Traditionally summer is busy for us, 2011 has been no exception. It is like a rollercoaster ride, which starts gently, settling you into a false sense of security, then before you know it you’re in a flurry of activity. I’d like to share a few highlights, for your pleasure.

Leeds Festival – Alternative Stage (System Only). 

Phil McDaniel from ESS approached us about supplying a FOH loudspeaker system for the Alternative Stage. We were of course pleased to help, and sent out 6 stacks of Turbosound Floodlight.  The Alternative Stage line up over the weekend featured some impressive names, one name in particular was noted for his massive draw, and potentially putting the whole tent over capacity was Tim Minchin(pictured left), where an estimated 5000 people tried to cram into the tent, one person was reported to have cut a hole in the side of the tent for a better view!

Whilst this madness was going on I was with The Pigeon Detectives on the main stage handling monitors, our crowd was very very good for the time of day. Definitely a highlight of my summer, and my career thus far.

Healing Village Festival – Music Stage.

This local festival contacted us last year to discuss upping the standard of their production to the next level. We didn’t really know what we were walking into. Damian Low was handling FOH, while I looked after monitors. We went with the approach of  ’rig for bad weather’ both metaphorically and literally. The event was to be on a lorry back stage, in very close proximity to local residents. The weather in Sheffield had been grim, so we were very happy when we got on site to a helpful, and well organised team running the event. They looked after us very well, had booked a few decent local bands and managed to sell 1700+ tickets. Not bad at all. The day ran seamlessly until the headline act took took to the stage, when a couple of electrical gremlins reared their heads. These were solved, and then the generator running the stage stopped generating electricity, and started making clouds of smoke and steam instead.  A backup generator was obtained and the show went on. Coldplace gripped the crowds attention and everybody left, happy and singing.

Fake Festivals

The great summer cocktail. 1000 people, a marquee, a well stocked and sensibly priced bar. The best bit, it’s on your doorstep. These events have taken off in a big way since their launch in 2008. We’ve always supplied a similar system, and this year was no exception.  4 stacks of Turbosound Floodlight, an Allen & Heath ML3000-32 console for FOH and another for monitors, 9 of our FLW15 (15″+2″) wedge monitors, plus a drumfill and a very hard working festival mic package.  There were some funny highlights this year, one of which was a surprise performance by the current cast of ‘Britans Got Talent’.  Here is a picture of Jim looking after monitors at a Fake Festival.

Fieldview Festival 2011

This gig went off, in a huge way. It was without doubt my highlight of 2011, for so many different reasons. Firstly it’s run by a group of the nicest people alive. Dan & James Cameron, Oz Hetherington, Johnny McIlroy, Tom Northeast and so many others. Like minded, caring and just generally up for a good time. This crew work hard and play hard, they do it for the love, not for the money. Their passion is radiant, and rubs off on every single person in attendance. Creating simply the nicest festival atmosphere I’ve ever experienced.

A recent shift in live music sees us dealing with more and more live dance acts, most of which rely on a substantial frequency content below 50Hz. Whilst we are more than happy with our TSW718 bins for most band work,  various events are making us consider options for going a little lower.

Having attended many festivals already this summer and hearing large systems from most of the major manufacturers, d&b, JBL, EV, L’acoustics, Nexo etc. I’ve been hearing a lot of sub content. But, for the most part it sounds wrong. ‘Forced’ and ‘Un natural’ are descriptive terms  which spring to mind. Nexo, in my opinion shows a most obviously processed low end. Whilst L’acoustics seems to be the most neutral sounding of the bunch.

Interesting the L’acoustics SB218 is well known as a relatively inefficient cabinet, a simple 2 x 18″. On it’s spec sheet the FR graph suggests that it is just that, a well tuned reflex cabinet. With a -3dB point somewhere in the high 30′s.

The Nexo S2 on the other hand, sounds unreasonably slow, forced and processed, and interestingly the spec sheet for this cabinet doesn’t even provide a FR graph, nevermind an unprocessed response. The S2 is a bandpass design, or as nexo like to call it “a high efficiency resonator design”. Now, to me the word resonance, suggests amplification through standing waves, and the loading of air between the chambers in the cabinet. It also implies a long ringing sound. Nexo state, as many modern manufacturers do that the S2 must be used with their own proprietary controller.  This to me sets alarm bells ringing immediately as to how much processing may be going on under the bonnet.

So, we’re weighing up the options, I guess the first thing to consider is quite how low we need to get, i would consider -3dB at 30Hz as a reasonable if not slightly ambitious target, unprocessed. Much lower than that and we’re getting into seriously large cabinets, and seriously large amplifiers. There are many designs which can accomplish this common modern designs are are listed below.

• Horns – manufacturers such as EM acoustics and EAW are making long, powerful bass horns. By logic and reason a horn will have the fastest transient response, but the major disadvantage is the physical mouth area a 30Hz horn must have. It will however have the greatest efficiency when used in the correct quantities.
• Direct Radiators – A great compromise between size, and LF extension, however pretty inefficient. Consequently we’d need a large number of boxes to match the SPL of the system running above it.
• Bandpass – Loads of output but generally sounds a little ‘false’.

What to do is the next question. Build or buy? Whilst keen to keep a branding on the FOH PA. We are in no way against using our own designs, if they are the most effective way to satisfy the requirements. Whilst in production, cabs manufactured in house will be the cheapest solution, they are not necessarily the cheapest option overall. There are a few criteria to fulfill in either instance. Firtstly, the frontal size must be similar to the turbosound bins that we currently use, to satisfy aesthetic and safe stacking needs, secondly they must be high efficiency if we are to mix with the floodlight system in a 1:1 ratio. I personally think the options are limited to a well designed bandpass, or a good reflex design. Both will be power hungry if limited by cabinet volume. It’s the old word compromise isn’t it. Everything to do with loudspeakers is a compromise.

I’d be interested to hear other peoples views on this seemingly ‘hot’ topic. More importantly how we can make a natural and effortless <50Hz cabinet.