Indio, CA (May 2015)—Longtime audio supplier for the Coachella Festival, Rat Sound, had EAW Anya line arrays on hand at this year’s edition, deploying them at the Gobi and Yuma tents.
“The Anya systems worked very well; we received a lot of compliments on the clear, hi-fi sound,” reported Dave Rat, owner of Rat Sound. “This was the second time we used Anya in the Gobi tent, the first time for Yuma. The adaptive control of the system allows us to minimize reflections off of the walls of the tents, which keeps the sound really clean; I was quite pleased with the outcome.”
The Gobi tent was approximately 18,000 square feet with a stage set up at the far end of the tent. Gobi, known for its eclectic mix of alternative bands, had a lineup this year that included Kimbra, Lights, FKA Twigs, Cahsmere Cat and more. Two Anya arrays, made up of 8 Anya modules each, were hung to the left and right of the stage to provide clear, even coverage to the area.
The Yuma tent is oval shaped, roughly 133 x 198 feet with a large, elevated DJ booth in the center of one of the longer sides of the oval. In this situation, Rat utilized four stacked Anya arrays to immerse the dance floor in sound. Each array was made up of a total of five Anya modules. The inner column was stacked three high, while the outside used two. Two of the arrays were placed to the left and right of a large, elevated DJ booth. The other two were placed on the opposite wall parallel to the booth. Each of the arrays were placed on top of platforms roughly 5 feet off the ground.
“The visiting engineer’s response to both systems was good,” adds Rat. “Most of them had heard of Anya but never mixed on it, so they were intrigued with trying it out. The system came up and sounded great — which is what an engineer wants for a live show. This was an interesting opportunity to A-B systems from tent to tent,” adds Rat. “I’m impressed with how good Anya sounds and how easy it is for engineers to adapt to.”
EAW
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