BIGGER BRIT AWARDS, BIGGER EV X-LINE

BIGGER BRIT AWARDS, BIGGER EV X-LINE The annual BRIT Awards are the highlight of the British recording industry’s year, and the 2006 show reflected the impressive health of the current UK music scene by moving to a much larger London venue.

The transition to Earls Court One meant that sound designer Derrick Zieba and regular PA supplier Britannia Row had to rethink their approach when it came to the sound system. Once again using the Electro-Voice X-Line array system, Zieba chose to manage the larger rectangular auditorium by effectively splitting the room into two halves and ““making sure that the delay system worked as a substantial primary system.““

Half way down the venue, three delay hangs - each with eight Xls boxes - were spread in a L/C/R configuration right across the room. The main PA system featured left and right hangs, each using 12 EV Xls plus six Xlt cabinets and an Xfil downfill. In addition, a center hang of six Xlc cabinets covered the orchestra pit and first rows. ““That’s an advantage of the X-Line,““ said Zieba, ““that underhung fill box that takes you from the banana curve right down to below the hang. With just two fill boxes and the XLC hang providing coverage, the sound in the orchestra pit even seemed to impress Prince!““

Because the BRIT Awards are televised, the X-Line PA had to be flown very high, to avoid compromising TV sightlines. Ten Xsubs were flown beside the front arrays. ““One of the plus points of using EV’s X-Line is that the bass is designed to be flown,““ says Zieba. ““This gives me a huge advantage when distributing sub-bass around the audience; the system delivers a much better spread of low end in the room.““ The X-Line rig was powered by EV P3000RL amps running EV’s IRIS software.

Assessing the results, Zieba remarked that ““the whole show had so much more energy than in previous years. Because we weren’t having to generate sound for the back of the hall from the arrays at the front, we needed much less power from each system, and we could make sure that that energy was spread right through the room. Everything was at the level we like to play it at, and we didn’t exceed any of our legal limits - inside or out.““ Earls Court is located in a densely residential neighborhood, so Zieba was particularly pleased to receive not one single complaint about noise from the venue.

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Electro-Voice (EV), is a professional audio brand of Telex Communications, Inc., a leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of sophisticated audio, wireless, multimedia, aircraft, broadcast and communications equipment for commercial, professional and industrial customers. Telex Communications markets its products in more than 80 countries under the brands EV, Telex, RTS, Dynacord, Midas, Klark Teknik and others.

Guy Low

Public Relations Producer

Telex Communications, Inc.

12000 Portland Ave. South

Burnsville, MN 55337

Phone: 952-736-3935

Fax: 952-736-4582

guy.low@us.telex.com

James Edlund

Public Relations Manager

Telex Communications, Inc.

12000 Portland Ave. South

Burnsville, MN 55337

Phone: 952-736-3901

Fax: 952-736-4582

james.edlund@us.telex.com