India: A d&b audiotechnik GSL rig was deployed for the first time at this year’s Bangalore Open Air heavy metal festival by Reynolds Sound and Lighting Services, bringing the open-air event in line with its German parent festival, Wacken Open Air, which uses a J series setup.
Bangalore Open Air 2018 took place at Aadya Farms Leisure Park with international bands such as Overkill, Immolation and Nervecell taking to the stage along with Bangalore-based bands Kryptos and Eccentric Pendulum. Festival organiser Infinite Dreams entrusted the lighting and roof trussing setups to Reynolds Sound and Lighting Services, as well as the sound system.
‘I needed a system that had enough headroom with even coverage while still being loud and clear to cover the full outdoor venue and Reynolds did a fantastic job of the system design,’ said Nikhil V Pai, technical director for Bangalore Open Air. ‘I have always been impressed with d&b products and have used them regularly with artists that I mix for and opted to use the services of Reynolds for this edition of the festival as they have an extremely efficient crew and great gear to go with it.’
The system was designed and aligned by Sohel Alexander Dantes from Reynolds and saw the deployment of 20 GSL line array elements with 20 GSL subwoofers in a cardioid delayed arc pattern. Meanwhile, a variety of Meyer Sound cabinets provided front- and side-fill, with MJF series monitors used on the stage.
‘The d&b audiotechnik system performed really well, plenty of clear SPL and a ton of subs,’ commented Andy Garcia, FOH engineer for Overkill. ‘The band was very happy with the stage sound too.’
Harman India supplied a Soundcraft Vi-3000 mixing console that handled FOH and monitors. All inputs and outputs were patched through a Vi Stagebox.
‘Vi series mixers are my go-to mixers for all the acts that I personally mix,’ said Mr Pai. ‘I love the clarity, transparency and ease of operation.’
An MA Lighting grandMA2 light controlled the lighting rig, which comprised 26 PAR 64 fixtures, 16 Claypaky Mythos 2s, 16 HPE 700 spots, 16 Martin Professional Atomic strobes and 16 LBT LED washes.
‘I am extremely delighted with how the technical production was carried out by the crew this year and so are the bands and visiting engineers,’ Mr Pai concluded. ‘I have been inundated with emails and messages on how good the system sounded and how flawlessly the changeovers were managed.’
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