RCF line array in the ring for ‘street fight’
- Details
“Working this year has been interesting to say the least,” said Jared Jasinski, owner and lead engineer for Arizona Sound Productions [AZSP] based in Phoenix. “With COVID restrictions we’ve been forced to be more creative and think outside the box. We’ve had opportunities to create something different for viewers at home, without an audience we can put a boxing ring anywhere [outdoors] and make it look great on camera.”
On 15 August, 2020, AZSP set the stage in Oklahoma, making boxing history with what has been called the “street fight” concept. AZSP clients’ Holden Productions and Matchroom Boxing dropped a boxing match in the middle of downtown Tulsa for a night of fights headlined by Cecilia Brækhus, defending her Women’s Welter Weight title against contender, Jessica McCaskill. The match was staged at the intersection of East 5th Street and South Boston Avenue with no fans present. Medical protocols and strict social distancing guidelines were in place for a full night of action.
“It was an intense process,” described Jasinski. “COVID testing was required for everyone on my crew, before traveling to Oklahoma, then again when we arrived. Once we were all cleared our driver took us to the hotel, where we received quarantine wrist bands. A staffer then escorted us straight to our rooms where we were basically quarantined for two days,” added Jasinski. “It was an odd feeling, but nice to run through details, finish CAD work, have ZOOM calls, and have some time to review our game plan for the week. It’s not a fun process, but at the end of the day we’re glad to be working.”
Using EASE Focus to determine hang points and angles, ASP designed a small line array rig with 16 RCF HDL 6-A Active Line Array Modules. Line arrays were hung around the boxing ring to cover the floor level, made up of judges, fighters, staff, production crew, refs and boxing officials.
“The [HDL] 6-A has been a game changer for us,” said Jasinski. “It’s a great sounding, powerful speaker with an amazing price point. We jumped on board right away. We could throw it up on a stick for small gigs, to building 10-module arrays for festivals - it’s a very versatile box. We built 4 box arrays in stereo hanging over the ring on the north side to cover the ring walk, 3 box arrays on the south side, and one box for the east and west, basically straight down to hit the floor area.
“For that extra punch, we added six RCF SUB 8003-AS under the ring. We wanted to have enough sound to create that ‘live energy’ when the boxers come down the walkway. We built LED video walls for the entrance and above the ring and created most of the lighting design with local company, Omni Lighting. Having a thundering audio to support it all, it looks and sounds amazing - the RCF system works perfectly for what we are doing.”
