Happy holidays, AV Network readers. Before we head into the Christmas weekend, here's a quick look at a couple of installations from K-array and Lectrosonics spreading holiday cheer.
[SCN Stocking Stuffers: The Complete List]
K-array and the Dallas Cowboys Christmas Extravaganza
The holiday season in Texas kicked off with a dazzling display of festive cheer at the seventh annual Cowboys Christmas Extravaganza hosted by the Dallas Cowboys at The Star in Frisco last month.
As the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders took center stage, a K-array sound system amplified the holiday spirit with every beat. Event producer MediaWest Events joined forces with Danmark Audio Visual to deliver an audio setup that truly captured the essence of the season. The meticulously designed sound system featured 8 flown Kayman-KY102 speakers strategically positioned to deliver an expansive sound experience to the 12,000 seat indoor multi-use events center.
Complementing this arrangement were four Thunder-KS4 I subwoofers responsible for delivering rich bass tones that resonated throughout the venue. To ensure optimal coverage and clarity, two Kobra-KK102 I speakers were strategically placed horizontally as front fill allowing for a well-balanced sound distribution and ensuring that every corner of the stadium was enveloped in holiday melodies and announcements throughout the event.
[Projection Mapping has San Francisco Aglow with Holiday Cheer]
Lectrosonics M2 Duet System Delivers the Voices of Portland’s Legendary Singing Christmas Tree
The Singing Christmas Tree is a holiday highlight of Portland, OR. Featuring a live Nativity, a segment dedicated to Santa and his elves, and a choir, the vast musical stage production brings the community together in celebration. Now in its 61st year, the Singing Christmas Tree relies on Clarity Media Group for sound reinforcement. In turn, Clarity depends on its M2 Duet digital wireless system from Lectrosonics to provide the performers with great-sounding and flawlessly reliable in-ear monitoring. Clarity co-owners Ben Strizu and Travis Cibolski, as well as Pacific Northwest rep Tom Akoury of Plus 4 Marketing, detail their pairing of M2T dual-stereo transmitters with M2Ra body-worn receivers to help talent give their best performances for this storied Portland tradition.
Clarity has engineered the show in past years, but 2023 has been their first time using Lectrosonics. Both the audio crew and the performers could not be happier. “We have six M2Ra packs on singers, plus one for the band director, plus another for me because I’m the monitor engineer,” said Strizu. “You really notice the lack of noise floor.”
Next to audio quality, range and tenacity in a crowded RF environment are tied for a close second among Clarity’s priorities. “If you get far enough away from the transmitters, a receiver can pick up sources you don’t want,” explains Cibolski “We had run into that with other gear. I’ve had no issues with Lectrosonics, by contrast. I have to try to get them to drop out, which is cool. Before the show opened, I went out into the parking lot. I had to get very far away before they dropped out, and I was only running them at 25 milliwatts [of transmitter output power].”
Beyond performance under pressure, the M2 Duet system’s Flex List is Clarity’s favorite convenience feature. “Flex List can name, store, and recall frequencies," explained Cibolski. "Each frequency carries one stereo pair, so I name them all in [Lectrosonics] Wireless Designer software, then with a mouse click I upload that to a pack. Right on the pack, we can flip through the frequencies and hear the separate mixes for anyone onstage.”
