Live Sound

Supported By
ProSoundWeb
d&b KSL and J-Series arrays flown in support of the JFL Northwest comedy festival at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

JFL NorthWest Festival Returns To Rogers Arena In Vancouver With d&b audiotechnik

Gearforce reinforces popular annual event headlined this year by Trevor Noah of "The Daily Show" with KSL and J-Series arrays joined by SL-GSUB subwoofers driven by D80 amplifiers.

JFL NorthWest, a popular comedy festival held annually in Vancouver, BC, returned to the city in February 2022 at 18,000-seat Rogers Arena, with Gearforce (Vancouver) delivering sound reinforcement to the audience and on stage with sound designs headed by d&b audiotechnik KSL Series loudspeakers and companion components.

The headliner for the festival was Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show, who’s slated to hit the road beginning this May with the Trevor Noah: Back to Abnormal tour of Europe and North America starting this May. “When we were discussing the system design, the tour manager made it clear that one of the most important aspects for Trevor is that his voice is heard in every seat in the building,” explains Rob Nevalainen, Gearforce. “They put a premium on high quality sound, which is why they choose a d&b system with ArrayProcessing to ensure even coverage to all seats in the venue.

“For this show, Covid restrictions were lifted two weeks before the concert, and the promoter decided to move the stage even further back to have the capacity to sell more tickets,” he continues. “We had no concerns whatsoever that the system would still be able to deliver the same experience to every seat in the sold-out arena.”

Gearforce deployed a main system utilizing 16 KSL modules per side (12 KSL8 and four KSL12) joined by 14 J-Series per side (12 J8 and dual J12), with six SL-GSUB subwoofers arranged in an array on the floor. Audience fill was supplied by Y-Series loudspeakers, while the stage will equipped with two J12s per side atop a J-Sub along with M4 monitors. Almost 40 D80 amplifiers delivered audio power to the loudspeakers while two DS10 Audio network bridges distributed AES to the amps.

“When I started working with Trevor it was obvious that the approach to a comedy show compared to a musical act had to be a little different,” states Glenn Thornton, tour/production manager for Trevor Noah. “The clarity and intelligibility of every syllable needs to reach the back row of an arena in the exact same manner as the front row in order for the jokes to land effectively. The SL-Series, in combination with ArrayProcessing does this better than any other box out there right now, bar none. We carry an 8th Day Sound KSL system with us in the USA, and when we go to Canada, we call Rob Nevalainen and Gearforce. They can accurately recreate our USA touring rig, which is key for Trevor feeling comfortable on stage and not having to sacrifice consistency. That’s what I care about most, that the boss is happy. Thanks to Rob and d&b for their support.”

d&b audiotechnik
Gearforce

Live Sound Top Stories