Europe - This past summer, K-array featured in several high-profile festivals around the globe – ranging from intimate gatherings in historic Italian towns to large-scale beachfront festivals in Sweden.
The Festival of the Sun, an exclusive two-day event held in a small town near Siena, Italy, was shrouded in secrecy until its launch on 21 June. Masterminded by record executive and producer, Rick Rubin, the festival was spread across multiple locations, including a historic church, a town square and a nearby castle. The mix of performances required an audio solution that could adapt to each setting whilst delivering a consistent audience experience.
A performance by singer-songwriter, James Blake, in a centuries-old church posed a significant acoustic challenge. A Pinnacle KR402 system, supplemented by Pinnacle KR102 as delay and Kayman KY52 monitors, met the demands with Pure Array Technology and Pinnacle’s ability to increase intelligibility in reverberant environments thanks to its narrow vertical coverage. The result was an immersive experience that captured the ethereal quality of Blake’s music.
In the town square, Gossip’s high-energy set was powered by a pair of Firenze KH7 digitally steerable slim line array units in a ground stack configuration, supported by four Thunder KS5 subs. This combination provided a powerful yet precise sound experience that filled the space without overwhelming the historic environment or the audience of around 1000 attendees.
The festival also featured a Cineforum for movie screening, with audio delivered through a further Pinnacle KR402 system. Additionally, a small convention centre hosted talks from leading figures such as Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter, where Pinnacle KR102 systems ensured every word was heard.
Over in the wilds of Scandinavia, the Beachfront Festival in Trelleborg, Sweden, took place against the dramatic backdrop of the Baltic Sea. Organised by SLS Group with equipment provided by Norwegian distributor, First Audio, the festival featured two stages: a main stage set on the beach and a separate marquee stage. Each location required a distinct audio setup to accommodate the different acoustic environments and audience sizes, and K-array’s adaptable range of live event solutions was chosen for the task.
The main stage featured a five-a-side Firenze KH7 system paired with ten Firenze KS7 subwoofers, creating a robust and immersive audio experience with sound that resonated with clarity across the open beach. The more intimate setting of the marquee received a three-a-side Mugello KH5 system along with seven Thunder KS5 subs. This setup provided powerful, clear audio that maintained the energy of the main stage whilst offering an immersive acoustic experience with plenty of bass for electronic and dance acts.
“The systems were well received by all,” recalls Vincenzo Borelli, business development manager at K-array. “Coverage was tremendous and the clarity was superb across both stages.”
Another Scandinavian festival, Trevarefest, held in Henningsvær, a remote island in the far north of Norway, offered a different challenge due to its small size and dramatic natural surroundings. The festival, which caps attendance at just 1,500 people per day, required an audio system to overcome the challenges of an open-air setting, surrounded by mountains and the sea.
Rental company, Audiolight, delivered the audio setup, including a three-a-side Firenze KH7 system and eight Firenze KS7 subwoofers. Whilst the system’s power could have easily exceeded what was needed for the small audience, the Slim Array Technology and Electronic Beam Steering (EBS) capabilities of the Firenze range easily met the challenges posed by the island environment.
In Indonesia, at the Suara Festival in Bali, K-array systems were installed for a second year running across multiple stages, including permanent installations in Nuanu Creative City.
Over in the USA, Oklahoma Zoo Amphitheatre hosted an impressive line-up of well-known names this summer, including Ice Cube, Howard Jones and The Flaming Lips. Here, Firenze KH8 loudspeakers, flown as hangs of nine on either side of the stage, delivered on all fronts, with K-array’s innovative EBS technology helping to mitigate sound bleed into the nearby residential neighbourhood.
Back in the birthplace of K-array, No Borders Festival, Collisioni, Deejay On Stage and Vox Marmoris also featured sound systems from the Italian manufacturer.
“As manufacturers and music lovers, it is always a privilege for our products to be involved in music festivals,” concludes Lorenzo De Poi, brand manager at K-array. “This past summer has been particularly busy, and we’re excited that more and more people are being exposed to our audio solutions at live events.”
