Dave Rat on EAW’s Latest Line Array System
It’s no secret that Rat Sound has a long association with Eastern Acoustic Works. Company principals Dave Rat and Jon Monson worked closely with EAW in the creation of the successful MicroWedge stage monitors line and then contributed throughout the research and development process for Anya, EAW’s latest line array product.
Anya is a scalable, high-powered DSP-driven system combining 22 drivers — dual 15-inch LF; six 5-inch cone mids and 14 1-inch compression drivers loaded on a proprietary HF horn. Via Resolution 2 software, its Adaptive Performance feature controls all parameters of the total array to develop an asymmetrical output profile shaped so that all listening locations as defined by the user receive nearly identical response.
After some months of field testing, Rat Sound decided to put Anya to the test in a real-life scenario, where the then-still-prototype system made its public debut at last April’s Coachella Festival. There, two hangs of seven Anya modules were employed in the main rig for the massive 200 x 165 foot Gobi tent stage, along with 16 SB2001 dual 21-inch subs and six KF364NT’s three-way boxes handling front fill. The system ran from midday to past midnight in temperatures ranging from 50 to 100+ degrees over two weekends. Pleased with the performance, Rat Sound followed up by ordering the first 40 Anya production modules last summer.
Now after some months of experience with the system, we checked in with Dave Rat, who provided support for late-October’s Festival Supreme event held on Southern California’s famed Santa Monica Pier. Here, eight Anya modules/side were deployed for one of main stages, with two modules/side handling a secondary stage.
Location Issues
The location itself was problematic, with promoter Live Nation voicing concerns about potential noise issues in this high-density, high-end residential area. “Live Nation needed to provide assurances to the city that significant efforts would be made for the sound to be contained and controlled,” says Rat. “With the Anya system’s ability to alter the coverage dynamically, we could offer the assurance that offsite noise levels could be minimized and rapidly mitigated without a negative effect on the festival. We didn’t know the exact SPL level tolerance that the residential neighbors would find acceptable. Anya gives us the ability to control the sound coverage in real-time and make alterations while the artist is performing. This real-time coverage control was one of the driving factors behind our purchase of the Anya system.”
Another situation where coverage control came into play was during the late-August 2013 FYF festival in downtown Los Angeles, where an engineer was getting too much slap off a distant building. “The system tech made a change in the control software, which reduced the coverage distance a bit and solved the issue. Historically, attempting to accomplish something like this would require turning speakers off or down, reducing the systems maximum output or the cumbersome process of physically altering the sound system height or angles.
“Maintaining a consistent coverage response and volume throughout the listening area was a goal that was counterbalanced with offsite noise levels. Often there are compromises to be made, but having the added coverage control with Anya helped us achieve the balanced goals with a higher degree of success than we would have had without.”
Old School / New School
The ability to shape the listening area offers other advantages as well. “Many years ago, before the proliferation of the modern line array and 3D prediction software, the sound crew would ask the production manager and promoter rep which seating sections had sold and which would be unoccupied, and then guesstimate a P.A. hang that would work for the situation,” says Rat. “We would then cross our fingers, fly it, and listen to it while running around the venue. We’d turn things up and down to try and achieve the most even coverage while hoping the promoter did not open any new seating sections. A last-minute ticket buying spree with the promoter opening up more sections would cause problems. Covering unoccupied sections decreases sound quality by adding reverberation and reducing the maximum volume. Not covering sections with listeners denies those audience members a quality show and telling the band or promoter not to sell certain seats results in fans being denied entry to a venue with open seats and lost revenue.”
Rat also spelled out a scenario using a typical modern line array. “Prior to the show, a sound technician inputs the venue dimensions into 3D prediction software. The tech then talks to the promoter rep or production manager, determines which areas will and won’t be covered, and prints out very precise box-to-box angles, the height that the sound system will be flown and the angle that the system will point. The techs then hang the systems as close as possible to the exact specifications. Then, while listening, adjustments are made to the system angle and height if needed.”
However, in this instance, if extra seats are sold in sections not covered, the P.A. needs to be physically moved or re-angled to try and compensate. This can become an issue once the house opens and the audience enters the venue.
According to Rat, the Anya system offers a solution in such cases. “We now have a lot more versatility and freedom. Should we choose to, we can go back to the old school way of walking in, flying the systems here and here, and then determining the coverage later. We can fly the system before doing the 3D sonic prediction. We no longer need to determine angles between the boxes because, there are no angles between boxes. Also there is no system angle, and overall P.A. height can be determined by optimizing sightlines. So as doors are opening, if the promoters tell us they want to open several more seating areas, it’s not an issue — the system coverage can be expanded if needed.”
Outside the Box
Besides offsite noise level control and tweaking directionality for venue coverage, Rat feels Anya provide benefits in other applications, such as venues with multiple seating configurations. Among these are being able to cover/not cover the balcony while always having the entire sound system fully operational, without having to turning off/on the balcony fills. Another involves festivals with multiple stages and overlapping coverage areas. “To be able to expand and contract the coverage area of the systems to suit the audience size in real-time is highly beneficial,” he adds.
Other plusses fall more into the creative side. “The ability for a sound engineer to artistically alter the coverage of the sound system to increase or decrease the reverberant sound of a venue is very interesting,” Rat surmises. “Rather than adding more digital reverb for a slower song, Anya offers the ability to expand the coverage creating more room reflections and actually create more reverberation naturally.
“I think we are just scratching the surface of the capabilities of Anya. Engineers can even have it loud everywhere except where the noise level measurement mic is. Hmmm… I’ll have to try that!”
