudo for out-fill and six additional Kara for apron-fill. Low frequencies were delivered via 24 flown K1-SB and 24 ground-stacked SB28, while 18 Kudo divided into three towers 250ft out from the stage provided delay. LA8 amplified controllers housed in LA-RAK touring racks drove all systems.
"For huge outdoor festivals like this, there's nothing better than L-Acoustics' K1 because of its incredible throw capability and sound," Ausmus notes. "ACL capped its audiences at 75,000 per day, but when big headliners like Depeche Mode performed, literally 90 percent of the day's crowd showed up at our stage. The people at the back end of the park weren't getting 'in-your-face' audio, of course, but the good news is that they did hear highly intelligible music, which is amazing at that distance. K1 was the perfect solution."
Onstage, 16 115XT HiQ wedges provided monitoring, along with four ARCS II and four SB28 for stage side-fill. Two SB18 also aided as drum-fill subs, while four self-powered 108P coaxials covered the stage left and right guest risers.
(Jim Evans)
