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2019-09-23
For the full article, visit: https://www.l-acoustics.com/fr/hotnews/l-acoustics-heads-out-night-after-night-on-vampire-weekend-tour/
Montreal, September 23, 2019 – Arguably one of the most influential indie bands of the past decade, Vampire Weekend is currently touring North America in support of its fourth studio album, Father of the Bride, which has been heralded by Rolling Stone as a “modern California pop masterpiece.” Much has changed over the past six years, when the band released its previous record, Modern Vampires of the City, but one thing that hasn’t is the group’s continued use of L-Acoustics loudspeakers for its touring PA.
(Photo credit: Austin Tompkins)
Serving as Vampire Weekend’s FOH engineer for over a decade, Neil Heal has long been a fan of the French manufacturer’s products. “L-Acoustics is simply one of the very best systems out there, and I love the scalability of K1, K2, and Kara all sounding consistently great and working together seamlessly,” he says. “We’re primarily using K2 mains and Kara outfills on this tour, and I also love the fact that the arrays go down so low, frequency-wise, without ever being muddy. We could almost do shows without the subs, but they’re certainly nice for moving the air.”
For the current North American trek, Solotech FOH Systems Engineer Ben Malone notes that the typical system configuration for most venues comprises left and right arrays of 18 K2 per side, with adjacent arrays of 12 Kara on each side for outfill coverage. A dozen KS28 subs anchor the low-end reinforcement, and the entire system is powered by 24 LA12X and six LA8 amplified controllers.
No stranger to using L-Acoustics Soundvision software to set up each show, Malone has been using the program’s new Autosolvers for the first time with spectacular results. “The Autosplay tool, in particular, is fantastic,” he shares. “The fact that the user can see it trying different angles as it works through calculations is actually a big confidence builder in the tool.” Malone notes that Soundvision’s speed and accuracy were also particularly appreciated for two special sold-out shows that that band performed in the round at Boston’s Agganis Arena and NYC’s Madison Square Garden in early September.
For these stops, the Solotech crew reconfigured its touring rig and had the K2 serve as two 16-enclosure side hangs, with the 12 Kara per side moved to address the 270-degree areas. These systems were augmented with main L/R hangs of 12 K1 over six K2, and an additional pair of 12 Kara arrays to cover the 360-degree rear seating sections.
Back at the FOH mix position, Heal—who spends most of his time behind a DiGiCo SD5 console topped with a pair of compact self-powered L-Acoustics 108P for nearfield monitoring—is very much enjoying the sound that the rig is delivering night after night, especially as the band’s production needs have increased since past tours.
“With the new album, the band’s lineup and inputs have grown massively since the early days,” Heal recalls. “When I first started with them, I think they were a four-piece with 24 inputs; now it’s a seven-piece and, with FX and all, the show’s input count is closer to 120. All the reviews I have read have commented very much on how much bigger, more exciting, and better the band sound after the lineup change. I was initially concerned how it would all work out with so many inputs, but it’s actually been a breeze and the fidelity and coverage we’re able to get with the system each night—from the Kara frontfills to the K2 throw at the back of the room—have been brilliant.”
For a list of Vampire Weekend’s upcoming tour stops, visit www.vampireweekend.com.
Founded in 1984 near Paris, France, L-Acoustics is the market leader in professional sound reinforcement technologies. With over 400 team members worldwide and offices in Paris, London, Los Angeles, and New York, L-Acoustics is present in over 80 countries via its network of Certified Providers. Focused on solutions that elevate the audience experience, more than 20% of L-Acoustics’ talent is devoted to R&D in the areas of acoustics, applications, mechanics, electronics, signal processing, and software development.
L-Acoustics technologies can be heard in places like the Hollywood Bowl, the NFL Cardinals State Farm Stadium or the Philharmonie de Paris, as well as the world’s top-grossing festivals, and on tour with world-class artists such as Adele, Pearl Jam, Lorde, and Depeche Mode.
Reader contact: L-Acoustics, Inc. 2645 Townsgate Road #600 / Westlake Village, CA 91361 Tel: 805.604.0577 / Fax: 805.556.4846 Email: info.us@l-acoustics.com / Web: www.l-acoustics.com
Editor contact: Chris Shuler, Public Address Cell: 574.514.7131 / christophershuler@comcast.net
Founded over 40 years ago, Solotech is a world leader in audiovisual and entertainment technology with 13 strategic locations in Canada, the United States and Europe. Thanks to an inventory encompassing over 300 renowned manufacturers, Solotech is the single source for audio, video, lighting, rigging, soft goods, control and collaboration solutions & services. The company is internationally recognized for its expertise in Live Productions and Systems Integration in various markets, namely music, sports, business, culture and education. Solotech employs 1,200 professionals in its offices located in Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Saguenay, Toronto, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, Birmingham, London and Manchester.
Find out more at www.solotech.com
Contact :
Christine Latour
Vice-President, Marketing and Communications
514-370-5225
Christine.Latour@solotech.com
