L-ACOUSTICS’ K1 system on Supertramp’s tour stop at the Paris Bercy *
FRANKFURT, Germany — British rock band Supertramp has embarked on its 70-10 European tour to celebrate its 40th anniversary. With the help of an L-ACOUSTICS K1 line source system provided by German Rental Network agent Sirius Showequipment, the band is performing greatest hits from 11 studio albums.
The L-ACOUSTICS system consists of 24 K1 boxes with eight K1-SB subs, 36 V-DOSC and 12 dV-DOSC cabinets,18 SB28 subs and a stage monitor system of 115XT HiQs, all driven by LA amplified controllers in 14 LA-RAKs. Such a versatile system means that the configuration can change depending on the requirements of the venues hosting the tour’s 35 concerts.
For example, at the Olympia Halle in Munich, 12 K1s and four K1-SBs were flown per side, with three dV-DOSCs beneath each for downfill. The system also included two hangs of six SB28s, an additional six SB28s as ground subs, a side hang of eight V-DOSC and three dV-DOSC, and eight KIVAs as near fill.
FOH engineer Karl Newton, K1 op Johan Schreuder, and system tech Klaus “Bob” Bolender
Supertramp’s FOH engineer Karl Newton was delighted to learn that the band had already spec’d the K1 system for his tour before he got the call to mix them. “Supertramp was one of the first bands to go out with V-DOSC, and great sound is their prime objective when performing live,” he says. “I love mixing on K1; it’s by far my favorite system now. The sound is precise, very linear, and the low and low mid, in my opinion, now beat any of the competition. The transient in the low end is exceedingly fast and punchy and the bass guitar ‘note’ area holds together very well in all but the rattliest of rooms, especially with larger arrays. The extra headroom means that it handles even the louder parts of the show effortlessly. Dynamics are a huge part of this band’s sound. In the Paris Bercy, with 17,000 people in attendance, the dBA readings swung from 88 to 105 in the blink of an eye and the system didn’t even sound taxed. The K1, coupled with a great team, made mixing this complicated show a breeze.”
“I am impressed by the simplicity of the K1 rigging which greatly simplifies the system setup — 15 minutes to rig a cluster! And, of course, the sound is a real innovation,” says Sirius crew chief and system engineer Klaus “Bob” Bolender.
A closer view of the 70-10 tour’s K1 system *
Johan Schreuder, Sirius K1 operator and the tour’s sound designer, adds, “SOUNDVISION has been extremely useful for preparing the tour. The K1 system has been improved greatly by the new LA8 amplifiers, and has more impact in the low frequencies than the V-DOSC. Also, the use of the LA Array Morphing Tool from the LA Network Manager software, which allows remote control of a group of loudspeakers in the same array, has been an undeniable benefit in adapting the frequencies according to the different musical styles.”
Supertramp founder, singer and keyboard player Rick Davies, together with longtime band members, sax and clarinet player John Anthony Helliwell and drummer Bob Siebenberg, are joined on the tour by singer, guitarist and percussionist Jesse Siebenberg, bass player Cliff Hugo, guitarist Carl Verheyen and trumpeter Lee Thornburg.
For more information on Sirius Showequipment, visit www.sirius-ag.net.
L-ACOUSTICS is a leading innovator and manufacturer of high-performance loudspeakers, amplifiers and signal processing devices for touring and installed sound markets. Known around the globe for pioneering and championing the modern line array loudspeaker concept with V-DOSC, the company has received numerous accolades for its K1, KUDO, KIVA, ARCS, XT coaxial loudspeaker systems and SB line of subwoofer enclosures, all powered and processed with the LA4 and LA8 amplified controllers in fulfillment of a “total system approach.” L-ACOUSTICS products for the US market are distributed by L-ACOUSTICS US of Oxnard, California.
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* Photo credits: Klaus “Bob” Bolender
Contact:
L-ACOUSTICS US
2201 Celsius Avenue, Unit E, Oxnard, CA 93030
Tel: 805.604.0577 / Fax: 805.604.0858
Email: [email protected] / Web: www.l-acoustics.com
