CARLSBAD, CA — Building on the long history of providing quality smooth jazz in the San Diego area, the San Diego Jazz Festival is a “must-attend” event for R&B and smooth jazz starved fans in “America’s Finest City.” The three-day festival took place over Memorial Day weekend – a perfect time to enjoy great weather and award-winning music. This year’s event featured the premiere live concert appearance in California of the new K-array KH8/KS8 thin array rig, selected by Phoenix-based On Cue Systems.
Rick Camp and Michael Apodaca (Next Gen Audio) brought their powerful sound system to the festival site at the renowned La Costa Resort in Carlsbad (just outside San Diego) to showcase an array of headliners including Maxwell, R Kelly, Toni Braxton, KEM and Eryka Badu, among others.
The main P.A. system was comprised of 24 KH8 high packs and 18 KS8 subs. Most of the mixers were unfamiliar with the new system, but came away liking what they heard. Veteran FOH engineer John “Buggs” Parkinson (Maxi Priest/Stevie Wonder) was impressed with the throw. “I heard the clarity driving onto the venue!” And clearly the challenge was keeping the powerful subs in check. Apodaca remarked that “turning off three of the subs (per side) was the key to the two acts I mixed.”
Systems engineer Blake Smith added “considering the FOH position [300 feet back], most of the high-end engineers’ challenge all weekend long was controlling the output.” Senior systems engineer Todd Shaffer said “with the ability to mix from 300 feet without near-field monitors or delay towers, this P.A. is staggering.” “This system is serious business,” Apodaca concluded.
For more info about K-Array, go to www.k-array.com .
