Indio, CA (June 28, 2018)—At the recent annual Coachella festival in Indio, California, DiGiCo could be found at every major stage this year.
Camarillo-based Rat Sound Systems was once again primary audio reinforcement provider for the event, fielding more than 800 L-Acoustics loudspeaker systems across the festival’s seven largest performance areas—the Coachella Stage, Outdoor Theatre, Gobi, Sahara, Mojave, Yuma, and Sonora. For mixing the audio that flowed through all those systems, Rat enlisted Bay Area-based console sales and rental specialists Hi-Tech Audio to help supply DiGiCo mixing consoles for each of the stages’ FOH and monitor positions.
According to Matt Larson, executive vice president of professional audio for Group One Limited, DiGiCo’s US distributor, “Each of Coachella’s three largest stages was equipped with dual SD10s with Waves at FOH and dual SD12s on monitors, plus all systems had their own SD-Racks complete with new ‘Ultimate Stadius’ 32-bit Mic Pre-Amps.
“The other four stages that Rat serviced had a single SD10 with Waves and SD12 paired with the same SD-Racks and Ultimate 32-bit pres. And that overall count doesn’t even include the consoles that a number of touring acts carried in with them. On the first Sunday alone, I counted a dozen DiGiCos on the main Coachella Stage, which was almost as many desks as Rat deployed for the entire festival.”
Rat Sound, Focusrite Get Festive at Coachella and Stagecoach
Additionally, Rat Sound had both an SD10 and SD12, plus SD-Rack loaded with the new 32-bit pres, set up in its production office, allowing engineers to create, tweak or test their show files before moving on to the real performance stages.
“The band engineers really appreciated the gesture, and it was awesome having so many of them come to visit us—not just to check out the consoles and get familiar with them, but also to say hello and hang out with the Rat crew,” said Rat Sound president Dave Rat.
Rat added, “Both DiGiCo and L-Acoustics provided an exemplary level of product support that is fundamental for an event of this size and complexity. I cannot stress enough how important and invaluable their manufacturer product support is.”
Rat Sound • www.ratsound.com
Hi-Tech Audio • www.hi-techaudio.com
DiGiCo • www.DiGiCo.biz
