d&b GSL reinforces Electric Daisy Carnival
- Details
For the 11th year in a row, Las Vegas based 3G Productions was on site to manage audio production for three of the largest stages in the Speedway - Cosmic Meadow, Kinetic Field, and Circuit Ground. Julio Valdez, senior systems engineer for 3G Productions, specified d&b audiotechnik sound reinforcement for each stage to provide the performers and their fans with the best music experience possible.
“We used more than 750 d&b audiotechnik loudspeakers, including the new GSL System, for this event,” explains Valdez. “Each stage requires a throw of at least 500ft, which is not an easy task given the desert weather. When humidity drops to five percent or lower, it is very challenging to get high frequencies that distance. You must be very aware of the capability of the products you are using. Our experience with d&b loudspeakers has been exceptional. We use delays to further the blanket of sound.”
Valdez deployed the SL-Series GSL System for the Cosmic Meadow stage, the first stage visitors see when arriving through the main entrance. The new loudspeaker system was created specifically for large sound reinforcement applications like EDC. The GSL8 and GSL12 differ only in dispersion pattern with the GSL8 producing 80° constant directivity and the GSL12 120°.
The Cosmic Meadows PA was made up of left and right arrays of 16 GSL8 and two GSL12 each. Outfills consisted of fourteen GSL8 and two GSL12 each. Sub bass was reinforced by 40 SL-GSUB subwoofers ground stacked in front of the stage. The SL-GSUB complements the low end with two forward facing 21-inch drivers and a single rear facing 21-inch driver delivering cardioid dispersion. Six J12s placed along the lip of the stage handled front-fill duties.
“Because the GSL System utilises the d&b software suite, which provides planning, modelling and control, it was easier for us to accommodate for the lack of humidity,” adds Valdez. “As a result, we gained just enough extra throw to place the delay towers at 200 feet, just missing placement on the grass, which was strictly forbidden. It was a real lifesaver.”
The set of two towers Valdez specified utilised individual flown arrays of 10 GSL10 and two GSL8 loudspeakers, plus two ground stacked SL-SUBs to provide even coverage of the 500-feet deep by 600-feet wide listening area.
For Kinetic Field, arguably the largest stage at the event, Valdez specified a J-Series system, the backbone of the d&b product line. The main PA utilised left/right hangs each made up of 10 J8 and eight J12 modules. Out-fill arrays, hung to the left and right of the main PA, consisted of ten J8 and six J12 enclosures each. Low end was provided by thirty “fat stacks” (two J-SUBs over one J-INFRA sub) along with eighteen B2-SUBs stacked 3x3 at the outer ends.
The Circuit Ground stage was different in that the listening area was fan shaped, starting out at 300ft wide at the stage and gradually expanded to 500ft wide at the back - which was 566ft from the stage. The main PA was made up of left/right hanging arrays, each consisting of 12 J8 and six J12 modules. Out-fill was handled by two more arrays of four J8 and eight J12 enclosures each. 24 J-SUBs and 12 J-INFRAs stacked across the front of the stage provided the low end the performers demand.
“This is a very large event that requires serious sound quality and coverage,” concludes Valdez. “We consistently rely on our d&b system because we are confident it will exceed our clients expectations - and it does. We had used a different system for Cosmic Meadows last year and I have to say, the new GSL System didn’t fail to impress. Everyone in the organisation was extremely pleased with the end result.”
(Jim Evans)
