The Overtones hit all the right notes on tour with Electro-Voice X-Line Advance and Dynacord TGX

1 Mar, 2019 | Dynacord, Electro-Voice

Platinum selling vocal harmony stars The Overtones sold out concert halls across the UK when they set out on a 26-date tour at the end of 2018, accompanied by long-term front of house engineer Mark Clements. For technical production specialist Merlin PA Hire, the sheer variety of venues on the tour meant that the sound system had to be as flexible as possible while still delivering the clarity of performance required for the precise and detailed Overtones sound.

“The guys are very particular about what they want and for me it needs to be precise; crystal clear vocals and the ability to retain the character of their individual voices,” explains Clement, the band’s engineer for nine years. “It’s not a broad-spectrum EQ, it’s very defined for each performer and there’s a lot of time spent riding the faders.” Most importantly, Overtones shows are renowned for inspiring audiences to leap to their feet and dance in the aisles.

Delivering the all-important blend of versatility, performance and power was an Electro-Voice X-Line Advance X2 line array system driven by one of the first Dynacord TGX-20 amplifier set-ups to hit the road. In choosing to use the already award-winning Dynacord TGX amps, Merlin PA’s Neal Allen also adopted a fully OMNEO workflow for the tour, combining Dante audio transport with OCA control.

“It was a leap of faith,” confirms Allen. “The TGX amps arrived two weeks before we came away and this was our first time using OMNEO all the way through, a fully Dante workflow. But everything worked flawlessly.”

Depending on each venue’s size and load bearing capacity, Allen specified a configuration to suit with a mixture of EV X2-212/90 and X2-212/120 elements, plus XLE181 in-fills and front-fills and X12-128 subwoofers. Five Dynacord TGX-20 amps per-side were housed in the rack.

“When you’re preparing for a tour you need to think about the biggest venue and the smallest venue and select a system that will cater for both,” he says. “Truck space is always at a premium, so you need flexibility in the speaker rig and the amplifiers. That’s what we get with X-Line Advance and TGX.”

Mark Clements adds: “The X2 sound is crisp and precise. It also throws for days and the detail is top notch. With the TGX amplifiers, the headroom is a massive improvement and they sound great. They’re also very easy to use, with the software everything is accessible in a second.”

For the band, meanwhile, achieving what they call “the perfect sound” in the auditorium means they can focus on their performance. “We couldn’t do what we do without our technical team and without the equipment they use,” reasons Lachie Chapman. “On our tour, every night we have people up on their feet from the second song, literally every night. I think that’s testament to the amazing sound that we have.”

EV and DYNACORD bring excellent sound quality to Suzhou Olympic Sports Center

15 Feb, 2019 | Dynacord, Electro-Voice

Invested by Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou Olympic Sports Center is a multifunctional sports center that includes a 45,000-seats stadium, a 13,000-seats gymnasium, a 3,000-seats natatorium and a commercial plaza with a hotel tower. Its design and planning was inspired by classical garden architectural art. Suzhou Olympic Sports Center is built as a dynamic, fully opened sports park that delivers the atmosphere of ancient garden in a modern approach. All venues were designed by the German company GMP, which used to be responsible for the Berlin Olympic Sports Center project, strictly following the standards of the individual intercontinental event. The sound reinforcement system includes the following EV products: 104 EVH weather-resistant loudspeakers, 70 X2 line array loudspeakers, nearly 100 TG7 amplifiers integrated RCM28 modules and EV UW30 underwater loudspeakers. In addition, DYNACORD Cobra series loudspeakers provide an excellent audio performance for portable use in three venues of the Olympic Sports Center, while DYNACORD VL series loudspeakers deliver exciting music to all the players in the skating rink.

The single-layer cable membrane structure

Each stadium has its own features, Suzhou Olympic Sports Center stadium is the first stadium with saddle-shaped, single-layer cable membrane structure roof in China. This also brought the challenges to the entire sound reinforcement system design. The leader of the Project Design Department of Suzhou Olympic Sports Center mentioned, “Generally speaking, most stadiums adopt the steel framed structure. The special structure used in this project means that we have to use 40 cable heads across the stadium to fasten the membrane.” Due to this unique design, the catwalk is above the membrane and there are no fixed mounting points for loudspeaker installation, thus making the installation and maintenance very difficult. Furthermore, the swing range of up and down exceeds 1.5 meters. Those increased the difficulty of whole sound system design. “After elaborate consideration, Bosch team introduced the installation method of London Bowl. Bosch guys worked with specialized designers to make a mounting point on each tapered end and install a pulley. Then we can use a winding engine to lift the loudspeakers, or take down for inspection and maintenance. By this way, the challenge of installation was finally conquered.” He also added, “in addition to tackling the hanging technical difficulty, another reason why we choose the single-layer cable membrane structured roof is that we hope to make a breakthrough in the aesthetic appearance of the stadium. EV’s white-coloured EVH weather-resistant loudspeakers perfectly match the cable membrane structure not only on colour but also on overall environment. What’s more, EVH’s audio quality makes sure that every audience at any position can hear clear sound and dynamic performance.”

Gymnasium integrating sports and cultural recreation

As a comprehensive venue, this 13,000-seats gymnasium has been designed to serve multiple purposes since very beginning. The central funnel screen is designed according to the standards of large international events such as NBA. It can offer superb viewing experience for variety shows and exhibitions. In order to provide both visual and audio enjoyment, 70 pcs EV X2 new-generation line array loudspeakers achieve 360º sound coverage for floor and audience area. This allows the audiences to enjoy clear, real and exciting sounds on live. During daily use, the audiences on site are shocked by the audio quality delivered by X2.

Natatorium integrating sports and fitness

In addition to standard competition pools and training pools, the natatorium also provides various spa facilities, stores selling water sports supplies, children’s amusement and leisure equipment for local citizens. The owner also chose the white EVH loudspeakers below the roof of the natatorium, which blended in decoration of the venue in terms of appearance and sound clarity. “Considering the needs of diving as well as training and performance of synchronized swimming, we have also selected EV’s UW30 underwater loudspeakers in the swimming pools, so that people under the water could hear the music, as well as the messages through microphone sent by people on shore clearly without additional receivers.” added the leader of the Project Design Department.

Commercial plaza with comprehensive functions

The commercial plaza, which is designed with affiliated functions including shopping, office and hospitality, supports the three sports buildings and adds the leisure entertainment atmosphere to the entire park. The ice rink in the commercial centre is installed with DYNACORD VL series two-way full range loudspeakers to cover every corner in a balanced manner and add more fun to the skaters with beautiful music.

All audio and control signals within the sports venue including stadium, gymnasium, natatorium and ice rink are transmitted on the basis of OMNEO protocol. The main digital signal and redundancy digital signal can be the backup to each other. This ensures smooth, stable signal transmission throughout the sports centre. EV and DYNACORDs’ total solution on sound reinforcement not only addresses the design and application requirement of the sports centre, but also helps boost the robust development of China’s cultural and sports.

Electro-Voice and Dynacord match high performance with great value at The Bayou Church

25 Jan, 2019 | Dynacord, Electro-Voice

The EV system felt much more rich and present at any volume. It just felt right in our sanctuary.

Located in the heart of Acadiana in Lafayette, Louisiana, The Bayou Church is a contemporary Christian house of worship. Regional production company and system integrator Gulf Coast Sound was among the companies the church consulted when exploring options for upgrading the sound system in their 600-seat sanctuary.

Larry Habetz, owner and CEO of Gulf Coast Sound and a lifelong resident of the area, was excited to be bidding on the job. “I knew some of the audio and IT guys at The Bayou Church, so it was really more of a consultation and mutual learning experience for all of us,” he says. “I was impressed with their sincere desire to make good decisions, and we developed a great relationship over our time working together. They were asking all the right questions, so I was happy to arrange a demo of the product we felt was the best fit.”

For precise coverage of the sanctuary’s rectangular shape, Habetz designed a demo system based on Electro-Voice XLD line arrays supported by Xsub subwoofers, all straight from Gulf Coast Sound’s rental stock. The system made a big impression on worship pastor Ed Gore and his team.

“We did multiple product demos, and the EV system really stood out,” says Gore. “Of all the systems we tried, this one just sounded best in the room. Other systems we heard could only achieve the enveloping experience we wanted at higher volumes. The EV system felt much more rich and present at any volume. It just felt right in our sanctuary.”

Larry Habetz was unsurprised at the outcome. “I knew the XLD system would be a great fit for the room, and the church team was extremely impressed with it right out of the box,” he says. “Once we got it tuned and time-aligned, it was incredible. What I really loved was the fact that the EV system was clearly preferred over another, much more expensive system that the church demoed.”

With an EV solution given the go ahead, Gulf Coast Sound designed a networked system consisting of twin hangs of eight XLD281 loudspeaker arrays, all with 120-degree dispersion. A pair of EVC-1082 front fills on the stage lip cover the center-front seats. Low frequency reinforcement was upgraded to EV’s acclaimed X-Line Advance dual-18” subwoofers, with six X12-128 units deployed together in front of the stage. Network control for the system is provided via the Electro-Voice N8000 NetMax digital matrix controller.

Another upgrade from the original demo system was via six C3600 amplifiers from EV’s sibling brand Dynacord, a new model that was launched to market during the design process. The C series offers high-end features not previously available on install amps at their price point, including advanced FIR-Drive to optimize system performance; sophisticated protection circuitry to ensure safe, reliable operation under all conditions; and an efficient standby power mode that can reduce running costs and power consumption by up to 90%, leading to a very low total cost of ownership.

The system design at The Bayou Church underwent some final fine-tuning to ensure sightlines to the stage and screens were optimal from the outer seating areas. The EV applications engineering team used EASE modeling to move the XLD arrays about two feet upstage, while maintaining coverage; Gulf Coast Sound then created custom trussing for their precision deployment.

“That’s one of the reasons we love working with Electro-Voice,” notes Larry Habetz. “We have a great relationship. They are always there to support us, whether it’s with design assistance like this or product updates that give our existing systems new life, adding value to the original investment. That commitment gives us confidence in the systems we install, and we pass that along to our customers.”

Ed Gore of The Bayou Church agrees. “I really admire the way Gulf Coast Sound stayed committed to making the final install the best it could be,” he says. “That was just very reassuring. As for the system, the coverage is very even everywhere you go, and the more I listen to it, the more positive I am that Electro-Voice was really the right choice for us. We’re really pleased.”