Cleveland-based Vertical Sound, a sound services firm with a focus on the special events market, was contracted to provide sound services for this year's festival. Richard Masarik, owner/operator and one of the firm's chief engineers, commented on the project and his decision to deploy the D.A.S. Aero 12A line array system.
"The plaza outside the Rock Hall spans an area approximately 120ft long by 100ft wide," Masarik explained. "Event planners were expecting somewhere between 1,000 - 1,200 people, so we wanted to ensure the system we ran would have plenty of juice to properly cover the area without being undermined by the surrounding city noise.
"This was the last of back to back to back shows for our company that particular weekend, so it was a very challenging time for our crew. By going with our self-powered D.A.S. Audio Aero 12A loudspeakers and their excellent flyware, we were able to get the system up and running and, later, break it down - quickly and easily, which was a huge benefit for us. The Aero flyware is really well-designed and intuitive. I'm not kidding when I say the entire rig went up and came down faster and easier than our monitor system."
The loudspeaker system deployed by the Vertical Sound crew consisted of 12 D.A.S. Audio Aero 12A line array elements - flown six enclosures (via Genie lifts) per each side of the plaza's stage area.
(Jim Evans)
