A recent performance by rock band Smash Mouth at the Seven Feathers Casino Resort in Conyonville, Oregon, found World Stage Lighting Inc fielding a custom PA featuring EAW’a Anna and Otto ADAPTive systems.
Industry veterans and long-time users of EAW equipment, World Stage Lighting co-owners Dwight Wood and Devin Sunderland Sunderland were ‘blown away’ when EAW introduced the Anna ADAPTive system. ‘The timing was right, so we seized the opportunity to purchase products from EAW’s ADAPTive line,’ says Sunderland. ‘It’s an amazing system.’
The company purchased 16 Anna three-way full-range ADAPTive array modules and eight Otto ADAPTive subwoofers to give the system a matched low end. They also added, from their existing EAW inventory, eight EAW MW12 stage monitors and four RL15 Redline two-way powered speakers to the rig for the Smash Mouth performance. The system has been received well by both touring engineers and audiences in the almost 20 shows it has been deployed.
The new EAW system was put to the test for Seven Feathers Casino Resorts’ annual outdoor concert. ‘This year’s outdoor show was really special to us,’ Sunderland says. ‘In addition to the sound, we were also asked to provide a turnkey, full production product including lights, roof and stage. We own a 40ft by 40ft Applied Electronics arched roof system, and instead of adding the speaker bays to the roof, we chose to fly Anna line array speakers on the new Applied Electronic LA12-25 Line Array Lifting Towers. It was a visually stunning presentation and sounded absolutely amazing.’
Wood and Sunderland use their Anna system with EAW’s Resolution 2 software. ‘With other brands’ line arrays, you have to fly it, and then every couple of boxes you have to set an angle,’ says Sunderland. ‘That can be a slow process and if you get one of the angles wrong, your room coverage is going to be off. However, with the EAW Anna’s straight hang, you have none of that to deal with. With the Resolution software, it’s so easy to deploy the system. We wire it up, get it in the air and we can be up and running so much quicker. You can focus your coverage while sitting in a chair. Every engineer we have used it with has just been thrilled. It also saves on labour costs, which is a huge benefit.’
Beyond the performance, the pair are also been happy with the service and support they receive from EAW. According to Wood, ‘In our line of work, it’s always about getting the show correct and giving the client the right products; EAW has allowed us to do that. They have been wonderful. Jonas Domkus is such a great resource at EAW. He came to Oregon and trained us on the deployment of the system, and made sure that we had the skills, training and confidence to ensure we could deploy the system every single time. It’s been a wonderful relationship.’
More: www.eaw.com
