Cascade Sound and Stage Lighting Falls for L-Acoustics

Photo above: Trace Adkins performing at the Oregon State Fair on Cascade’s L-Acoustics K2 system (credit: Trey Kenyon, Oregon State Fair photographer)

Established in 1969, Salem, Oregon-based Cascade Sound & Stage Lighting, Inc. has long provided production services for corporate events, casinos, festivals and fairs of all sizes throughout Oregon and Washington state. Now, as the company branches out to serve the greater Pacific Northwest, Cascade Sound has joined the L-Acoustics Certified Provider network, extending the French loudspeaker manufacturer’s outreach and introducing its newest products to the region’s rental market.

Cascade’s inaugural L-Acoustics purchase comprises 24 K2 and 12 Kara enclosures, 16 KS28 subs and five LA-RAK II touring racks, each loaded with three LA12X amplified controllers.

According to Cascade Production Manager Brady Carroll, grandson of the company’s original founders, Larry and Linda Carroll, the company purchased the new systems for regional concert touring support as well as for its current clients, including Clark County Fair (Ridgefield, WA), Washington County Fair (Hillsboro, OR) and Oregon State Fair (Salem, OR), with a combined concert attendance of nearly 700,000 patrons.

Cascade crewmembers with the company’s new K2 enclosures. (L-R) Operations Manager Jeff Cox, Systems Tech Cash Augustine, Production Manager Brady Carroll, and Systems Techs Benjamin Endicott, Trevor Moser and Louis Donlo

Since taking delivery of the systems, Cascade has deployed them on shows by numerous artists, including Jake Owen, Josh Turner, Trace Adkins, Third Eye Blind, John Michael Montgomery, Bret Michaels, Old Dominion, Theory of a Deadman and Melissa Etheridge. “The K2 and Kara line source array systems have performed perfectly in every situation,” notes Cascade Operations Manager Jeff Cox. “At the Oregon State Fair, our K2 and KS28 covered the 9,000-seat L.B. Day Amphitheater like a glove. Keeping the SPL energy in the amphitheater while also reducing reflections from the side walls was always a challenge with our previous system, but the coverage with our new setup has been outstanding and we could not be happier.”

Cascade’s management and crewmembers aren’t the only ones that are thrilled. The company has served the Oregon State Fair (OSF) for more than 30 years, and this year Vice President Jeff Carroll says that he saw “the biggest grin I have ever seen on one of our fair managers, who said, ‘This puts you on a whole new level!” he says. “I also had a patron come up to front of house after a show and say, ‘I have come to this fair for years and it has never sounded better.’ The difference this year? L-Acoustics.”

(L-R) Cascade Sound & Stage Lighting Vice Presidents Jeff and Jim Carroll with a few of their new K2 enclosures and KS28 subs

Numerous factors played a role in Cascade’s decision to invest in L-Acoustics, not the least of which was the manufacturer’s signature pristine sound quality. “The first time that you hear a K2 rig, you are immediately taken by the crisp detail and clarity of the audio source,” shares Cascade Vice President Jim Carroll, Jeff’s brother. “The system is incredibly smooth and the solid low-end is bold, even without the subs. Once the KS28 are turned on, it’s impossible not to smile. The fidelity of this system takes your breath away.”

He goes on to cite K2 and Kara’s versatile flying and stacking options, tight truck pack, low weight, scalability, quick rigging and intuitive DSP as other key reasons for choosing the systems.

“Being able to partner with L-Acoustics, whose rider acceptability is second to none, is really opening doors for us as we grow from primarily being a local production company to supporting the larger regional touring market,” Brady Carroll adds. “With K2 and Kara, we now have the right ‘go-to’ solutions to handle any medium or large event for our own clients as well as many revenue possibilities though the manufacturer’s rental network. L-Acoustics truly makes a superior product and we’re proud to join the list of Certified Providers.”

For more info on Cascade Sound & Stage Lighting, Inc., visit www.cascadesound.com.