SEATTLE — EAW gear was well-represented at Seattle’s Decibel Festival Sept. 27-28, with Hall Audio Systems from Las Vegas using KF740s to overcome the challenging acoustics within the Paramount Theater and new Avalon by EAW gear used within the Neumos rock club for VIP parties.
More details from EAW (www.eaw.com):
WHITINSVILLE, MA — Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) announced that it will deliver sound reinforcement solutions for two key venues at the Decibel Festival, an annual electronic music event held in Seattle, Washington, USA. EAW’s KF740 line array system will serve as front-of-house PA for Decibel’s headline events in the acoustically notorious Paramount Theater. Separately, EAW’s Application Support Group will install a temporary Avalon by EAW dance club system in Neumos, where VIP parties will proceed five nights of performance sets and after parties. EAW President Jeff Rocha made the announcement.
“Even though we’re a Massachusetts-based company, Decibel Festival is practically a hometown event,” Rocha said. “Obviously, LOUD Technologies is in the Seattle area, but it goes deeper than that. A LOUD employee is a founding member of the event. It’s not the first time we’ve talked to them, but it’s the first time we’ve made it work. I can’t wait. Hello, Seattle!”
The Decibel Festival’s headline acts, Orbital on Thursday, September 27th, and Erykah Badu’s Cannabinoids on Friday September 28th, will perform in Seattle’s historic Paramount Theater, a “movie palace” converted into a performing arts center. Typical of these venues, the Paramount Theater features a tall, deep balcony section that badly shadows the back half of the orchestra section. Also typical, a tall, vertical face to the balcony produces severe slap-back echo onto the stage when a suspended, high-output PA attempts to cover the lower section.
To solve this problem, EAW will partner with Las Vegas-based Hall Audio Systems, the first-ever EAW Red Certified company, to create a 6-over-6 split KF740 line array system. At left and right, arrays of six, ground-stacked KF740 modules will deliver powerful response to the back of the orchestra section, while flown arrays of six KF740s will cover the Paramount’s cavernous balcony. ASG Technical Training Director Bernie Broderick, who developed EAW’s Red Certification process, will personally oversee implementation.
In Neumos, usually a rock club, EAW will deliver the West Coast premiere of the Avalon by EAW range of dance club-specific loudspeaker systems. Developed in collaboration with John Lyons, dance club designer and owner of the iconic Avalon Hollywood, Avalon by EAW takes professional loudspeaker design to a new level, where classic EAW form and function meet fit and finish like that of a luxury automobile. In brief demonstrations, the SUB.two systems caused lighting fixtures to fall from their mountings in the Las Vegas Convention Center, InfoComm 2012’s host.
The system in Neumos employs four CLUB.two quad 12-in mains and four SUB.two. Two CLUB.three systems, featuring a single 15-in LF device with a 1,700 Watt peak power handling specification, will serve as DJ monitors.
“Unlike the Las Vegas Convention Center, Neumos is a proper club designed to handle high-output sound reinforcement, Rocha said. “Or that’s what they tell me. We’re sending four SUB.twos. I guess we’ll find out.”
LOUD Technologies’ Multimedia Designer Kristina Childs also enjoys a career as a DJ, producer and promoter. A founding member of the Decibel Festival, Childs will perform three Decibel Festival sets, an “unofficial” brunch set at the Arabic Lounge September 29th at 2pm, the W Hotel on September 29th at 10pm and an after party set at the Electric Tea Garden on September 30th at noon. Directly related to the Avalon by EAW product range, Childs designed and created the Avalon by EAW website (www.avalonbyeaw.com).
Red Certification training delivers a complete curriculum on specification and use of EAW KF740 line array systems. Training includes customizing arrays to specific venues in Resolution design and modeling software, loading DSP settings with EAW Pilot software, hands-on training with KF740 line array modules and array optimization with EAW Powertools.
