Murfreesboro, TN (August 21, 2018)—Top marching bands can get very loud, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need sound reinforcement. Readying for Drum Corp International (DCI) at semi-final competitions held at Middle Tennessee State University in July, the Carolina Crown of Fort Mill, SC and the Cadets of Allentown, PA each used Nexo/Yamaha systems supplied by J Sound Services (JSS) of Nashville.
Jason Spence, owner of JSS and principal systems designer, noted, “The drastic swing in dynamics between a brass section wide open and the soft mallet of the front ensemble is a tall order for any sound system. As with any sound reinforcement system, careful consideration was given to coverage, especially at the judging area. And, as with any project, we had a budget to meet. We also needed efficient amplifiers with low power draws and a system that was fast and easy to set up. As we evaluated numerous systems and the criteria, the Nexo M10 easily checked all the boxes.”
For the Crown organization, JSS designed, provided, and built a stereo (Left/Right) Nexo/Yamaha sound reinforcement system with custom carts for the stadium competition. The Nexo rig consisted of a total of eight GEO M10 line array boxes, six MSUB15s, two NXAmp 4×2 Mk 2 amplifiers and two NXAE104 AES network cards. A Yamaha QL5 Digital Audio Console was used, connected to a Rio 3224-D stage box.
Dante is everywhere these days, but not in this system—MY8AE cards for the NXamps were used instead to minimize setup time. “The teams have six minutes to role onto the field and be ready,” Spence said, “so, speed of setup is extremely important, and with AES, we don’t have to wait for the network to come online before we can make noise.”
For the Cadets, JSS consulted on the design and provided a four-cart, multi-zone Nexo/Yamaha sound reinforcement system. A total of 14 Geo M10s, multiple NXAMP 4X2 MK2 amplifiers, and four NXAE104 AES network cards were used. The console was upgraded to a QL5 to integrate with their existing Yamaha Tio digital stage boxes.
As Jim Coates, the CEO/director of Crown, put it, “We’re not trying to have a big rock show (referring to SPL); we want clarity.”
Both groups will be participating in the DCI Championships on September 11 in Indianapolis.
J Sound Services • www.jss.net
Yamaha and NEXO • www.yamahaca.com
