The largest street party in the U.S. and celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2008, the Calle Ocho (“Eighth Street�) carnival is a colorful celebration of Latino culture that fills the heart of Miami’s “Little Havana� district with over a million visitors each year. This year’s Calle Ocho sounded better than ever, thanks to an Electro-Voice sound system from Sound & Lighting Solutions.
24 blocks of SW 8th St. are closed off for Calle Ocho, a free event which takes place over two weekends as part of the citywide Carnival Miami. Along with an array of Caribbean cuisine and revelers from around the globe, the streets are filled with a kaleidoscope of carnival music; meringue, salsa, reggae, and bachata can all be heard on any of over 30 sponsored stages. As parties go, it doesn’t get much bigger than this…
Fort Lauderdale-based Sound & Lighting Solutions Inc. deployed a powerhouse sound system for the main stage at this year’s Calle Ocho, built around their new EV Phoenix manifold technology loudspeakers—a new line designed to provide a perfect balance of muscular punch and musical detail. SLS used 4x PX2181 subs under 2x PX2152 boxes per side; PX2122 completed the three pack stacks. This main rig was powered by EV CP4000S and P-Series amplifiers. In addition to the Phoenix rig, SLS deployed a stage-wide spread of Dynacord FX 20 subs and four flown FX 12 boxes for long throw duties, both powered by Xa 4000 amps. EV microphones, EV Xw stage monitors, Midas Venice 320 consoles, Klark Teknik graphics, EQs, and processing completed the spec.
“This was a huge event, and we brought the right PA for the job,� says Jay Krause of Sound and Lighting Solutions. “It was estimated that 565,000 people passed the stage between the hours of 11am and 7pm. We wanted to use a PA that would stand out, in terms of both sheer power and sonic fidelity. Since this stage was all about rap and reggae—featuring top tier artists like Flo Rida, Shaggy, and Timbaland—we needed lots of low end. Not a problem with the subs we were packing! The whole system sounded fantastic.�
Krause gave a no-nonsense post game wrap up on the day’s PA performance: “What didn’t happen at the show? Let me tell you: we never had a single amp go into clip mode; we didn’t lose a single driver; we didn’t have a single issue with the mics—static, etc.; we didn’t trip a breaker. What did happen at the show? We had 121dB’s with a 120Hz bass wave 75 feet from the front of the deck, with 126dB at the front of the stage; we confused the generator guy as to why the electrical draw was so low for such insanely high output—thanks to the CP4000 amps; we had compliments from all of the performers, regarding the clarity, bass, and overall performance; we had six audio companies from other stages stop by and ask us, amazed, ‘whose system is this?’ That said it all—in terms of sound quality and reliable performance, this rig was jaw-droppingly impressive… in a league of its own!�
Audio Crew:
Concert Production Manager – Bryan Rush (Rush Sounds)
Master Audio Engineer – Jay Krause (Sound & Lighting Solutions)
Master Audio Technician – Vinny Destefanis (Sound & Lighting Solutions)
Master Audio Technician – Jhansen Reinoso (Word Up Sound & Light)
FOH Engineer – Jeremy Mora (Sound & Lighting Solutions)
