Morris, a Solotech company, chose d&b audiotechnik’s GSL line array for audio support of the Final Four held at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

After deploying GSL for Kenny Chesney at the venue in 2018, Morris, a Solotech company, knew that the only loudspeaker that could solve the complex audio challenges of the stadium and event would be d&b audiotechnik’s GSL. The big brother in the well-regarded SL-Series, the GSL system, is unique in that its 2-Way active design features two 14″ LF drivers, two side firing 10” LF drivers combining in a geometry that creates unprecedented low frequency headroom which couples towards the front to increase the LF output and cancels towards the rear by applying cardioid techniques.
The symmetrical arrangement of the neodymium LF drivers around the centrally mounted coaxial MF and HF components allows for a smooth overlap of the adjacent frequency bands in the crossover designs. With the 14” LF drivers being driven from one amplifier channel, all other components are able to be passively crossed over and driven from a second amplifier channel. The horizontal directivity pattern of the GSL is seamlessly maintained down to 45 Hz.

Surrounding the temporary video board, d&b’s GSL was flown in 8 hangs of 10 cabinets in the round. Additionally, 8 Y10P’s were used on a separate feed as competition speakers to cover the floor. D80 amplifiers were flown on two separate platforms and controlled using the d&b R1 remote software. These elements combined allowed Solotech to provide consistent sound across the coverage area from a trim height high above the video board.

Solotech applauds Avant Acoustics, who they worked with throughout the three-day event.

“Morris, a Solotech company, is known as a production company that puts a lot of effort into making these stadiums work for their production. They brought that same experience and effort to help make our events a success” Day said.

For over two decades we’ve helped create a playground for one of the greatest entertainers in the world—and have become family along the way.

Kenny Chesney has sold over 30 million albums worldwide, and he is the record holder for the most tickets sold to a single-night country show. He performs for over 50,000 fans at a time in packed stadiums across the country. And he does it without gimmicks. We travel the world to find the highest caliber gear to ensure the spotlight is always on the star of the show—Kenny.

We are heavily involved in the pre-visualization phase, which happens over the course of two to three months. During this time, we look at the scope and scale of the tour environments to design the show and determine how we can best execute Kenny’s ideas.

Our team of light and sound experts make up 20 of the 150-man crew. Dedicated and passionate about what we do, our staff returns year after year to get back on the road with the people who have become their family. As Kenny’s long-time production manager, Ed Wannebo, put it, “We’ve grown up together.”

Morris, a Solotech company, incorporated d&b audiotechnik’s GSL rig at the 2019 National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) for large-scale sound reinforcement.

Over 25,000 youth were in attendance for the biennial conference at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. With the reinforcement of 6 hangs of 14 enclosures of GSL boxes and Y10P front fills, the GSL delivered a new dimension of performance-enriching sound. So far, this is the largest deployment of GSL in the round to date.
“Having worked this event in the past, we were aware that our biggest challenge to overcome was the buildup of low-end frequencies” recalls Dave Thomas, Advance System Support for d&b audiotechnik, who previously mixed five NCYC shows. “The rejection of the GSL eliminated this issue and kept consistency from the floor to the bowl.”
The switch to GSL proved to be a solution for two long-standing challenges they faced. Declan Weir, the producer of the event, was concerned that the bowl sounded different from the floor, resulting in a lack of consistency and tonality across the listening plane.
The GSL provided enough horsepower with directionality that cut the delays entirely. Front of house engineer Jeremy Bane was overjoyed at the improvements he experienced from his perspective.
“We got rid of delays, subs, took 13,000 lbs out of the rig overall and shaved off six hours rigging,” he explains. “For the first time ever, we didn’t have a single sound complaint for the entire show.”

According to Bane, the greatest metric of success when producing an event for teens is if the conversations are to a minimum and no one is on their phone.
“The clarity and continuity of processing took the coverage and experience for the audience to a whole new level,” he adds. “We never lost their attention from the minute we started, to the minute we ended. We didn’t hear conversations anywhere. Declan walked the entire stadium, from floor to top, and everyone was captivated. No one was drifting off or on their phones.”

The past year has been a milestone one for reigning CMA and ACM “Vocal Group of the Year” Old Dominion. The band and their management wanted to showcase that growth with new, impressive tour production. They made clear in their directive that they were looking for lighting elements that offered distinct, unexpected and eye-catching moments. A partner with Old Dominion for the last four years, Morris, a Solotech company, is at the helm for the Make it Sweet Tour that kicked off January 2019 in Chicago.

A vivid illustration of Old Dominion’s growth is how their lighting has gone from two trucks with 30 or 40 lights to six trucks with 400 + lights. In a design with big visual impact that features a large landscape LED wall and five striking lighting pods equipped with Dartz 360 beam/spot effects, it’s the first time the band has gone this big. Aside from the Dartz fixtures, the rig also includes Elation’s new Artiste Picasso LED moving head as well as Elation’s Chorus Line 16 LED pixel bars, Cuepix Blinders and a smattering of other lights.

Morris, a Solotech company, recognizes that any successful tour involves multiple players who must work together to achieve the desired result.
The collaborative efforts between the designer, artists, manufacturer and vendor ensured that the vision, budget and expectations were met.

Shirley’s design concept revolves around the number five — five members of the band, five sections of LED video, five lighting pods. “With the lighting rig, I wanted something different than you’ve seen previously from Old Dominion conceptually, we came up with the five concept and I ran with the idea. The five pods are the big look. We populated standard truss with Dartz, 175 of them, which I can’t say enough good things about. They are the meat and potatoes of this rig.”

In 2019, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, Maren Morris embarked on a 60+ date world tour in support of her sophomore record, Girl. With Maren’s career skyrocketing the production design needed to be impressive for her growing fan base and a reflection of Maren’s personal style. Production designer Travis Shirley collaborated with Morris, a Solotech company, to bring this intricate and sophisticated vision to life.

Travis Shirley and Morris, a Solotech company, have worked together on numerous successful tours including Christina Aguilera, FGL and Old Dominion.

“Solotech is a wonderful company, who I honestly can’t say enough good things about,” Shirley said to PLSN. “They are small enough to provide me with the attention that I need but big enough to have the infrastructure, gear and crew to turn out some of the biggest shows out there.”
Shirley felt the GLP Impression X4s were an obvious choice for the ground-supported side light element that brought drama and class to look of the set. Saturated washes and eye-catching beam effects brought contrast and a sense of depth to the multi-level scenic elements.

To accommodate the wide range of users, it was crucial that the system could be run in ‘basic’ or ‘advanced’ modes. This was achieved with the selection of an Allen & Heath IDR matrix mixer and an intuitive RTI interface. In the basic mode, just the lectern mics can be switched on and controlled directly from the lectern position. The custom-built lectern also gives speakers the ability to select different sources for the projector and foldback screen. The advanced mode is suited for a full live stage production, controlled from the balcony’s front of house position.

Every year for 48 years, CMA Fest has drawn hundreds of thousands of country music fans to Nashville, and for the past 8 years Morris, a Solotech company, has been an integral part of keeping them entertained. Held in June in Nashville, fans and artists alike were in for a treat at the Riverfront Park Stage and Ascend Firestone Country Road Stage with two of the latest d&b audiotechnik systems.

Morris, a Solotech company, supplied five of the festival stages with d&b loudspeakers. The d&b SL-Series siblings, KSL and GSL, made their mark at the festival, showcasing the talent of the many artists performing. From Eli Young Band, Maddie and Tae, and Michael Ray on the Chevy Riverfront Stage to the Ascend Firestone Country Roads Stage featuring Brett Young, Maren Morris, and Hunter Hayes; the CMA Festival, Solotech, and d&b did not disappoint.

The broadband directivity control of GSL and the new KSL, and the cardioid technology of the SL-SUBs, allowed for the collaboration of both systems on two of the festival’s main stages – Riverfront and Ascend. Morris, a Solotech company, utilized the d&b ArrayCalc and NoizCalc software suites to carefully plan each system configuration and ensure there would be no sound interference between them nor in the neighboring residential areas during the performances.

The Ascend Firestone Stage featured 28 x GSL loudspeakers, 12 x SL-SUBs, and 6 x Y10Ps. The Riverfront Stage configuration included 24 x KSL tops for mains, 24 x J-Series tops for out hang, 16 x J-SUBSs, 6 x SL-SUBs, and 6 x Y10P loudspeakers. The Closeup Stage in the Music City Center (MCC) included 16 x J-Series loudspeakers, 8 x J-SUBs, and 4 x Y10Ps. The Disney Stage (in the MCC) was configured with 12 x d&b V-Series tops, 8 x V-SUBs, and 2 x V10P loudspeakers. The Spotlight Stage (in the MCC) consisted of 2 x V10P loudspeakers and 2 x V-SUBs. All speakers for the five stages were powered from D80s with the Ascend and Riverfront stages also utilizing ArrayProcessing for even coverage across the listening planes.

South Korean boy band BTS wrapped a 14-month world tour of 62 shows across four continents in 2019. When production arrived in the US, Morris, a Solotech company, was asked to join the crew to share their expertise in lighting, technical drawing and technical system design.

In August 2018, shortly after the launch of the BTS Love Yourself World Tour, the band left South Korea and went stateside. While most of the mainstream music industry had only heard of them in passing, they sold out 4 consecutive nights at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and then went on to play many sold-out dates across the U.S. To help with the challenges of moving the tour to the US, the production team knew they needed a partner with the inventory and experience to match the scale of the tour. Morris’ track record of excellence with large events paved the way for success as a partner on the BTS Love Yourself World Tour. Fifteen Morris crew members were able to step in and provide lighting equipment, lighting labor, technical drawing and technical system design.

The challenge with the Love Yourself album cycle was to create a show that could open the tour in an 80,000-capacity stadium and then move to arenas less than two weeks later. Moving from the first stadium to an arena was difficult, as the only equipment that was the same was some of the bespoke scenic elements. All of the vendors changed from Korea to the US as did many of the lighting and video products. Passion and dedication from the Morris, a Solotech company, team allowed them to overcome the immense technical complications of the massive rig while creating deep personal relationships across a cultural divide.

The BTS Love Yourself World Tour set the record for the largest deployment of Robe B RoboSpots, with 32 BMFL Followspot LTs on hand from Morris. This enabled spot operators to control the fixtures from the safety of the ground. 439 fixtures were stationed in the air supported by over 1,000 feet of GT Truss, and 225 were positioned on the ground, totaling over 664 fixtures. The massive data network contained 11 consoles with 24 switches and 22 nodes all working together for 132 universes.