Thousands of fans attending the annual Country Music Association (CMA) Music Festival, held in Nashville June 9-12, enjoyed outdoor entertainment at Ascend Amphitheater featuring a significant change in audio approach and production.
Morris utilized its new d&b audiotechnik J-Series system along with the NoizCalc solution to achieve as much noise reduction in the far field as possible while maintaining the concert experience fans are accustomed to when attending a show at an amphitheater.
“This was the first year Ascend Amphitheater was included as a venue for free outdoor concerts during CMA week, so we knew going in that we would be relying on our new J rig from d&b audiotechnik as well as NoizCalc, which is the best noise remediation solution on the market,” said Danny Rosenbalm, Morris CEO. “With the help of NoizCalc and Array Processing, we were successfully able to keep sound levels within Nashville city government limits to avoid any fines while also guaranteeing crowds a memorable and enjoyable concert experience.”
Ascend Amphitheater maintains a 102 dB(a) limit at front of house. With NoizCalc, Morris achieved a 12-14 dB(a) drop at the end of the listening field, allowing the sound to remain impactful to everyone in the crowd while also staying well within the regulated limits.
“It was an exciting project for us to partner with Morris on because this was the first time I used NoizCalc in a situation with so much concern and pressure around noise mitigation,” said Nick Malgieri, d&b audiotechnik application support. “NoizCalc accounts for elevation, buildings and other structures in the far field, which gave us a clear understanding of areas that needed to be closely watched and ultimately resulted in Morris being able to make the necessary changes to reduce noise emission.”
Emitting sources included line arrays and subwoofers, which are typically the cause for sound spilling into the far field, but NoizCalc covers both.
“A few days before the festival started, we were able to do a demonstration of how the software works for the Metro Nashville Parks Department, who’s in charge of making sure sound emissions are within proper limits,” said David Haskell, Morris president. “The Metro Parks team was impressed to hear that the concert sound was full and impactful in the area we wanted it to be but did not travel outside of the listening field. Being able to utilize this software in Nashville, and other cities, is truly a game-changer. This means outdoor event spaces in urban areas can provide memorable entertainment but not disrupt neighboring communities and businesses.”
Morris recently purchased 578 new pieces of d&b audiotechnik equipment, which includes 124 D80 amplifiers, 176 J-Series speakers, 66 V-Series speakers, 32 stage monitors, and 22 DS10 Audio network bridges.
Morris will use NoizCalc again in Nashville’s upcoming 4th of July celebration, “Let Freedom Sing,” which takes place at an outdoor stage in the middle of the downtown core.