The concert, held on the grounds of the American Battle Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten, the Netherlands, was highlighted by a performance of Verdi's Requiem, accompanied by the Vocal Collective, a 60-member choir from Belgium.
Stock Audio, based in Geleen, the Netherlands, worked with the concert's front-of-house engineer, Jo Smeets, to assemble a system providing enough headroom to reach a coverage area spanning beyond 150m, while also capable of presenting a very natural sonic signature.
The sound team responded with a main system featuring dual line arrays, each comprised of six EAW KF760 modules above two KF761 wide-dispersion modules, flown stage left and right. Low-frequencies were reinforced with eight EAW LA400 subwoofers with bent horn technology, groundstacked in groups of four beneath the main arrays.
Holland PA, EAW's distributor for the region, supplied two EAW UX8800 digital processors with Gunness Focusing to enhance this system. During soundcheck the day prior to the concert, Stock Audio Owner Paul Pelen immediately noted the significant upgrade in sonic performance provided by the UX8800 units, and in fact, decided on the spot to purchase them.
During both rehearsals and the concert, FOH Engineer Smeets, whose primary focus is studio mixing, concurred with Pelen's assessment. "This live system was like mixing in a studio, with all of the instruments sounding exactly the same as they do in my control room," he states.
(Jim Evans)
