ST. LOUIS, MO – Spectra Audio Systems provided a recently-acquired Turbosound Flex Array for the electronic music-infused Winter Warpdrive, held at the Roberts Orpheum Theater.
Spectra Audio Systems, formed in 1994 by partners Timothy Kresko and Casey Hunter to provide sound systems for local area bands, have expanded their inventory over the years to serve a client list that includes Disney, ESPN X Games, and World Changers Ministries, as well as theater companies and major label artists.
"The cost of the system was what sparked our initial interest – it seemed very fairly priced considering its lineage," Kresko said, about the Turbosound Flex Array system. "Of course price alone could never be a deal maker," he added, "and the choice was sealed by the opinions of the engineers and promoters who were invited to the demo at The Pageant, a 2,500 seat room in St Louis. They all gave Flex Array a big thumbs up."
Promoter PanOptic Productions notched a record 1,700 tickets for the sold-out show, which featured Eddie Halliwell, Bluetech and Mimosa, and local artists including Ready, Andy B and Cypher.
Spectra has also used its Turbosound gear for Ritchie Hawtin, Above and Beyond, The Glitch Mob and Beats Antique, but at the Winter Warpdrive, systems techs Josh Limpert and Arthur Basil Shaw put up the soundco's entire Turbosound rig for the first time.
It consisted of the Flex Array PA each side of the stage with nine-deep flown TFA-600HDP tops and a single stack of five TSW-218DP double 18" folded horn subs on the floor with a further sub for in-fill. They also used BVNet by XTA processors for system control.
According to Kresko, the 75° horizontal dispersion from the mid/highs avoided exciting the sides of the venue, enhancing overall intelligibility and helping to maintain a clear, well defined stereo image. "The system really tamed this notoriously live space," he said.
"We chose Flex Array mainly for stealth," Kresko noted. "It's very convenient – no matter what the required configuration is, it's throw and go. The boxes sound fantastic and have plenty of gas. All the clients, artists, and guest engineers have raved about the quality of this rig, and they include everyone from national and international bands to hip hop artists, DJs, and talking heads. So my question is: ‘why not?'
"This Turbosound system has upped our standing in our market, and we have absolutely no regrets with the self-powered choice," Kresko said. "Our current clients are all happy to pay more to hire this rig, and it has opened previously closed doors for us."
He added that the Flex Array sounded more cohesive than other line array and point-source systems that he has previously used for Winter Warpdrive.
"Usually, an hour or so of tuning is required to get this venue to sing," he said. "But this time it was GO straight out of the box – we didn't touch any EQ anywhere. It was too easy. I kept having the thought that the tight performance of the 10" drivers was a key factor. The rig is very musical in the mid-bass compared to other systems we've used that employ 15" drivers for that pass band, yet it still had enough punch to not leave you wanting, like some of the other so-called midsize line array systems can do. The 10s blended perfectly with the subs. You know you've got it right when you can close your eyes and not hear any one frequency band as an individual entity."
Festival promoter, stage manager extraordinaire, and audiophile Joe Grasso (who favors a certain brand of U.S.-made PA) echoes Kresko's feeling that surely something needed to be done to improve the Winter Warpdrive performance: "I kept looking for something to complain about, and just couldn't find anything."
PanOptic's Shawn Harvick was at the Pageant demo and had already heard Flex Array on a number of events in the St. Louis area, and thought it would be the perfect fix for Winter Warpdrive.
"We had high expectations of the system but I have to say that Flex exceeded them by far," Harvick said. "It was fantastically clear, and so pleasant to listen to even at the highest levels of the evening. Our thanks to Tim Kresko and Spectra Audio Systems, and we look forward to booking Flex Array again in the future."
Kresko added, "This system has been a home run for us. It was obviously extremely well thought out, which cuts down our time and stress from load in to load out – and it really does live up to its name. There are so many possible configurations that no venue has been a challenge, no matter what the obstacle. We love it."
For more information, please visit www.turbosound.com .
Photo by Paul Addotta
