OKLAHOMA CITY – Brewer Entertainment recently purchased a Monarc MLA3 line array system for their production work in Bricktown’s Historic Coca Cola Center. This Oklahoma City landmark event center is host to many concert events for the city, and Brewer Entertainment, who has an ownership stake in the venue, was intent on raising the bar for audiences and promoters alike.
Chris Clifton, the key decision maker at Brewer Entertainment, was initially attracted to the idea of a Monarc system from his previous experiences with engineers and promoters who had come through the center before. Clifton explained, “We wanted to get a newer system because we produce a lot of festivals and concerts throughout the year, we were also interested in attracting bigger names. With an event center like the one we have, it’s important to have a powerful system to perform well for the bigger acts. Now we have the opportunity to do production for some country artists and comedians in the upcoming touring months, because our equipment list fits nicely with rider requirements, and the performers know what they are getting with a McCauley rig. It’s not foreign to them and they don’t have to worry if they’re going to be heard well by the audience. The McCauley brand name was our assurance that the acts we support would feel comfortable with our system.”
Clifton got the ball rolling and contacted McCauley Sound’s representatives, Professional Sound and Lighting Products (PSLP), looking to get a Monarc rig on site and see for himself if it would be able to tackle the shows that Brewer produces. Brewer needed a system that was not only going to raise the stature of the Coca-cola Center in the eyes of promoters by delivering on sound, but Clifton also wanted a rig flexible and simple enough to set up or move that they could pull it out for extra outdoor events in the summers.
“It was great to work with Brewer,” says Bruce Anderson, McCauley Sound’s Central U.S. sales director, “because they had already done their homework and pretty much knew what they wanted. After doing a little collaborative work with our rep Joe and Chris, I was able to narrow down exactly what they would need and support it with a factory turnkey system.”
Sixteen Monarc MLA3 cells were ordered, supported with turnkey racks built on Camco’s Vortex 6.0 amplifier platform. When the rig arrived on site, McCauley Sound’s Daniel Casado spent several days providing engineering support and helping Brewer Entertainment complete the build out of their system. “We worked very hard together to get everyone trained and ready for their first show,” said Casado. “We had already prepared the amps and speakers on a turnkey system. The actual set up was smooth and quick because the MLA3 is a mature and stable product. I worked with Brewer to develop the display angles for the venue and it only took a few minutes to actually fly the system. McCauley Sound designed and fabricated a rack for Brewer; all they had to do was plug everything in.” Casado continues “As I insist we do with every new Monarc owner, we provided onsite training for them on their new system and walked them through the first show. It’s an important part of making sure our guys get their money’s worth from the first hour they own the rig.”
“Brewer knew it was time to purchase a new system,” said Joe Adams of PSLP “They felt great about the product and the company, so that’s why they decided to go with McCauley.” He continues, “I was glad to help with the initial installation of the product and getting it tuned. It was one of our first major sales since signing up with McCauley, and getting to work with Daniel directly in a show environment really got us going.”
After setting everything up in the Coca Cola Center, Joe and Casado then tore the rig down with the Brewer crew as a practice run for setting up for the Event Center’s outdoor events. “It was so easy and smooth in set up,” says Joe “the most exciting part was hearing how great it sounded for the first time… and then how easily we were able to take it down, put it back up and still hit that “dialed-in” sound… like it never came down at all. It is truly a smooth piece of engineering.”
The first show at the Coca Cola Center with its new production equipment was for national touring act Candlebox. Casado had a chance to speak with the FOH engineer Brian Duffy “Brian said he had mixed on McCauley line arrays in the past and told me he was glad to see one here. After the show, he said the sound for this show was great.”
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