This year’s annual Kongsberg Jazz Festival, one of Europe’s oldest that’s been a fixture of the Norwegian music calendar since 1964, as usual offered numerous outdoor and indoor stages across the town, with nine of them — including the main stage hosting audiences of up to 12,000 — outfitted with sound reinforcement systems utilizing a variety of CODA Audio loudspeakers, subwoofers and supporting components.
CODA Audio Norwegian distributor Rubicon supplies system-tech personnel for the festival, with David Grimes and Terje Sørlund providing designs for the two principal stages. In addition, production specialists Konsersystemer took care of supplying PA for the Main Stage as one of 10 rental companies who were involved with the event.
Konsertsystemer supplied a system based around CODA’s flagship AiRAY compact line array, which comfortably handled a 90-meter throw distances without delays. A total of 24 AiRAY units was supplemented by 8 ViRAY modules and 16 SCP sensor controlled subwoofers as well as six HOPS8 and six APS as frontfills. AiRAY has now been deployed for the Main Stage since 2016.
Meanwhile, the Gamle Norge Stage, located outside the music club of the same name, is attended by a standing audience of about 2,000, with coverage by a ViRAY-led system supplied by Joker Lyd, Lys & Scene. In addition to 24 ViRAY units, the system utilized 22 SCV-F subs with four HOPS8 as frontfills and two G712 as outfills. Tehn CUE TWO and dual G18-Sub were deployed for onstage monitoring.
At the Tubaloon Stage, used for children’s concerts and characterised by its unusual geometric canopy, a TiRAY system (18 units) was supplemented by four TiLOW bass extensions, four U4 subs and eight CUE FOUR stage monitors. This system was designed by Frank Tangen of suppliers Tangen Lyd og Lys.
Petter Norby of Rubicon states, “CODA Audio systems have the clarity and open sound quality that is perfect for the music in a jazz festival. There are lots of details in the music and CODA delivers the phase-correct sound that we want to hear. On the Main Stage, the AiRAY and sensor-controlled subs easily achieve the long throw needed. From a visual point of view it’s also important that the PA is as unobtrusive as possible, and CODA deliver high quality with smaller units than most other companies. The response to the systems from the festival organisers, artists, engineers and technicians has been universally excellent.”
David Webster, global sales and marketing director for CODA Audio, adds, “It’s brilliant to see a full inventory of CODA systems deployed to such great effect across this fantastic event. It’s a real testament to the fact that our range can cater for stages of every type and scale. For us, it is as satisfying to see a small N-RAY system taking care of an 800-seater venue like the Kongsberg Church as it is to see AiRAY doing the business on the Main Stage. Credit must go to Rubicon, whose system design and tech support for the event was first class.”
