Huntington Beach, CA – September 2008… Comprised of professional surfing, BMX, skateboarding, freestyle motocross demos, live music, and a fashion show, Go211 Live's recently completed US Open of Surfing offered something for everyone. Held this past July 13-27, the event included a fashion show and three days of music that included performances by a wide range of artists—including teen heartthrob Jesse McCartney, whose hit single Leavin' was a huge crowd pleaser. Held on the beach, sound reinforcement was a massive undertaking that was superbly handled by Torrance, CA-based Broadcast Support and a sizeable collection of loudspeakers from the DAS Audio catalog.
Being the provider of all foreground and background sound reinforcement for the US Open of Surfing, Broadcast Support was tasked with supplying a sound system that could deliver clear sound under some very difficult conditions, as company founder and co-owner Scott Ramsay explained. “In addition to the usual issues of providing sound for an outdoor event,” said Ramsay, “this project was all the more challenging as we had to provide broad coverage that extended from the boardwalk—where the stage was located—all the way to the water's edge and deal with sand and wind in the process. In addition to the crowds on the beach, we also needed to deliver coverage for the people who elected to watch from the Huntington Beach Pier. To meet these requirements, we needed a system with long throw and broad horizontal dispersion characteristics that was equally capable of delivering clear speech intelligibility and music reproduction.”
The system that Broadcast Support deployed for the event consisted of a sizeable number of loudspeaker enclosures from DAS Audio's Aero product line, including twelve Aero 38A self-powered, medium format line array elements—with six elements ground stacked on the left and right sides of the stage. These were augmented by six Aero 218A self-powered subwoofers—three per side adjacent to the line array modules. For front fill, three of DAS Audio's Variant 25A self-powered, ultra compact line array modules were utilized as front fills along the lip of the stage.
On stage monitoring was also handled by DAS Audio loudspeakers. DAS SML-12A self-powered, low profile stage monitors were present, as were DAS Audio's Compact 218 Subs, which were used as sidefills.
“The stage was a good six feet above ground level,” notes Ramsay, “so even though the loudspeakers were ground stacked, they were positioned considerably above the crowd. As a result, their ability to project was not impeded. By using a self-powered system, it was considerably easier to move the equipment into place and set everything up since we didn't have to lug a bunch of heavy power amps around, and this also resulted in a considerably neater overall stage appearance.”
The music and fashion show took place during the three-day period of July 24-26 just prior to the close of the US Open of Surfing. In addition to the fashion show, musical performances included appearances by the all-female rock band The Donnas, reggae artists REBolution, post punk revival band Louis XIV, and power pop band Hellogoodbye, which served as the opening act for Jesse McCartney. During the fashion show, a 35-foot runway extended from the front of the stage.
“The DAS system did a terrific job for us” said Ron "Elvis" Stephan, co-owner and head engineer of fast-growing, Broadcast Support. “We had a wide range of musical styles—not to mention the DJ who spun during the fashion show—and through it all, the DAS loudspeakers were clear, powerful, and provided plenty of low-end punch. The system delivered all the throw we were hoping for and the coverage was broad and even. Regardless of whether you were along the pier or on the beach, the sound system provided excellent coverage. The entire team from Go211, the show's producers, was equally impressed—as were the various engineers that mixed for the acts. The bottom line is that the system worked flawlessly.”
About Go211
Go211 is an action sports community that represents athletes within snowboarding, skateboarding, surfing, and BMX. The company presents live webcasts of major alternative sports events happening around the world. For additional information, visit the company online at www.go211.com.
About Broadcast Support
For additional information about Broadcast Support, visit the company online at www.broadcastsupport.com or call (310) 373-2578.
About D.A.S. Audio
Headquartered in Valencia, Spain, D.A.S. Audio is one of the world's leading manufacturers of loudspeaker systems, power amplification, signal processing, and related components. For better than thirty years, D.A.S. Audio products have been found on tour with the world's greatest performing artists and installed in many of the most prestigious facilities. For additional information about the company, visit them online at www.dasaudio.com.
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