DPA Soundco has already been working with Coda for several years and bought the Airline LA12 system because they saw huge potential in Coda's technology, as well as the size, weight, rigging and handling of the system.
"We have been working with it a great deal and we've found out how to make the most of its power and versatility in a large variety of applications," says Ulrik Rasmussen, DPA Soundco project manager and system designer for the Elton John concert. "We're now really confident that it has plenty of potential to compete with the top brands for the full range of pop, rock, heavy metal and corporate events. This makes it a lot easier for us to sell the system: when we are confident, it is easier to make to client confident. For Elton John, I simply quoted for the LA12, along with a complete production of screens, camera and lights."
In fact, so confident is DPA Soundco in Coda's technology, that it uses the Airline LA12 as its main system.
"We like to consider ourselves a company that doesn't necessarily go for the mainstream," says Rasmussen. "We prefer to find solutions that we believe in and then work with that - of course, we are always trying to hit perfection, but we know there are always new things to try."
Rasmussen originally specified what he describes as DPA Sounco's standard festival solution: a combination of 28 LA12 cabinets and 16 SCP subs. But after talking to Elton John's production team and ascertaining their wish for plenty lo end, he decided to add on eight Coda SC8 sensor controlled subs.
"We used them as a kind of ultrasub," he explains. "This gives more room for the SCPs to help the bass coupling between the 12 inch in the LA12 and the SCP's 18 inch. Using the LA12 with SCP gives us better coupling and allows us to deliver a wide bass/lo mid powered system, but keeps the outstanding sub control from the comparator system in the C10 amps."
In addition to the above configuration, he added two extra boxes per side to add more full range long throw and, because the venue was very wide, eight LA12s per side were also included as out fill. Lip fill was addressed via eight AIRLINE LA8s and front fill via six three-way, high-power, full range G712 cabinets.
"After I'd talked to Elton's Front of House engineer, Matt Herr, and before he'd listened to anything, I handed the system over without any EQ, just the factory settings and some hints about frequently used parameters. I had just a bit of EQ shading on the bottom boxes and the top four long throw boxes."
(Jim Evans)
