The event, managed and produced by Moonlite Productions, utilized a half pack of X-Line. The system, consisting of 24 x X2-212 Line Array elements, 12 x X12-128 Subs and TG7 Amps, was used on either side of an open top Routemaster London bus as the main system. It gave coverage of the outdoor space arranged to accommodate 15,000 guests. DJ's from Heart FM provided the playlist, along with appearances from Paddington Bear and Father Christmas himself.
The system was flown from two PA towers, with the subs ground stacked beneath, and controlled via Moonlite's Allen & Heath dLive S3000 surface.
Moonlite's sound engineer for the show, Ian Bonner comments, 'Using EVs new X-line was simply awesome, fastest rig of that size I have ever personally experienced. So Incredibly simple and effortless using the 'pullback' method, simply using the pins to dictate which angle you want and a motor to pull the array into the chosen configuration. The rest of the set-up was also pretty easy. Iris net is a very intricate piece of software despite its steep learning curve and questionable stability, but overall its fairly easy to make adjustments to each amp where required.
"The sound! What can I say, it's a beautiful system so much detail and clarity in the top end, there was never a point where I thought that the top end was over encumbered. It always felt like there was space throughout the range. The mids were clean and precise yet just the right amount of "warmth" and the low-end just kicks. The dynamics are so alive in the system it's unreal. What impressed me the most were those clear mids/top end and the dynamics throughout the range, which makes the system feel so alive with the music.
"The coverage was great. No real issues apart from the top end dropping off towards the very back of the audience space, which was a good 120m away."
Moonlite Productions have a close working relationship with EV, being long-term owners, users and advocates of the brand. They were supported by both Neal and Stuart from EV on this show.
(Jim Evans)
