Every year, a leading local radio station sponsors the KFMADAY festival at Tucson Electric Park, spring training site for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
This year, metal icons KoRn were headliners, along with rising metal legends-to-be such as Hollywood Undead, Escape the Fate, Amberlin, Red and several local bands.
With over 15,000 enthusiastic fans looking forward to the non-stop metalfest, Soundwave Audio knew what they had to deliver, especially since company owner Mark Pacheco was asked to provide “complete audio not just for the opening acts but for KoRn–consoles, backline, monitors, microphones, everything. And we generally don’t do headliners.
Challenges? “Nothing, other than the fact that they wanted four-box sidefills and 20 wedges on the deck,� says Pacheco. “And we had a fairly small Stageline 320, but managed to get everything worked out. During the show, they used all of the (Martin Audio) wedges onstage except one mix. Other than that, it was a typical festival.�
The actual system consisted of 12 Martin Audio W8LCs per side, hung in the air, along with12 WSXs per side. Sidefills consisted of two Martin W8s over two Blackline S218+ subwoofers. Those plus Martin Audio MA 4.2 amps, Yamaha PM5D consoles for the openers, a Midas Heritage H3000 for the headliners and Dolby Lake processing.
Besides Pacheco, who was overseeing the production in a role he describes with typical modesty as a “floater,� the Soundwave crew consisted of Jim Labukas (FOH tech) and Javier Delgado (monitor for opening acts and tech for KoRn).
Asked about the show, Pacheco neatly sums it up as, “loud and good, and everyone went home satisfied.�
As for his Martin Audio rig, Pacheco adds: “I’ve done the smoothest of jazz shows to the heaviest of rock and metal shows with great results from the W8LCs, and we’ve never had a problem. It’s a very musical loudspeaker.
’Every time I advance a show and tell the people I have a Martin rig, I usually hear, ‘Oh yeah, I like that stuff.’�
For more about Martin Audio, please call 519.747.5853 or visit www.martin-audio.com.
