MORGAN HILL, CA — The 30th annual Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras continued to grow, like, well, you know, with an estimated 70,000 attendees overall, and upwards of 3,000 of them gathering at the Morgan Hill amphitheater to feel the beat from an ISP Technologies Tripower Reference concert series speaker system provided by 4 dB Sound.
4 dB Sound configured that system in a 4-way mode and also handled the house speaker duties. The system got high marks for the two-day run, thanks in part to its 18 inch powered subwoofer and the Tripower Reference, a 3-way powered top box.
The Tripower Reference is in two cabinets where the lower cabinet includes the three-way amplifier module, all signal processing and dual high output 12-inch woofers. The top cabinet is a Mid-High horn pack that includes a large format 3-inch compression driver to cover the midrange frequencies and a neo magnet polyester diaphragm 1.75-inch high frequency driver to cover the high frequency portion of the spectrum.
The Mid-High Horn pack connects to the active electronics in the lower cabinet via a 4-conductor NL4 speakon interconnecting cable. Total system power for the Tripower Reference is 1000 watts RMS, but ISP says the horn loading of the midrange frequencies of the system lets output SPL capabilities exceed what would be typical for other cabinets.
“Portability, ease of set up, high-impact and economics are our biggest concerns,” said Tony Tissot of 4 dB Sound. “The ISP system worked perfectly at this venue, covering a crowd that was much larger than expected.
“This system is normally used to cover 300 to 800 indoors and 300 to 600 outdoors, but the shape of the amphitheater stage with its curved back shell and the tiered audience bowl makes it an ideal venue. There are no rigging points and set up time is minimal, so flying isn’t an economical option,” Tissot added.
“The 4-way system is complete with amplification and processing so setup times are quick and painless. We ran the system under 100 dBA at FOH — about 60 feet back from the stage. It’s very loud up front, but comfortable for families in the back,” Tissot said.
Along with the Mardi Gras event, 4 dB Sound has deployed their ISP system at concert performances featuring artists such as Maria Muldaur, The Hacienda Brothers with Dave Gonzales (of Paladin), American Roots’ Deke Dickerson and The Shane Dwight Blues Band.
For more information, please visit www.4dbsound.com and www.isptechnologies.com.
