BARCELONA, Spain – Global Audio Solutions specified an expansive Trinity Black robotic line array system from PK Sound for an outdoor event that helped close out the America’s Cup Cultural Regatta in late 2024. Operatic tenor José Carreras and flamenco dancer Sara Baras headlined the free performance for 10,000 fans gathered along a 300m street area, and PK Alliance Members Sounders Rent and Eragin Stac deployed the system.
More details from PK Sound (www.pksound.live):
It’s typically the abundance of world-renowned architecture that attracts visitors to Barcelona’s iconic Passeig de Gràcia – one of the historic city’s main thoroughfares and most popular shopping and commercial areas. But to celebrate the storied avenue’s 200th anniversary and simultaneously close out the America’s Cup Cultural Regatta in late 2024, it was a pair of Spain’s most revered performing artists that drew a crowd of thousands into the heart of the Catalonian capital.
Famed operatic tenor José Carreras and flamenco choreography queen Sara Baras headlined a free performance – complete with a full orchestra and dance troupe – on a stage erected right in the middle of Passeig de Gràcia at its bustling València Street intersection.
To ensure each of the nearly 10,000 spectators along the 300 m stretch of pavement experienced every delicate nuance of the musical programming, production coordinator Pepe Ferrer of Global Audio Solutions specified an expansive Trinity Black robotic line array system from PK Sound.
Deployed by PK Alliance Members Sounders Rent and Eragin Stac, the system design took full advantage of PK Sound’s patented Multi-Axis Robotics to precisely and mechanically configure the system’s acoustic coverage. The deployment benefitted from the support of PK’s exclusive Southern European distributor, Adagio PRO, and Global Support Manager Bryan Andres, who travelled from the company’s Canadian HQ.
“PK Sound’s Trinity Series robotic line arrays were the perfect solution for this event in the centre of the city,” states Marc Vidal, CEO of PK Alliance Member Sounders Rent. “PK’s robotic technology enables precise control of each speaker’s vertical and horizontal coverage, so we could shape the soundfield to optimize clarity and impact along the narrow coverage zone while reducing spill into nearby areas and – especially – off of the buildings lining the street, which would introduce reflections and compromise the sound quality.”
The main system anchoring the stage comprised eight PK Sound Trinity Black large-format robotic line source elements over three T10 medium-format robotic elements per side. Each individual robotic element boasts variable horizontal coverage spanning 120° wide to 60° narrow in 49 symmetric and asymmetric settings. For this application, the majority were set to 60° — the narrowest of any system from a major manufacturer – to focus energy solely on the crowd and away from the businesses and residences lining both sides of the avenue.
For added definition, a centre cluster of four T8 compact robotic elements was dedicated solely to Carreras’ voice. Lining the front of the stage were 12 T218 intelligent subwoofers stacked in six cardioid pairs.
Three stereo delay stations comprising eight T10 elements and three T218s per side spanned the street – the first 90 m from the stage and the last at 230 m – to ensure a uniform experience for the thousands of residents and tourists in attendance.
“From the performers and their teams through to Barcelona City Council to our many guests, everyone was very pleased with this special event,” comments Ferrer. “I was quite impressed with the acoustic performance of the PK Sound system, and amazed at how the team was able to avoid reflections from all the buildings considering the long but narrow coverage area. The engineers for both José Carreras and Sara Baras were incredibly complementary, and producers Focus Group commented that the sound quality exceeded expectations considering the big challenge.”
World-class modernist architecture has defined Barcelona’s beautiful Passeig de Gràcia for over 200 years, but it was hyper-modern live sound technology, a gifted team of collaborators, and two legendary Spanish performers that delivered this one-of-a-kind artistic experience to celebrate its two centuries of rich culture and history.
