Professional Sound - October 2018 | Page 31

PHOTO : RENAUD PHILIPPE , FESTIVAL D ’ ÉTÉ DE QUÉBEC
is , and then you ’ re kicking that up with another 12 boxes , so it ’ s pretty cool ,” he enthuses . “ When you walk the site , the coverage and tone is just so even . That ’ s one of the main comments we heard from the visiting engineers .”
Solotech ’ s main system techs for the festival , Francois Halle and Guillaume Richard , explain that they would walk the site and make a few adjustments from day to day to adapt to the different styles of music .
“ You can appreciate a relaxed Francophone show at a 95dB setting at the rear of the field or a Foo Fighters show at 107dB in that same spot to give the right experience ,” offers Halle .
He adds that visiting engineers were often surprised when they first heard that the FOH mix position is 200 ft . from the stage , and even more so when they arrived onsite and experienced the main system ’ s proximity .
“ For me , the upgrade this year with the combination of the P1 running on AVB direct to the LA-12Xs was a big plus ,” says Halle . “ The fact that the signal conversions have been reduced gives the system an edge . I feel that the big difference is within the high frequencies , which were very smooth and precise . I noticed that during an evening when the general volume was lower . I was at
SHAWN MENDES HEADLINING THE BELL STAGE the end of the field and was very surprised by the definition of the high frequencies despite the distance and volume .”
Richard takes over : “ The festivalgoers in Quebec have high expectations for the audio quality for the shows . They seem to take for granted that the audio should be top-notch all the way to the back of the field , which is approximately 825 ft . from the stage ! This is where the P1 and AVB system impressed me the most ; this year , we had the same delay towers in the same locations as last year , but the clarity and proximity we had all the way to the back was really impressive .”
Both recall when Shawn Mendes ’ camp arrived for the artist ’ s headlining set on July 8 th , and FOH engineer Tom Wood shared that he ’ d had some less-than-satisfactory experiences with the K1 in the past . After sound check , though , Halle says he turned to him and took back his comment . “ He was flabbergasted by the quality of a properlycalibrated K1 system .”
“ It ’ s always a pleasure to work with Solotech , who deployed a monstrous K1 rig [ at the festival ],” offers Wood . “ I find more than ever that the systems engineer can make or break your day with K1 . I ’ m happy to say that Solotech easily provided one of the best deployments of the system I ’ ve had all summer .”
Lavoie credits some of that success to the expansive AVB network , and notes that many of the visiting engineers and techs enjoyed the opportunity see the P1 up close , considering how new it was to the market at the time .
“ You know how it is ,” he chuckles . “ Everyone likes getting their hands on new technology and playing with new toys .”
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief of Professional Sound .
PHOTO : STÉPHANE BOURGEOIS , FESTIVAL D ’ ÉTÉ DE QUÉBEC
PA System Drive ( FOH ) 4 x L-Acoustics P1 AVB Processor & Measurement Platform
Main PA System ( Per Side ) 16 x L-Acoustics K1 over 4 x K2 12 x L-Acoustics K1-SB Subs
( behind main arrays ) 24 x L-Acoustics KS28 Subs
( ground stacked ) 4 x L-Acoustics Arcsfocus Front Fills 52 x L-Acoustics LA12X Digital
Amplifiers
Side PA Stage Left 18 x L-Acoustics K2 ( to cover VIP bleachers )
Side PA Stage Right : 4 x L-Acoustics K2 ( ground stacked to cover VIP tent )
Delay Tower # 1 8 x L-Acoustics K1 over 4 x K2 6 x L-Acoustics LA12X Digital
Amplifiers
Delay Tower # 2 8 x L-Acoustics K1 over 4 x K2 6 x L-Acoustics LA12X Digital
Amplifiers
Delay Tower # 3 8 x L-Acoustics K1 over 4 x K2 6 x L-Acoustics LA12X Digital
Amplifiers
Delay Tower # 4 6 x L-Acoustics K1 4 x L-Acoustics SB28 4 x L-Acoustics LA8 Amplifiers
Delay Tower # 5 8 x L-Acoustics K1 over 4x K2 4 x L-Acoustics SB28 7 x L-Acoustics LA12X Digital
Amplifiers
Delay Tower # 6 8 x L-Acoustics K1 over 4x K2 4 x L-Acoustics SB28 7 x L-Acoustics LA12X Digital
Amplifiers
Delay Tower # 7 6 x L-Acoustics K1 4 x L-Acoustics SB28 4 x L-Acoustics LA8 Amplifiers
Delay Tower # 8 6 x L-Acoustics Kara 4 x L-Acoustics SB28 2 x L-Acoustics LA8 Amplifiers
“ The Festival d ’ été de Québec is a great example of how a festival should be run . Everything from catering to the technical production is always awesome , year after year . To that end , it ’ s always a pleasure to work with Solotech , who deployed a monstrous K1 rig . I find more than ever that the systems engineer can make or break your day with K1 . I ’ m happy to say that Solotech easily provided one of the best deployments of the system I ’ ve had all summer .” Tom Wood , FOH Engineer , Shawn Mendes
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