New York, NY (May 7, 2013)—Helping the Canadian band Blue Rodeo celebrate 25 years, d&b audiotechnik provided the band with a compact V-Series sound system for its 2013 Canadian tour.
Playing in theaters and small arenas, the production needed a show pack that could adjust to a range of audience sizes, while still remaining manageable for a relatively small crew. With the help of Toronto-based Apex Sound & Light, Blue Rodeo was able to keep the entire show to only one truck.
“It’s almost unheard of to have an arena show with audio, video, lighting and 15 feet of backline all in one 53-foot trailer. Especially as an easy pack, and not a total nightmare,” said Apex account manager Chris James.
Blue Rodeo system tech, Phil Hornung, remarked, “d&b was an easy system to adapt to various audience geometries. I could preconfigure the angles of the array while the riggers were still hanging points. The ArrayCalc software for system setup is extremely accurate, I’ve tested it; so when it was our turn to set up, being able to easily export that data into the d&b R1Remote control software meant everything was already working. With half as many amplifiers, and half as much cabling as other systems, it all came together quickly.”
Apex employed V8 and V12 in the main array, with the d&b Q1 and Q7 loudspeakers as fills. “The goal was to create a large format line array performance from what was not actually a large array. In fact, the system is so compact and light weight; only two people are needed to move it into place.”
The passive three way V-Series system, including the fills and subs, runs on only ten amplifiers. James explained that the R1 Remote software, “Connects any number and location of amplifiers to the system technician, and provides access to the parameters needed. It is extensive in its control and simplicity.” He adds, “The outstanding efficiency of our system means everything can run easily on only a 60 amp single phase power.”
Although not an “ear pounding type of mix,” Front of House Engineer Rich Steeb still required a system that would “rock with anything out there.” Steeb has mixed for Blue Rodeo for over nineteen years. With the V-Series, he found that, “Very little tweaking was needed during sound check. The miles of headroom the system offers is important in the overall tonality of any mix. Also, the mic selection and subtle characteristics of each guitar change are more perceivable with the V8 and V12 components.”
Apex Sound
www.apexsound.com
d&b audiotechnik
www.dbaudio.com
