Belgium - Curated annually by Flanders’ biggest commercial radio station Qmusic (part of DPG Media), Q-Beach House has been a staple in Ostend during the summer months for many years. During July and August, while Qmusic broadcasts from the beach, visitors can tour its temporary radio studio, enjoy food and drinks on its sunny terrace, and enjoy a varied programme of live music events, from small promotional concerts to its large-scale sunset events.
Qmusic’s technical partner for the Q-Beach House events is Kalmthout-based specialist Syrinx BV, who as well as being responsible for broadcast and lighting requirements, takes care of the entire audio setup, which this year comprised systems by Coda Audio. Syrinx has been in business since 1998 and has been providing services at Q-Beach House for the last 15 years. Six years ago, the company invested in a Coda Audio ViRAY system and has since extended its Coda inventory to include the latest CiRAY model as events manager Glenn Deckers explains:
“As business grew, we were looking for a larger sound system, so we consulted with our regular sound technicians and others who mix for prominent bands in Belgium. Coda Audio was one of the brands that consistently came up in conversation as being an excellent choice, so we took a closer look.
“We spoke to Hans Engelen at Viladco (Coda’s distributor in Belgium) and purchased the ViRAY system back in 2018, then this year when we wanted to increase our options for events like the Beach House shows, we didn’t hesitate to return to him for our CiRAY system.
“The compact and lightweight nature of the cabinets made them very attractive - they’re easy to hang and don’t look bulky or cumbersome. Taking into account the exceptional quality and value for money, we concluded that Coda was the best solution for us.”
The main system for this year’s Q-Beach House events comprised a total of 16 x Coda Audio CiRAY loudspeakers (90°, eight per side), 20 x SCV subs and five SCP subs in a cardioid setup, as well as two APS as in-fill. As the open-sided stage faced the sea on a wide beach, the audience of around 10,000 was spread out to both sides requiring substantial out-fill. Syrinx deployed 16 x Coda ViRAY (120°, eight per side) to meet this requirement. The compact nature of the arrays meant that sightlines were only minimally affected.
Glenn concludes: “We’re very enthusiastic about the Coda system and had a great response to the sound, not only from the Q-Beach House team, but also guest sound technicians who work with the bands on other events. We were always able to meet everyone’s requirements with the ViRAY setup, but now with our CiRAY system, we receive even more compliments. It’s fair to say that for the Q-Beach House programme, the client is extremely satisfied.”
