Zócalo is one of the largest public plazas in the world. With live music, mass singing and fireworks, the event is attended by 40,000 spectators.
The demanding job of providing sound reinforcement for the event was shared between five audio rental companies with a strong tradition of cooperation. Sound designer Sergio Zenteno coordinated the pooling of equipment inventories from Tecnoson Espectaculos, ROA, Star, Backline and Concepto 3, to create a system that used 12x Nexo line arrays around the four-sided main stage to deliver 360° coverage.
Three sides of the stage used Nexo's modular line array, the STM Series, as the main PA. The fourth, the Catedral side, deployed a Nexo GEO D system.
Below the STM arrays of main and bass cabinets were Nexo's latest addition to the STM Series, the M28 omnipurpose module, here used as a down-fill. STM subs were groundstacked three high.
Additionally, there were four arrays of 12x Geo S8 for front-fill at the corners of the stage, serving as front coverage 45° outside of the main arrays. With the main arrays set at 17.5° off the horizontal axis, the systems achieved full 360° coverage.
The stage monitoring system used 52 pieces of Nexo PS15, with additional PS15s for for front-fill. Even the classic Alpha eF and eM/B1-18 cabinets were in action for side-fill.
STM's modular design, teamed with NEXO's standardised Universal Amp Racks (NUAR), makes it easy for PA rental companies to share hardware resources and collaborate on very large-scale concerts and events.
(Jim Evans)
