Funktion-One’s French festival first
The company’s systems were deployed across all four stages at Electrobeach, France’s biggest electro festival.
For the first time in its history, France’s Electrobeach electronic music festival deployed Funktion-One systems across each of its four stages at this year’s event.
Held in the port town of Barcarès on France’s southern coast, Electrobeach is the country’s largest electronic music festival, featuring more than 100 DJs and hosting around 100,000 people over its three days. For this year’s event, which took place from 12-14 July, organisers specified Funktion-One sound systems on all four of its stages – in the process reducing power draw for the main stage to a tenth of that required last year.
Funktion-One specialists from across France and beyond came together to work on the festival. Heading up the project was Concept Group, based in the south of France, which in turn brought together Solution One from Montpellier, Remote from Paris and Think! AV from the Netherlands – each providing the equipment and expertise to ensure this year’s sound systems would deliver best possible sound. Funktion-One co-founders Tony Andrews and John Newsham were also on hand to oversee the project.
Leading the charge on the Main Stage, was a Funktion-One Vero large format vertical array, its customisable nature providing a number of advantages.
Newsham explained: “The festival site is surrounded by residential buildings, which we want to keep the sound away from much as we can. Being a completely horn-loaded system means Vero has a very accurate coverage pattern – we can control our output and keep it focused on the audience, rather than it spreading to other parts of the environment.”
An additional benefit was in the incredible throw achievable with Vero. Festival organisers wanted to avoid the use of delay towers, while at the same time ensuring good quality coverage all the way back to the huge landlocked steel boat that sits on the beach some 120m away – this was achieved effortlessly.
Andrews also noted that the Main Stage sound was unaffected by the coastal wind. “We’re noticing that, despite the site being really windy, we’re not getting the normal phasing problems because it’s not summing in the near field,” he said.
The Main stage hangs comprised 10 x V60 (mid-high loudspeaker providing 60° horizontal), 12 x V315 (mid-bass horn loaded loudspeaker) and 8 x V90 (mid-high loudspeaker providing 90° horizontal coverage). 32 x V221 subs and 8 x V132 super subs were stacked in front of the stage, with 4 x Evo 7/TH used as out fills and 2 x Evo 7 for centre fills. 22 x Lab.gruppen PLM amplifiers powered the system.
Yannick Hoogerwerf of Think! AV added: “It sounds brilliant. The stereo image is the widest I’ve ever heard on a PA and the bass is really deep and firm because of the F132s – basically we have a 5-way system. It’s really even and it throws a lot further than any of my expectations.”
Chris Hawkes of Solution One said: “It’s the first outing for Vero in France. We’ve had it up for a couple of days and we’ve had amazingly positive reactions. Everyone’s confident that we’re going to give the crowd a new experience. Certainly, the music we’ve been feeling in the soundchecks has been something that I’ve never experienced before.”
Paul Meskel of Concept Group saidof his first experience with Vero: “It is the first time I’ve worked with Vero and I really like it. The low ends are really punchy and tough, and it’s got so much projection – I really love the sound of this PA. The good thing about the system is you can play really loud, but the sound is never aggressive at all. It’s really pleasant to hear. There’s a lot of pressure – a lot of impact, especially in the low end – but it stays clear and not aggressive at all.”
For the remaining three stages Funktion-One Evo systems were deployed. On the Techno Stage, the system comprised 6 x Evo7T, 6 x Evo7TH, 6 x Evo7TL215, 2 x Evo7TH in fills, 10 x F121, 4 x F132 and PSM318 monitors.
On the Beach Stage 4 x Evo6E, 4 x Evo6EL, 8 x F124 (configured in a compact delta array) and PSM12 Monitors with Minibass 212 were used, while over on the Hardstyle Stage 4 x Evo7T, 2 x Evo7TH, 2 x F315, 12 x F121 and 6 x BR221 were on duty.
Source: mi-pro.co.uk
