Miami, FL – May 2008… In its ongoing effort to help today’s youth “face and defeat the everyday ‘giants’ they encounter,� Christian organization Dare 2 Share is sponsoring the Survive tour—a nine city circuit spanning the continental US, with stops in Denver, Washington DC, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Columbus, Phoenix, Lincoln, and St Louis. With a combination of motivational speakers, skits, and musical performances by Christian artists including Lincoln Brewster, Hawk Nelson, Stellar Kart, and Sanctus Real, these two-day youth conferences draw massive crowds. The recent stop in St. Louis at the Scottstrade Center, for example, drew a crowd of 9000 high school students. Providing sound for these events is a task that requires serious know how and equally serious equipment—precisely the reason why loudspeakers systems from D.A.S. Audio were on the job.
According to Jesse Ralph, owner of Castle Rock, CO-based Legacy Sound Productions, the firm contracted to provide sound reinforcement and lighting for the tour, “Configuring a system that was capable of delivering a high level of intelligibility for the teachers and actors while also being able handle the sound pressure levels characteristic of a rock concert was no small challenge. Dare 2 Share’s program is very diverse and we needed to assemble a system that was adept at a number of very different applications.� To address those conditions, Ralph assembled a system consisting of D.A.S. Audio Aero 38A and 28A line array elements, Aero 182A 2K subwoofers, Compact 115 enclosures, and SML-12A stage monitors.
At the Scottstrade Center, Ralph flew 36 D.A.S. Audio Aero enclosures. There were 10 Aero 38A 3-way, self-powered medium format line array elements per side—stage left and right—coupled with 8 Aero 28A 2-way, self-powered line array elements flown underneath the 38A’s, which served as front fills. These two massive flying arrays were augmented by 10 D.A.S. Audio Aero 182A 2k self-powered subwoofers—ground stacked five enclosures per side, along with a pair of D.A.S. Audio Compact 115 self-powered, 3-way enclosures for side fills. Additionally, Legacy Sound deployed a pair of D.A.S. Audio SML-12A stage monitors for the performers. Augmenting his loudspeakers enclosures, Ralph used D.A.S. Audio’s DSP-26 loudspeaker system management processor for control and processing of the system.
Legacy Sound is a one-truck operation, so all equipment has to fit into a single vehicle. “With the Aero systems,� notes Ralph, “I’m able to eliminate a bunch of amp racks and processing equipment, because that’s all built onto the back of the enclosure. Further, the Aero’s rigging hardware is right there on the box, so there’s no need for a rigging case. Two guys can put this system up in fifteen minutes and break it down in ten. For a small company like ours, that’s a big plus.�
Reflecting on his choice of D.A.S. Audio loudspeakers, Ralph noted, “I spent almost a year looking at systems, and while price was important, I was really looking for a system that worked well for rock & roll, as we do quite a bit of this type of work. We’ve begun doing more and more arena jobs, so I wanted a good-sized enclosure such as the Aero 38A, but I also wanted the flexibility that the Aero 28A provides for smaller projects. The combination of the two models is terrific, as it affords the versatility to handle a wide range of venues. Equally important, when we’re really crankin’, these boxes don’t hurt. The Aero’s intelligibility and clarity is everything I had hoped for.�
Reflecting on the performance of his system for the Dare 2 Share tour, Ralph said, “It’s been a great tour. All of the bands made very positive comments about the loudspeaker system. The students and organizers, alike, were extremely happy with the SPL and the clarity of the boxes. They were very impressed. We also did an event last summer in the Edward Jones Dome in St Louis, MO for 11,000 students. Just like all the events I’ve used my D.A.S. Audio system on, the performance of this equipment was incredible.�
Ralph is equally impressed with D.A.S. Audio customer and technical support services. “D.A.S. Audio has excellent support,� says Ralph. “We work our gear pretty hard, and in my three years of ownership, I’ve only required minor servicing of the equipment. In every case, D.A.S. has taken care of me right away. Every single show I do, I am just more and more pleased with the loudspeakers—both in terms of their sound quality and their durability. This is first-rate equipment that delivers excellent return on my investment.�
About D.A.S. Audio
Headquartered in Valencia, Spain and having additional offices in Miami, FL, Frankfurt, Germany and Singapore, D.A.S. Audio is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of loudspeaker systems, power amplification, signal processing, and related components. For better than thirty years, D.A.S. Audio products have been found on tour with the world’s greatest performing artists and installed in many of the most prestigious facilities. For additional information about the company, visit them online at www.dasaudio.com.
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