3G Productions recently provided audio for the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) festivals in New York, Chicago, and Las Vegas, utilizing Martin Audio Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Arrays (MLA) for power and coverage inside the venue while controlling noise spillage to surrounding residential areas.
The three-day Electric Daisy Carnival 2013 was the culmination of Insomniac’s EDC festivals with eight of the world’s Top 10 DJs, and more than 200 acts performing on seven stages for over 350,000 attendees at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The combination of several stages producing hours of high SPL dance music in urban locales adds up to unique challenges for 3G Productions.
3G marketing director Keith Conrad notes, “EDC events are really unique because they’re all in large open-air areas that aren’t necessarily traditional venues for concerts such as stadiums or amphitheatres. They’re in parking lots or racetracks, so the ability to control the sound is extremely important. A big reason why we looked at the Martin Audio MLA system was to control SPL in areas surrounding the venue.
“We also need a lot of bass, so the amount of subs we have on any one show is unheard of,” he continues. “Plus you’re doing multiple stages within one area at the same time, which is all about the configuration of the stage in terms of the coverage and direction of the loudspeakers.”
3G senior system engineer and designer Julio Valdez, a specialist in EDM events, gets site plans before the event for the areas that have to be covered so h can design systems suitable for what the client (Insomniac, who produces EDC and major dance events worldwide) needs.
“It’s mostly to provide a whole lot of power and have the system sound good,” Valdez says. “Then we go to the location and make sure all of the techs have everything they need to complete the build and address the changing needs of DJs, artists and other performers. Sometimes we have to submit designs to DJ management for approval.
“Finally, I lay out the stages so they don’t have too much of an impact in terms of nearby homes. We have people walking around with dB meters before the show determining what’s acceptable at certain distances from the stage and referencing those SPL at front of house.”
The typical setup for EDC consists of a main hang of 16 MLA and two MLD down fill cabinets per side with a complement of 32 MLX subs ground-stacked across the front of the stage.
In addition, 12 MLA Compacts per side are used for out fill, and eight MLA Compacts plus for ground-stacked MLX subs per side are used for delays. Avid VENUE Profile mixing consoles and Lake loudspeaker processing are also part of the system.