For its live sound, the event called on Mumbai-based Sound & Light Professionals (SNL Pro) and a DAS Audio Aero Series line array system.
Held in the University Grounds of Shivaji University in Kolhapur, the AbhangaNaad used devotional songs and meditation as its base, requiring a reinforcement system able to project over a large area with excellent speech intelligibility and music reproduction.
As the venue has a circumference of almost 20 acres and a multi-tier stage around 200 feet wide, 80 feet deep and 15 feet high this was no simple exercise, as Manish Mavani, SNL Pro Director explains: ‘The fact that the venue grounds were arranged in two levels posed a unique challenge for us,’ he says. ‘Second, convergence at the center of the ground from the left-right stacks posed additional issues. Fortunately, our Ease Focus calculations and the broad horizontal dispersion of the Aero 48s really helped us achieve remarkably even coverage throughout the area.’
For the primary FOH hangs, Mavani and his crew –system engineer OS Cijith, FOH mix engineer Ramdas Kalasker and stage engineer Pramod Vetker – flew four loudspeaker clusters per left-right side – each consisting of eight DAS Audio Aero 48 large-format line array elements. For centre fill, the team used an additional stack of four Aero 48s. These were augmented by several DAS Aero CA-28 line array modules spread across the front of the stage for front fill coverage. Three delay towers, each with eight DAS Audio Aero 48s and positioned roughly 150 feet apart, completed the set-up.
For the musicians’ and vocalists’ monitoring system, Mavani’s crew placed another 20 custom loudspeaker columns. These columns consisted of a combination of DAS Audio’s Avant 12A powered two-way loudspeaker enclosures and Sound and Light Professionals’ proprietary loudspeakers. Lab.gruppen PLM 10000Q Powered Loudspeaker Management systems and XTA DP448 processors completed the system.
Accompanied by the choir and the drums, devotional singers Ajit Karkare, Balasaheb Waikar, and Tukaram Powar also sang abhangs and bhajans (devotional songs).
‘Being a music- and dance-based show, sound was a major factor,’ says Mavani. ‘Our aim was to ensure every note from the stage – be it the choir of 2,500 vocalists, the drum beats of the 1,000-plus drummers, or the soft meditative speech of guruji , reached the audience in its proper dynamics and presence. This is where the DAS Audio Aero 48’s versatility showed up brilliantly. While some of the performers initially had concerns over how their singing would come out over the sound system, ultimately, they were amazed at the clarity we achieved – all due to the exceptional horizontal coverage of the Aero 48’s. By the time the program ended, the organizers, musicians and, most importantly, the audience were all extremely pleased. Since that time, we’ve been re-hired for more such future events. When one project leads to another, that’s as good as it gets.’
More: www.snlprofessionals.com
More: www.dasaudio.com
