CHICAGO – Sound of Authority once again relied on Powersoft K6 and Q4004 amplifiers to drive the Main and Jazz sound stages for the Tom Joyner Foundation's Fantastic Voyage 2010 benefit cruise.
Held annually to raise money to help keep African American students in college, representatives from the music industry met aboard Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas to support the week-long fundraising effort.
The event included performances on five stages by Kevon Edmonds, KEM, Ledisi and Joseph Lewis "Joe" Thomas to Charlie "Last Name" Wilson, Avant, Chuck "Go Go" Brown, Doug E "Beat Box" Fresh and the "Master of Funk."
The electrical systems on board a ship can be challenging, and that steered Sound of Authority toward the Powersoft gear.
"One of the biggest problems we face on a cruise ship is inconsistent voltage," noted Ernie Greene, CEO of Sound of Authority and the production manager for the Fantastic Voyage cruise. "We have measured voltage from an alleged 110-volt outlet at 135 volts and, in the past, when we used traditionally designed amplifiers, the power supply capacitors would literally burn out." Powersoft amplifiers, Greene noted, "are capable of full operational output through a very wide range of voltages."
Sound of Authority provided sound, back line, the house band and a crew of 28 for the event. The Main stage was the largest, with a capacity of 1,500. The mixing was done through a Midas or Yamaha console, feeding XTA processors to the Powersoft K6 and Q4004 amplifiers which, in turn, drove L-Acoustics Kudo line array speakers.
"When you are on a ship out in the middle of the ocean, any problems that arise need to be solved on board," said Greene. "Powersoft amplifiers are extremely reliable and desirable on several levels. We bring on a lot of equipment and, because Powersoft provides unbelievable power in a one-rack space, 27-pound package, this reduces our amplifier weight load by two thirds. Powersoft amps run extremely efficiently so we never stress the available amperage on board the ship. There are all kinds of features on Powersoft amps that simply didn't exist in the past and that is really a blessing in terms of being able to complete our projects without any problems."
For more information, please visit www.powersoft-audio.com.
