Credit for all photos: Matt Le / @lebamatt)
Dude Perfect has a jaw-dropping talent for making the seemingly impossible possible. Since launching their YouTube channel 15 years ago as college roommates at Texas A&M University, the “Dudes” – Tyler “Beard” Toney, twin brothers Cory and Coby Cotton, Cody “Tall Guy” Jones, and Garrett “Purple Hoser” Hilbert – have posted hundreds of athletic trick shots that have garnered them more than 60 million subscribers and over 17 billion views. Perhaps just as challenging as acing those long-distance “nothing but net” throws is the act of taking the popular online show live on the road, which Dude Perfect recently did with its 21-date Hero Tour of the United States.
The 46 Entertainment-produced tour’s national run kicked off on July 2 at Colorado Springs’ Broadmoor World Arena and wrapped up on August 3 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. For the trek, 46 Entertainment tapped Orlando-based L-Acoustics Certified Provider LMG Touring to supply a full complement of 20 L Series loudspeaker enclosures, which were deployed as main hangs (three L2 flown over one L2D per side), out-fill arrays (two L2 over one L2D per side), and delay systems (two L2 over one L2D per side).
L Series: Clearly the Right Choice
The unique nature of the tour presented its own novel share of sonic hurdles, starting with the fact that “this is five guys on wireless headset mics out in front of the PA, and we’re needing to get vocal clarity above a crowd that is screaming at 98 to 102 dB for most of the show,” describes Front-of-House Engineer Jeff Sandstrom on his third tour of duty with the troupe. “L2’s gain-before-feedback and rear rejection have been mission-critical in achieving high intelligibility throughout each venue. I’ve also been super impressed with the evenness of the system’s frequency response, the breadth of coverage, and the clarity of speech, even when all of the guys onstage are talking – or shouting – at once. This system really is fun to mix on.”
Having sold out most of the arenas on the trek, he notes, “We’re in large rooms every night and the people who paid good money to sit in the top row of the back section of the arena deserve a similar experience to the VIPs down front. L Series gives us that added clarity and presence no matter where you’re sitting. The previous Dude Perfect tour used K1 and K2, which are great, but I feel that L2 has even more of an impact in presence and articulation, especially in certain areas of the arena. It’s been a huge success.”
A Cohesive System from Top to Bottom
Directly behind each of the main L2/L2D arrays which are inherently cardioid, LMG deployed a hang of eight L-Acoustics KS28 subwoofers in a cardioid arrangement. “There’s a cohesiveness that happens throughout the frequency spectrum because the subs and the mains really complement each other,” Sandstrom notes. “But the L Series have so much body in the low-mid and low frequencies that the subs are really just there to augment what’s happening in the mains.”
He goes on to explain that the Hero Tour program “doesn’t have a ton of sub information. We have a DJ and some video playback, but the focus of the show is the Dudes, who all use DPA headset mics, and the full-bodied nature of L2 helps drive and accentuate that. I don’t feel like the subs and mains are two different elements – it’s one cohesive thing. No matter where in the frequency spectrum the program material is coming from, it’s very even and well-balanced.”
Up and Out of the Way
For Production Manager Mason Felps of 46 Entertainment, the compact form factor of the L Series arrays meant that the audio system was less visually obtrusive, especially with the presence of large video screens. “L2 is a smaller system, so we’re able to fly it higher and get it out of the view of the video content, which is a key aspect of this show – and it still covers the entire floor, which is amazing,” he says. “Having more L2 out in the house for delay is another great element. They allow the upper bowl seats to hear the show crystal clear. Even in the tallest and biggest venues we’ve had no coverage issues.”
Streamlined Setup
Systems Engineer Jacob Moore was tasked with the Soundvision design process and deploying the system at each tour stop, and his impression of L Series, particularly from a logistics and deployment perspective, is just as favorable. “L2 doesn’t require much truck space and is super-efficient to load in and out,” he asserts. “It also flies incredibly fast within the flow of the build process. There’s no finicking with angles or having to teach new stagehands how to preset angles. It’s very easy to come into a new venue with completely new faces and be able to get the rig up in the air in a timely manner.”
“Honestly, I would prefer to have the L Series for every job I do; it’s just so easy to use and sounds so high-fidelity,” he adds. “For the longest time, K2 has been my favorite box from L-Acoustics. Now, having gotten my hands on the new L Series, it’s neck and neck for which one I would actually prefer. But as far as ease of use, speed, and efficiency, L Series wins hands down every time.”
LMG Touring’s video on the project can be viewed at www.instagram.com/reel/DN0ktYO2ivm.
For more details on Dude Perfect’s recent tour, visit www.dudeperfect.com. LMG Touring can be found online at www.lmgtouring.net.
