[ATTACH=CONFIG]201516.vB5-legacyid=14400[/ATTACH]NEW YORK CITY – April 2016 — When discussing how well a sound system performed for a specific show, details like overall audio quality and coverage are likely to come up. Comments on various challenges might also arise, be they related to budget, rigging or how fast the system was in the air and passing signal. But, unless you’re talking about The Beatles at Shea Stadium in 1965, it’s probably somewhat rare that the challenge discussed revolved around being adequately heard over thousands of screaming girls. And yet that is exactly what Boston-based Audio Spectrum, Inc. faced when the company put an L-Acoustics K2 rig into service for a month-long run in New York City with Aventura, the “Kings of Bachata.”
Fronted by the Latin music superstar Romeo Santos, these shows were the first for the entire band since Santos departed for a solo career in 2011. What was originally slated to be only a few performances at the United Palace Theatre sold out in minutes and was ultimately expanded into a February residency of 22 sold-out shows at the Washington Heights, Manhattan venue produced by Felix Cabrera of Latin Events.
Audio Spectrum deployed a system consisting of three K1-SB subs flown over 10 K2 enclosures per side supplemented by SB28 subs ground-stacked below, plus X8 coaxials as frontfills and ARCS II enclosures as outfills. “Everyone was on in-ears with a Yamaha PM1D monitor desk and Aviom system,” says Rafael Jaimes, owner and founder of Audio Spectrum. “We used two ARCS II over an SB28 per side as sidefills and a pair of SB18 as low-end reinforcement for the drummer and percussionist.”
Living up to his first name, Santos is the very embodiment of the Latin heartthrob who has expanded beyond music into films, including Furious 7 and the upcoming Angry Birds. Of the 3,500 fans in the United Palace Theatre, the majority of them were young women. Aventura was the vehicle that first catapulted Santos to fame, and this run of shows proved that the group still has “legs” despite not performing together for five years.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]201517.vB5-legacyid=14401[/ATTACH]“The shows were amazing and this was the real test of the K2 system on this residency,” notes Jaimes. “To have the PA be able to cut through the sound of 3,500 screaming girls without being too loud and still covering the entire venue evenly is a testament to what a great system K2 is.”
The full L-Acoustics setup was powered by a total of 15 LA8 amplified controllers and an Avid D-Show desk provided the house mix. Jaimes gives big credit to the Romeo Santos tech team for the strength of the overall experience: “We went in a week before the first shows and they had a very good concept encompassing the audio, lighting and video. The audio mix was outstanding.”
The combination of a stellar system and great crew makes for a fantastic show—or, in this case, 22 shows.
“Everyone we talked to really complimented the sound quality and the coverage,” Jaimes adds. “The coverage was very even from the front of the theatre all the way to the back of the balcony, and it was full and powerful without being too loud. I just can’t overstate the challenge of 3,500 girls screaming from the first note to the last, but all were amazed that they could hear every instrument in the band, and hear and understand the vocalists—including when someone would speak between songs and the screaming went through the roof. The K2’s sound was clear and consistent. It was really remarkable.”
For more information on Aventura’s recent run, visit [url]www.aventuraworldwide.com[/url]. Audio Spectrum, Inc. can likewise be found online at [url]www.audiospectrum.com[/url].
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About L-Acoustics
Founded in 1984 near Paris, France, L-Acoustics is a leading manufacturer of turnkey solutions for the professional sound industry. With 250 team members, 20 percent of whom are dedicated to R&D, L-Acoustics is present in over 75 countries either through subsidiaries or via a network of certified distributors or providers.
Recognized throughout the industry for pioneering the modern line array, L-Acoustics offers a total system approach for both the touring and fixed installation markets, and a product line responding to the needs of venues from the most intimate club to the grandest arena. L-Acoustics sound systems can be heard in places like the Hollywood Bowl, the NBA Houston Rockets Toyota Center, or the Philharmonie de Paris. L-Acoustics solutions have been used at five of the world’s ten top-grossing festivals*, the London and Sochi Olympics, and on the Justin Timberlake 20/20 Experience World Tour, among others.
