The main arena for the event held 2,000 people, and was powered by a 30kW system comprising 16 EAW KF850 mid/highs and 16 Quake subs. The horn-loaded Quakes were arranged in two blocks of six either side of the stage, with a four-unit block in the centre. EM Acoustics' director of R&D, Ed Kinsella, explains: "Due to the heavy weighting towards lower frequencies in music like hard-house, SWA used more Quake subs than would be necessary with other styles of music to achieve the desired effect. Using 16 units allowed them to get the real low end right to the back of the arena, and still maintain ample headroom."
The mid/high of the system was powered by Crest P-Series amplification, with all 16 Quakes being powered off a pair of Crest 9001 power amplifiers. XTA DP series processors were also used throughout. Mark Bott, SWA's operations manager, who was engineering the event, said of the new subs: "The low-end response from the Quake subs was fantastic. The program material at an event such as Tidy is very demanding, and with many of the DJs at the event also being producers, the sound has to be just right. Also, the clubbers are very educated when it comes to the sound they want and when I read recently on the Tidy message board that someone in the front row of the crowd thought the bass hurt, I knew we had it right!"
Bott continued: "We use a completely suspended DJ table but with the FOH speakers so close, it's often a compromise in how much low-end you can produce without feedback. Although the stacking we had to employ was not ideal, due to space and fire exit routes, we were thoroughly impressed. The EM Acoustics Quakes worked so well - the amount of sub in the venue was incredible and the frequency response was excellent. We have done all five of the Tidy weekend events and I thought this was the best-sounding so far, thanks to the Quakes!"
The Quake subwoofer houses a single Precision Devices 18" drive unit, loaded onto a horn over 9ft in length, and is the product of nearly a year in extensive Research & Development. EM Acoustics' Mike Wheeler adds: "Responses like those from SWA and the people present at Tidy Weekender 5 are something we're very proud of. We knew Quake would make an impact on the industry, and we're looking forward to more people seeing and using them in the near future."
EM Acoustics were profiled in the February 2004 issue of Lighting&Sound International.
(Lee Baldock)
