Traditionally, the Garmisch-Partenkirchen leg of the tournament (the other venues being Oberstdorf, Innsbruck and Bischofshofen) takes place on New Year's Day and in 2010, for the eleventh year in a row, the task of providing the sound reinforcement was entrusted to the Weilheim-based production company TC Showtechnik. The team led by Martin Schulze and Stefan Rehthaler once again relied on Electro-Voice. The centrepiece of the solution proposed by TC Showtechnik for the event, which was watched live by 25,000 spectators and followed by millions more on TV sets throughout the world, was the XLD compact line array from EV.
"We had already used the XLD last year and the year before, and our experience with it each time was outstandingly positive," says Schulze, "not only because the system delivers brilliant and powerful sound but also because it is extremely compact and absolutely weatherproof."
The ability of equipment to perform in inclement conditions is of crucial importance to any outdoor production, but this year's crop of winter sports events are posing a particularly severe challenge. "We had temperature swings of around 30 degrees Celsius: plus 15 degrees and more during the daytime and minus 15 at night, with blizzards, freezing fog and rain," recalls Schulze. "A real endurance test for any system."
The main array this year comprised 16 EV XLD281 enclosures mounted on 14m towers, with eight of Dynacord's V17 cabinets (flown) and six EV Xsubs (stacked) providing added pressure in the low frequency range. To ensure even coverage the length of the 140m viewing area, Schulz and Co. decided this year to introduce a delay line consisting of eight EV XLDs.
This year's competition also marked the debut of TC Showtechnik's newly configured amp rack. Only six rack units in height, this nonetheless boasts no fewer than 16 power amplifier channels. The "ultra-compact and ultra-flexible rack", as Schulze calls it, is equipped with two EV CPS4.10 amps and one Dynacord DAS 8805. "We tested the rack in Straubing with the XLD as well as a variety of PX series loudspeakers and were immediately convinced," says Schulze. "Our first impressions were spot on, too, as a recent Notwist production in London as well as this outdoor one both made clear. It's a rack that delivers first rate performance - not to mention incredible value for money."
(Jim Evans)
