Ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro with the VUE al-8 line arrays at Denver’s Arvada Center Amphitheater
Space Recording Live Sound has been the exclusive audio provider for Denver’s Swallow Hill Music for more than 15 years. This year the company’s collaboration has grown to include full production duties at Denver’s popular Arvada Center for the Arts.
For the 2014 season, the Arvada Center’s 1,500-plus capacity amphitheater is once again hosting an impressive roster of international talent, including acts such as Pat Metheny, Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, Jamie Cullum, Don McLean, Judy Collins and the Colorado Symphony, and more.
An EASE model specified dual al-8 arrays of eight elements per side. VUE V6 Systems Engines provide power and processing for the line arrays.
Space Recording Live Sound’s Production Manager Allen Noftall has configured dual VUE Audiotechnik al-8 arrays comprising eight elements per side. Four VUE V6 Systems Engines deliver all power and processing for the arrays, while a pair of Soundcraft SI-Performer 3 consoles handle both main and monitor mixes.
“I first heard the VUE al-8 at a demo hosted by PSI late last year,” explained Noftall. “I was immediately impressed by the amount of pure, clean sound emanating from the system. The top end was like nothing I’d heard before. I knew immediately I wanted to use these at Arvada.
“VUE came out and did an EASE model of the venue,” Noftall continues. “We configured the al-8 according to the model, and it was absolutely perfect from the moment it we fired it up. This is easily the most precise and predictable line array I’ve worked with—and the sound quality is nothing short of spectacular.”
Now nine shows into the season, Noftall says that he couldn’t be happier with the al-8’s performance. “This is the third loudspeaker system I’ve mixed on at the Arvada Center and it’s by far the most effective,” he explains. “I can push the VUE system hard and it never breaks up. I can also back way down for more mellow acts and it never loses its amazing detail. Put simply, the al-8 sounds incredible at any volume.
“The al-8 is so versatile and scalable that I see it working well for everything from small street festivals to corporate events,” concludes Noftall. “Now I’m looking forward to adding few VUE ACM subwoofers to the mix. I’ve heard these subs in action and can’t wait to combine them with the al-8.”
Find information about VUE Audiotechnik’s al-8 Line Array System.
Find information about VUE Audiotechnik’s V Series Systems Engines.
Find information about VUE Audiotechnik’s hs-28 Dual 18-inch ACM Subwoofer.
Find information about Space Recording Live Sound in Denver.
For more information about the Summer Stage Concert Series at the Arvada Center, visit arvadacenter.org or swallowhillmusic.org.
