MILWAUKEE, Wis. – After introducing the Italian-made K-array self-powered speaker lineup to the U.S. market at this year's Summerfest, Clearwing Productions, Inc. has been using the compact, lightweight gear for a series of regional conferences hosted by the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA).
For the six-week NACA tour, Clearwing Productions used a K-array system that included four KH4 self-powered mid-high line arrays, eight KS4 self-powered low-frequency speakers and four Ko70 Overbass Series self-powered dual 21-inch subwoofers. A pair of KH15 self-powered two-way line array speakers provided front fill.
The flat panel KH4 and KS4 line array elements measured just a fraction over six inches deep, making the K-array system easy to fly. "We're hanging it off our lighting truss so that makes setup even faster," said Clearwing Productions engineer Bill Price. "It's lightweight, compact, durable, roadworthy and sounds great."
With each mid-high and low-frequency array measuring just 44 inches wide by 24 inches high, the K-array rig is not only lightweight but also unobtrusive – a bonus in the setting of the NACA regional conferences. "It's really small," said Price, "which works well, because we're in a corporate setting. So looks-wise, it's not a big, clunky line array."
The K-array system, which is distributed in North America by Sennheiser, first made a splash during Summerfest, the 11-day music festival held in Milwaukee. NACA, established in 1960, is a nonprofit organization that lets representatives from college and university campuses throughout the U.S. preview and book talent for the coming year.
Each regional NACA conference features talent showcases by musical acts, comedians and other entertainers over a three-day period. This year, the regional conference schedule started on Oct. 1 at Winston-Salem, N.C. (South) and progressed through Lancaster, Penn. (Mid-Atlantic); Arlington, Texas (Central); Covington, Ken. (Mid-America); Portland, Ore. (West); Hartford, Conn. (Northeast); and St. Paul, Minn. (Northern Plains).
Over the course of each regional conference the K-array system has had to cope with a broad variety of entertainment showcases. "It's fifty different acts in a weekend – bands, singer-songwriters, comedians, it runs the gamut," Price noted, adding that, despite its compact dimensions, the K-array rig had no problem coping with even the loudest acts. "The K-array system is amazing. It has kept up with all the bands and has performed exactly to specifications."
For more information, please visit www.k-array.com and www.sennheiser.com.
