An eclectic mix of bluegrass, country, punk, pop melodies, folk, rock, honky-tonk and ragtime, the Avett Brothers are generally defined as 'Americana', their music encompassing an unusually wide dynamic range.
As SES system engineer Andrew Steelman points out, "They're not a highly compressed band that lives in a pocket during the show. They go from very loud, aggressive, in your face rock, to acoustic guitars, banjos, a cello, violin and small high fidelity stringed ensembles. In terms of dynamics, it's a constant rise and a fall."
Because MLA has smaller format compression drivers, the system offers the engineer a more neutral canvas that's very responsive to the smallest EQ changes, making it a perfect partner for the dynamics of the band.
The Martin Audio MLA system has proved pivotal in coping with the specific challenges that Red Rocks presents. Known for the short distance from FOH to the PA and a limited trim height to the top of the system, Red Rocks also has an audience area that extends out roughly 300 ft. from the front of the stage with a 105 ft. vertical climb to the top seats about 60 ft. above the roof of the venue.
Detailing the challenges, Steelman points out, "You're so close to the PA at Red Rocks that sometimes when you make changes to correct the sound at FOH, where there is usually a lot of high end and low mids coming off the system, it can have an adverse effect at the top of the hill. Also, you're at much higher altitudes where there's less dense air for sound to travel through and you're very susceptible to winds blowing through the audio at the top of the venue.
"With MLA, we were able to walk the show at the highest seats and see that the people were enjoying the show and they were as engaged as those down in front, even in the quieter moments. MLA covered every seat in the venue and helped us accomplish what we needed to. It was one of the best sounding shows I've heard at Red Rocks."
(Jim Evans)
