K-array brings the sound of Nuanu to life
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Now in its second year, the location for Suara is Nuanu City, ‘a home for visionaries and creators’. The festival itself welcomed around 4,000 visitors daily who could enjoy a packed schedule of workshops, cultural activities and performances across nine unique stages.
An outdoor festival requires high-performance, flexible and discreet loudspeakers and when it came to choosing the supplier for Suara, K-array was the ‘first choice’ for general producer Vladimir Belyakov and sound engineer Semen Chumanikhin: “Having experienced K-array technology in previous museum projects, we had no hesitation in appointing their products at Suara,” explains Belyakov. “We had heard the power of K-array’s flexible Anakonda line array system and Thunder-KS2 subwoofer at Nuanu recording studio, which sounded truly amazing, so we were confident in choosing K-array loudspeakers on the Garuda and Seaside stages.”
The festival boasts an enviable line-up of speakers and workshops but for many festival-goers, music is the highlight of the two-day extravaganza. This year saw some of Indonesia’s best talent perform on the site’s nine specially constructed zones and stages.
The Garuda main stage is a stunning bamboo structure, and hosted music from various headlining acts including Balinese musical legends Joni Agung and The Double T and local favourite Catur & The Sound Nomads as well as international reggae band, Big Mountain, best known for its iconic track Baby, I Love Your Way.
The largest amphitheatre in Bali, the Garuda was the ideal setting for K-array’s unique flexible cluster array with an audio configuration comprising six Firenze-KH7 compact loudspeakers stacked both horizontally and vertically, and seven KS8 touring systems in an arc formation.
The second ‘Seaside’ stage is perched on the clifftop overlooking Nyanyi Beach and provided a picturesque setting for a variety of Balinese performances and inspirational thought leaders. At sunset the stage transformed into a dance party featuring some of Bali’s favourite DJs, with another cleverly designed K-array system configuration using three Firenze-KS7s with two KH8s and four Mastiff-KM112 compact monitors.
Both installations were brought to life with K-array audio in a configuration comprised of 16 Firenze KH7s with 12 KS8s, connected to create a longer cluster, 4 Kayman passive line array speakers and 4 Thunder KS4P ultra-light, high-power subwoofers.
“The festival gave us full creative freedom but the timing was very tight with five locations to design and fully equip including the construction of the stages, sculptures and a disguised multimedia setup . . . it was a miracle that we did it all in time!” concludes Belyakov.
It’s safe to say festival founder, Alexander Solonin, was delighted with the outcome: “The collaboration and the hard work put in by everyone involved helped to create the best festival we’ve ever seen in Bali. The success has even prompted the Indonesian government to suggest making Suara an official cultural festival!”
