As primary AVL vendor for Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Brown Note Productions (BNP) will have provided audio reinforcement there more than 70 times this year, when the venue’s 2017 season closes in late October. Recently, BNP joined L-Acoustics’ Certified Provider network for rental markets (CPr) with the purchase of a K Series system for the venue.
Brown Note’s extensive inaugural order included 48 K1, 36 K2, 36 Kara and six ARCS II enclosures, 36 KS28, 24 K1-SB and eight SB18 subs and 21 LA-Rak II touring racks containing a collective total of 63 LA12X amplified controllers. At the same time, the company added two Avid S6L-32 and two S6L-24 consoles, as well as a DiGiCo SD10 and three SD12 desks.
‘We purchased this system to support our touring and festival clients, many of whom were specifically requesting L-Acoustics,’ says BNP co-owner Sara Knutson, who founded the company in 2004 with her husband, Ryan. ‘We also wanted to bring K1 into Denver to meet the needs of the local K1/K2 users and tours that were coming through.’
Brown Note provides full stage PA systems, along with lighting and video production, for many festivals across the country, including Welcome to Rockville and Chicago Open Air. The company additionally served as the audio provider this year for the North Coast Music Festival, Decadence, Carolina Rebellion, Global Dance Festival, Bonanza Festival, Northwest String Summit, Summer Meltdown Festival and the Velorama Festival.
‘We have been looking to add another flavour to our PA inventory for a few years now and L-Acoustics was at the top of our list,’ Sara Knutson continues. ‘We decided to wait for the announcement and scheduled release of the LA12X amps and KS28 subs. The LA12X offers increased DSP capabilities, faster power delivery and transient response, while the incredibly powerful KS28 is one of the best subwoofers in the world, so we were willing to wait in order to move forward with the newest and most progressive products. And we have had a bunch of engineers who are now very happy that we did.’
‘Prior to adding the new systems, I had personally mixed on K1 and K2 at several festivals and found that–like its predecessor, V-Dosc – it has a voice that is unmistakable,’ Ryan adds. ‘Its fidelity, power and throw are truly among the best in the world. We also love the system’s rigging, flexibility, cross-rental potential, and the new relationships and business we are building with it. It’s been a great addition to our inventory and is working very well in all applications, large and small.’
‘Getting to know Sara and Ryan over the past four years while watching Brown Note grow into a truly world-class production services company under their leadership, I knew it was only a matter of time before we struck the right chord,’ says L-Acoustics Regional Sales Manager, Paul Tillman. ‘We look forward to working with them as they expand L-Acoustics’ presence in the Mountain States and beyond.’
Operating out of a 70,000-sq-ft facility ten miles northeast of downtown Denver, BNP has a staff of more than 35 employees including 13 that are audio-specific, plus a dozen other contractors kept in regular rotation.
