Robert Lawrence Creative Solutions, one of the UK’s leading event production support companies, recently installed Outline’s Mantas and Butterfly line array at the 2011 British Grand Prix. The system was used in Vodafone’s VIP area over the practice, qualifying and race days, including the live interviews with Lewis Hamilton & Jenson Button to a crowd of over 3000 supporters.
Lawrence Marchington, director of Robert Lawrence commented, “Our clients expect the highest level of quality and finish not only in appearance but also in sound. We have been using Outline equipment for over 10 years and it provides the reliability we need and an unparalleled audio quality. Our investment in a Mantas and Butterfly system was a logical addition to our already extensive range of Outline equipment, and one that will ensure we continue to offer the highest level of audio quality to our clients”.
Outline provides Kingston Audio the solution for challenges faced at New Orleans Jazz Festival
New Orleans, LA, USA, May 2010 – The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, is a seven-day cultural festival at which thousands of musicians, chefs and craftsmen welcome 400,000 visitors every year. In its 41st year, it is one of the longest running and most successful music festivals in the US.
The internationally famous event celebrates New Orleans and Louisiana native music and culture, and features every style associated with the “CrescentCity”and state: Blues, R&B, Gospel, Cajun, Zydeco, Afro-Caribbean, Folk, Latino, Rock, Rap, Country, Bluegrass and everything in between, as well as (obviously) plenty of contemporary and traditional jazz.
The following are just a few of the best known artists at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival: Simon and Garfunkel, Fats Domino, Bob Dylan, Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, to name but a few.
Sound plays a major role in the success of the festival.
For the past two years (2009 and 2010), New Orleans-based rental company Kingston Audio Services was responsible for providing the Festival with superior quality sound equipment by Outline. The choice fell on Butterfly and Mantas vertical line arrays, combined with Subtech 218s for reproducing the bottom end.
The FOH rig used for the sound at the “Gospel Tent” stage consisted in 8+8 CDH 483 Hi-Pack elements and eight Subtech 218s. Mantas elements were used on front and side fill duty respectively.
“The Butterfly and Mantas in The Gospel Tent truly proved to be the right choice”, comments Tom Bensen, VP and Director of Operations of Outline North America LLC. “It is the most challenging venue in the entire festival. The combination of both Butterfly and Mantas provided the best possible coverage, with crystal clear reproduction. Artists and engineers alike were very pleased with the system, not to mention the avid gospel fans”, he added.
As well as the Butterfly, Mantas and Subtech systems, New Orleans’ Kingston Audio Services also supplied eight Outline LAB 21 infra-subs for the Gentilly stage, the festival’s second largest venue.
Kingston Audio Services owner Simon Fraser commented: “Getting low frequency coverage to the far reaches of the delay zones for Gentilly was never possible, until we added the LAB 21’s. They provided rock solid punch that carried all the day to the back of the Gentilly field. It was amazing. Plus they are the most musical we have ever used. They really performed and added a whole new dimension to our stage.”
VIETNAM: Sponsored by Mobifone, Rock Storm 2010 entertained rock fans across Vietnam with a host of
national artists, including Pentatonic, Final Stage, Nuranium, Rosewood, Microwave and Thai Thuy Linh. As it did in 2009, the 10-city tour kicked off in the chilly December air of Hanoi’s My Dinh National Stadium, before going on to Hai Phong, Thai Nguyen, Vinh, Hue, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Dong Nai, Can Tho and finally Ho Chi Minh City. In all, it reached more than 200,000 fans and millions of radio listeners and TV viewers.
Vietnam hasn’t previously attracted such numbers to outdoor concerts, and with Rock Storm 2010 came growing pains like crowd control and Black Market ticket availability. However the tour has developed a lot since 2009 in terms of sound and lighting, and the set changes were in particular slick and well rehearsed. Rock Storm’s show sound director was renowned Japanese engineer, Masaaki Azuma, who has handled sound control for famous international shows, including Madonna, Oasis, Under World, Metallica, and Fuji Rock Festival.
An Outline Butterfly line array system consisting of CDH483 Hi-Packs and supplemented by SubTech 218 subwoofers was used at some of the concerts, as Fantasy Show & Light’s Dinh Viet Hug explained: ‘We needed to provide all round coverage for up to 35,000 people at these stadiums, but the television broadcasters insisted that the PA system had to be compact. Fortunately, the Butterfly system provides high SPLs and even coverage, and is relatively small in size so that it doesn’t block the broadcasters view of the stage. We are looking forward to taking stock of the new Outline Mantas system, which can be used alongside the Butterfly speakers as supplementary fills or on their own for smaller events.’
‘Butterflies’ at the service of the world’s major leaders and CEOs, fromTony Blairto Michael Dell
Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), January 24/27 2010 – Among the corporate events of considerable international importance, Outline informs that its loudspeaker systems were used to amplify the 2010 edition of the Global Competitiveness Forum, held at the Four Seasons Hotel, in the Kingdom Centre (winner of an award as the best skyscraper of the world for design).
Founded by the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) in 2006, the Global Competitiveness Forum, a meeting held annually, is regularly transmitted by TV broadcastersAl Jazeera, NBC and Bloomberg, as well as the world’s best-known news media.
Through the years, the GCF has attracted thousands of eminent political leaders, multinational company CEOs, ministers, government officials, intellectuals and academicians from every corner of the globe, with the sole aim of meeting and exchanging ideas.
The event’s mission is to increase awareness and enthusiasm on the challenges of competitiveness, critically assessing its aspects in relation to international trade, innovation, the environment (new forms of energy), development of human resources and sustainability; in short, at GCF 2010, talk focussed on the consequences that determine the fact of “becoming competitive” on a global scale.
Among the most illustrious speakers, Tony Blair (UK Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007), Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Inc., Jeffrey R. Immelt, Chief Executive Officer of General Electric, John Chambers, Chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems, James Wolfensohn, 9thPresident of the World Bank Group, Robert Greifeld, Chief Executive Officer of the NASDAQ OMX Group, Alessandro Profumo, Chief Executive Officer of the UniCredit Group and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Bank Austria, Paolo Pininfarina, Chairman of Pininfarina S.p.A., Enrico D’Onofrio, Corporate General Manager of MV Agusta, Daniel Esty, Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy at Yale University, Delos M. Cosgrove M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of the Cleveland Clinic, Stephen D. Pryor, CEO of ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Glenn Lowry, Director MOMA (the Museum of Modern Art, NY) and many other outstanding personalities.
Due to the event’s importance at international level, Events AVP, whose chairman is Mr. Sharif Tabbara – exclusive Outline distributor for Jordan – was selected, as it is a company with the necessary experience for supplying the sound reinforcement system and audio equipment necessary for the multiple applications required in situations of this type.
Moreover, in November 2009, Events AVP – again with Outline material – was called in for the sound reinforcement of another equally prestigious event, the World Economic Forum in Dubai.
As far as the audio at GFC 2010 was concerned, sound reinforcement in the conference hall (50 x 40 x 9 metres), involved the use of just 6+6 Butterfly Hi-Packs and 2+2 Subtech 218 SP. Control and power were courtesy of a YAMAHA M7CL console, XTA processor and Outline T series amplifiers.
As monitors, the illustrious speakers alternating on stage had at their disposal two compact Outline Micra II SP enclosures, whereas six units were used on front-fill duty to cover the first rows of seats.
The rooms allocated to interviews by Al Jazeera, NBC and Bloomberg were equipped with six more Micra II SP, whereas four Outline DVS 12 enclosures (in pairs) were used to reinforce the sound in other two halls (each seating sixty people), hosting the academicians and university professors.
Audio chief and FOH engineer, Carlo Gennaro, commented: “In this case, there was no need to work at 135 dB, but to cover the audience perfectly with a very ‘well-mannered’ SPL. There again, we had no alternative, considering the position of the microphones compared to the PA. But, as I’ve repeated for years, with a minimum of energy, the Butterfly gives a wonderful intelligibility – it almost seems to ‘breathe’, and it doesn’t matter at what distance. It goes exactly where I point it and you can feel the sound ‘in your face’. I give the merit for this to its waveguide, one of the few that works superbly…in fact, I’ll go as far as to put in writing a thought I have in common with several of my colleagues: on the world market, there are numerous line arrays, but on the ‘mid-high’ frequencies there are only two items able to give the same performance are this device …”
32 ‘Butterflies’ in concert in Vietnam’s largest stadium
Hanoi (Vietnam), 10th January 2010 – A Vertical Line Array Outline comprising 32 Butterfly CDH 483 Hi-Packs, supported by 16 SubTech 218, was chosen as the FOH system for “Happy New Year 2010”, a concert for 35,000 people staged in the country’s largest stadium: My Dinh National Stadium.
Sponsored by the Maritime Bank and organized by Vietnam’s VTV3 TV (also on the Web), the show attracted a vast audience thanks to performances by the country’s best-known artists: My Tam, Lam Truong, Dam Vinh Hung and Hong Nhung. A wide range of music genres was reproduced: pop, dance, hip-hop and country.
Vietnam’s Outline distributor, Fantasies Show Light of Hanoi, was also the rental company that had the task of providing and installing the Butterfly rig at My Dinh National Stadium.
The event’s FOH engineer, Mr. Nguyen The Ngoc, commented: “Among the best-known high-end line arrays, I think the Butterfly is also one of the fastest and easiest to install; its prediction software is very accurate and provides further support. I always feel very secure with this object in my hands.”
Control and power were courtesy of a Midas XL3 console, XTA processor and Outline T7 amplifiers.
Bearing in mind the number of concerts that have been scheduled for some time for the present year, Fantasies Show Light has just purchased twelve of Outline’s new Mantas, with 120° dispersion, a VLA weighing just 24 kg (52.9 pounds) mechanically compatible with the Butterfly, for front-fill applications, and able to push out 147 dB (peak SPL, 4 modules). The order also includes four Subtech 218 and ten DVS 15 (1x15” - 1x3”) multi-purpose enclosures, as well as four T7 power amplifiers.
The Vietnamese company, from January 30th, will supply the Outlinearrays to reinforce the sound at “Rockstorm 2010“, the first of a series of nine mega-concerts for the year that has just begun.
The firm’s owner, Mr. Dinh Viet Hung, stated, “VTV3 needed to ensure all-round coverage of an audience of 35,000 people, but with a loudspeaker system that was compact, due to television broadcast requirements. Fortunately, the technology incorporated in the Butterfly also manages to satisfy these aspects too, as well as those involving FOH engineers; the result is everybody is always happy. We are waiting for them to consign us the new Mantas, which are very light weight and shall be used along with the Butterflies, specially in the concerts and the numerous average sized applications, for which we are called in increasingly frequently.”
The huge tree at New York’s Rockefeller Center switched on: the sound rig was Outline
New York, 2nd December 2009 – Butterfly and mini-COM.P.A.S.S., two of the Vertical Line Arrays manufactured by Brescia’s Outline, were used on the occasion of the lighting ceremony of the Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center in New York, at the crossroads of 50th Street and Fifth Avenue.
America has celebrated Christmas round this tree – the most famous in the world and decorated with 20,000 coloured lights – since far-off 1931. Once again this year, there was a show that attracted thousands of people: this was also thanks to the spectacular ice rink, which, since it was opened in 1936, continues to draw people of all ages.
On stage to celebrate the event, amplified by the “Outlinearrays” – as well as other world-famous systems – stars such as Aretha Franklin, Shakira, Alicia Keys, Rod Stewart and even the Muppets, all performing great Christmas classics.
The show, transmitted live onNBC, was dedicated to US servicemen and women, who, along with the Big Apple’s mayor Michael Bloomberg, turned on the lights of tree, which will remain in front of the RockefellerCenter until January 7th 2010.
The company responsible for the audio was PRG (www.prg.com) – a famous American firm with branches worldwide that works at top level in the entertainment sector.
The work of fine tuning the Outline rig was entrusted to PRG sound engineer Matt Bell, who stated: “I chose the Butterfly system because we needed a line array that was compact in design and high powered. We hung all of the systems from Genie lifts, so we were limited to how much weight we had available. The Butterfly system allowed us to hang the correct amount of cabinets to cover the space. We were all very impressed with the coherence and intelligibility at 70 meters for such a small array. The frequency response was very flat and stable which allowed me good SPL levels without interfering with the broadcast mix. This added to the success of the event. My thanks go out to everyone at Outline for their help and support.”
Dublin, Ireland, 24th September 2009 – The location is Storehouse 13, St. James Gate: the home of the most famous beer in the world: GUINNESS. The time is 17.59 p.m., which is significant as it represents the date when Sir Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease on the St. James site at £45 per year.
The event was to mark the 250 years of production of black velvet, a creamy delicious beer that is now a legend. To commemorate the occasion, Storehouse 13, which is a huge hop store, was converted for one night into a live stage and TV studio.
3,000 ticket-winning guests were entertained by Sir Tom Jones, Estelle, Dizzee Rascal and Kasabian. The sound system – supplied by Britannia Row – was Outline’s Butterfly:twelve CDH 483s per hang plus six Subtech 218s, powered by Outline’s T9 amplifiers and controlled via DolbyLake. All the engineers, who included Robbie McGrath (Snow Patrol and Rolling Stones) and Matteo Cifelli (Tom Jones) enjoyed their time using Butterfly.
Presenting the event was Ronan Keating of Boyzone fame and Cat Deeley to add a little glamour. The show was broadcast live to 250 countries worldwide via Sky broadcasting and also broadcast on ITV 3. There were over forty venues with direct links to the storehouse with many famous artists performing. Two other Butterfly systems were provided by EQ Audio and Events and Outline Ireland.
