Miller Pro AVL Gives Coverage and Clarity to the Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Festival

[ATTACH=CONFIG]199383.vB5-legacyid=10836[/ATTACH]Austin, Texas – With 21 tour dates across the United States, the Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Festival, presented by Funny or Die, features 25 of the nation’s hottest comics. On tour, the audio challenge presented for the tour technicians is vastly different from those seen on concert or theatrical productions. Needing to be precise with their audio coverage, Front of House Engineer Nick Walsh, Monitor Technician Mike Norfleet, and Production Manager Chris Warndahl are relying upon the services of Miller Pro Audio AVL and a full line of the their Omega Corps PA system.

“I have been out with the Oddball Festival for the last two years and having played a lot of these same venues previously, we knew the challenge would be that they are pretty steep with long throws making them hard to cover,” began Walsh. “There are a lot of factors to consider so we try to cover ourselves by sending out a big enough PA that we don’t have to rely on the house system. This year we really put together a full Omega Corps PA package from Miller Pro AVL so that we can cover any situation that we may encounter.”

“This is also my second year with the Oddball Festival,” added Norfleet. “Since we are playing mostly outdoor venues, we really needed a box that throws a far and wide pattern. Using the Omega Corps PA systems we are able to use less boxes while covering more area.”

“Each night we have a full house who has to hear the jokes no matter how much crowd noise there might be,” explained Warndahl who is also the Miller Pro AVL Account Manager for the tour. “To make sure this happens every night, we have deployed the most powerful Miller Pro AVL Omega Corps rig to date with the V48 and V28 Series as our primary PA.”

When the production team began planning out the full audio system needed to make the festival a success, it was a combination of their previous experience on the tour and their knowledge of the systems provided by Miller Pro AVL that truly gave them an advantage to create the ideal sound design.

Walsh continued, “With a spoken word festival there is really nowhere to hide and it’s not about actual output, it’s more about coverage. You have to be able to hit every single seat, so whatever PA you take out, you have to know what it can deliver. When you are talking 450’ throw distance with 180 degrees width of audience coverage, you have to be able to hit every single seat with the same clarity.”

Warndahl agreed, “The challenge with this tour is you really have to take into consideration every seat in the house. What Omega brings to the table is a true 120 degree box that really performs that way and the forgiveness is in the box. Whether someone is using the V48, V28 or V Series, as long as you hang them in the same plane you can throw out as much sound as you want. The coverage of the box is what makes it such a useful tool.”

[ATTACH=CONFIG]199384.vB5-legacyid=10837[/ATTACH]Initially developed in 2004, the Omega Corps product line has over 100,000 hours of cumulative use and testing of components in the field. Committed to fully testing the products before use by their clients, Miller Pro AVL is dedicated to providing its tours with a product that demonstrates its longevity, reliability and sonic quality at the forefront.

Norfleet explained further, “The beauty of the Omega line is that it has been developed by engineers who actually go out and use the gear on a daily basis. The horn pattern and how far it throws is really what separates Omega from others on the market and that’s what makes other sound engineers excited about the line. It’s got quite a bit of presence at a long distance which is something that you can’t say about a lot of other boxes on the market.”

“We just played Jones Beach, one of the biggest venues of the tour, and the venue itself has no delays built into the house system,” added Warndahl. “With the Omega line the house technicians were amazed at how well we could deploy a full and even coverage. Getting such a great response from the local technicians is a great feeling and a testament to the power of Omega.”

“While I’ve worked with the Omega line several times before, it has never been on this scale,” said Walsh. “Since the Omega boxes are designed differently from a regular line array, I can physically stand behind them and know exactly where I am going to hit. They have such a great dispersion that house technicians are really blown away and we are loving them on tour.”

Warndahl added, “Against other PA systems, the Omega Corps system is quicker to hang, quicker to focus and quicker to program. At Jones Beach, most tours will have to drop their PA at least once to cover the venue, but using the Omega design software we dropped-in exact measurements and put it up in one shot.”

Walsh continued, “Of all the line arrays I have used, I really like how the Omega line shoots this incredible beam of high energy that is very directional. It is so effective for a long throw that you can send a beam to the furthest part of the venue and that’s very impressive. We are also breaking a few records each night in how fast we can set up and tear down. All of our technicians and the Omega line are performing extremely well on tour and the event producers and talent couldn’t be any happier.”

Providing quality production services for over 20 years, Miller Pro AVL was founded on the idea of bringing the best quality production and service to its clients. Overseeing approximately 2,000 concerts, events, tours, and installations annually, Miller Pro AVL is an ever-expanding firm that stands behind the products and services provided on a daily basis. With a service area that includes the entire continental United States as well as destinations in Mexico, Miller Pro AVL employs repair, manufacturing, touring, fabrication, and transport staff members in all areas of production.

Norfleet admitted, “Having worked with Miller Pro AVL for quite some time I have close relationships with many of the people who work there. It feels like we all look out for each other and want to make sure we all succeed which makes for a great working environment. I have really enjoyed watching both Miller Pro AVL and the Omega line grow into what they are today. It’s great to see the evolution of the company and product line and it’s nice to be a part of it all.”

“Being from South Africa, I have worked all over the world,” said Walsh. “What I love most about working with Miller Pro AVL is that they make it like working with family. They are friendly and laid back, but extremely professional which is the key to their success.”

Warndahl concluded, “Most of the tours supported by Miller Pro AVL actually take out our own full time crews versus hiring freelancers, and we are committed to offering the strongest tour technicians possible. Being centrally located in the middle of the country, we can truck equipment anywhere needed at a very cost-effective rate and we have a very good at-home support staff that can quickly bring in extra support if needed. Miller Pro AVL has the mentality of ‘go the extra mile’ for the client and our four-office network offers amazing support to all our clients no matter where they are located.”

As the Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Festival continues to move across the country, the tour concludes on September 21st in Austin, Texas. Behind the scenes, it is apparent to all involved that it’s the combination of talented audio technicians, the support of Miller Pro AVL, and the performance of the Omega Corps PA system that is making this tour’s sound design one of the most effective to date.