MIAMI – Despite the elimination of the Dolphins earlier in the season, Super Bowl XLIV was accompanied by a wide array of celebrations in the greater Miami area. D.A.S. Audio gear was used at a number of these events, including a performance by Usher, pictured here, at the South Beach Bud Light Hotel party.
Allstar Audio Systems, Inc., of Smyrna, Tenn. and Merritt Island, Fla., for example, provided sound for the 1,500 invited guests at the pre-game Coors Light Party at Miami's Mansion Night Club, with performances by Snoop Dog.
For that event, Allstar Audio's sound system setup included 12 D.A.S. Audio Aero 38A self-powered, medium format line array elements (flown six per side), eight Compact Series 218 Sub 2K subwoofers distributed evenly across the front of the stage, and two Aero CA-28A powered, compact line array modules for front fill.
"I overheard Snoop's FOH engineer saying to one of my techs that the D.A.S. system was one of the best line arrays setups he's used in a long time," said Mike Borne, president of Allstar Audio. "This system was really loud, but it was also extremely clean sounding. We had a boisterous crowd and this system delivered the goods. Our client, the artist, and the crowd all voiced overwhelming approval."
At The W South Beach, Solange Knowles spun tunes on the turntable while tennis star Venus Williams hosted an event celebrating the launch of a new laundry product. That event drew about 1,000 people each night for three nights over Super Bowl weekend, including Venus' sister Serena, Jamie Foxx and Terrell Owens. Miami-based Master Sound Productions' sound support included 10 D.A.S. Aero 12A powered compact line array loudspeakers-five per side, with three ground stacked and two flown for nearfields-along with four D.A.S. LX-218A powered subwoofers.
"The atmosphere was like a giant block party," noted Lazaro Soto, CEO of Master Sound Productions. "This event took place outside under a 50-foot-by-50-foot tent, and the entire street was closed to traffic, so people were coming and going the entire time. While our client was initially unfamiliar with the D.A.S. brand, they were very happy with the sound system's performance and were extremely complimentary of its impact on the people in attendance."
Over at the Surfcomber Hotel in South Beach, the Bud Light Hotel was in full swing from Jan. 29 thought Feb. 7. Miami-based Interface Sound, headed by Ralph Alvarez, handled sound for the shindig's duration.
During the week, Usher performed, along with Jamie Foxx and rapper Flo Rida-with the Ultimate Fighting Championship taking place nearby as well. Here, the Interface Sound crew set up a sound system consisting of 16 D.A.S. Audio Aero 38A line array elements, flown eight per side, augmented on the low end by 12 Aero 182A 2k powered subwoofers, ground stacked six per side and vertically aligned under the flown loudspeaker clusters. A total of 10 D.A.S. SML-12A powered stage monitors rounded out the package.
"The equipment worked remarkably well," said Alvarez. "We experienced a torrential downpour on the second night, but the system was never turned off, nor was it covered-and we're talking about an all self-powered rig. The equipment got pretty wet, and yet everything worked as usual. These loudspeakers were exposed to the elements for a total of 11 days and, through it all, they delivered great results. At one point, we had almost 4,000 people and, according to Usher's house engineer, he was extremely impressed with the sound and the levels of the system. Everyone who heard it was really impressed."
On Feb. 4, the Jerry Rice Celebrity Gala took place at the Seminole Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. NFL standout Jerry Rice and others including Joe Montana, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and Brent Jones, hosted an evening of dinner and live entertainment to benefit the Buoniconti Fund.
Miami Gardens, FL-based Beach Sound Inc. ran sound for the event. They deployed a collection of D.A.S. Audio Aero 12A powered, compact line array loudspeakers and LX-218A powered subwoofers.
"We continue to be impressed with the performance of our D.A.S. sound system," said Beach Sound owner Andre Serafini. "The sound quality and coverage is excellent and the system is rugged and reliable. We consistently get positive reports from our clients and this event was yet another success for us."
For more information, please visit www.allstaraudio.com , www.mastersoundpro.com , www.interfacesound.com , www.beachsound.com and www.dasaudio.com.
