There is more to the Winter Olympics than miking the sound of skis and skates and Bryan Adams lip-synching. For an indoor/outdoor series of concerts and live video feeds of Olympics events – one of several staged in the Vancouver area during the winter games – Briere Production Group provided a full complement of gear.
The concert site at Holland Park in Surrey included an indoor stage (Surrey House) and outdoor venue (Celebration Stage), and the gear list included Martin Audio W8LCs, WSX subs, MA12K and MA 4.2S amps, Dolby Lake processing and Yamaha PM5Ds for FOH and monitors.
"We needed two complete concert systems, so we erred on the side of more PA than necessary in both cases," said Brandon Hestdalen, BPG operations manager. "Our coverage was clear and consistent throughout both audience areas, and we didn't have to push either rig too hard.
"The outdoor stage featured live acts, live Olympic coverage and feeds from a mobile stage," said Chris Briere, BPG president and project manager. "The indoor stage was housed in a massive 300-foot-by-100-foot vinyl tent. The type of acts associated with both stages dictated that we offer a professional tour/arena grade system for both."
Asked about equipment choices, Briere said, "We opted for a Martin Audio W8LC Line array for both venues. The throw of the both arrays eliminated the need for delays at the back of the tent while maintaining consistent coverage front to back.
"DISPLAY software was utilized for 3D site design and pre-visualization during the pre-production phase" to ensure that audio coverage "would be exceed everyone's expectations," Briere added.
Briere called BPG's recently-acquired MA12K amps "incredible," noting "the user interface is very useful and informative. These 12Ks are barely idling and our subs are absolutely pounding. Our audio tech rep, Rico Domirti, has redesigned our racks to incorporate the new amps into our main configurations, which has resulted in a more efficient system that takes up less truck space."
FOH engineer and system tech Paul Lepage may have had to deal with a less-than-ideal mixing position for the shows, but he quipped, "Even if my mixing position is way off to the side, my reference is still very good – it sounds pretty even everywhere. Love that PA."
Fife Williamson, FOH engineer and system tech for the Celebration Stage, credited the PA as "easy to install. The point hang makes it a snap to install and, more importantly, focus can be changed making it much easier to please the client.
"The tight vertical and very wide horizontal pattern of the boxes makes for a seamless coverage pattern from the edge of the barricade all the way to the back walls of the site," he added. "No holes at all.
"The PA is full bodied and very accurate-sounding, which make your reference a pleasure. No surprises in or out of the front of house tent. What you hear in the tent is what the audience hears everywhere. The sub coverage is perfect in a three stack array, no center lobe at all and the note of the box is tight and very punchy."
Other BPG crew members on site for he series of concerts were Doug Short (Surrey House monitor engineer) and operations manager Matthew Smith.P
