Burning Man has wrapped up and PK Sound is celebrating another successful system deployment.
PK powered Camp Questionmark for another week-long romp in the desert, complete with some of the biggest acts in electronic music, stunning visuals, and throngs of enthusiastic music lovers.
Over 70,000 people gathered in Nevada’s desert to erect the temporary social experiment that is Black Rock City, a community that spawns so many artistic, musical, and performing arts creations that it is impossible to take it all in in just one week.
Camp Questionmark has long been known for its electronic music lineups, stage design and visuals—and of course, sound. PK Sound deployed a VX12 line array system with 11 modules per side and another 2 set up as front fill. The low-end consisted of 35 CX800 subwoofers; 33 cabinets in 11 stacks of 3, which were quarter wave spread plus an additional 2 set up on stage with 2 CX215s used as mid-highs for monitors.
Bryan Andres of PK Sound explains “our main goal was to showcase the finest system for one of the best camp locations at Burning Man—and what we deployed could be felt across the playa. The dance floor was teeming with raw energy and the vibe was perfect both in the crowd and on stage.”
Well-known names like Skrillex, Beats Antique, Diplo, Rusko, and Griz blessed the decks, plus up-and-coming favorites such as Stylust Beats, Trevor Kelly, Shlump, Sayer, Ethan Glass, Andreilien, and many more. Over 70 artists in total joined in on the fun at Camp Questionmark on PK Sound’s equipment.
Despite years of experience of doing what they love, the PK Sound team knows that every event comes with its challenges; Burning Man was no exception. The rugged elements of Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, a prehistoric lake bed, expose equipment and personnel to often violent and unpredictable conditions. High winds roll through and major dust storms are the result. Sometimes these dust storms can bring gusts of 30 MPH or more, causing whiteouts where most people can’t see a few feet ahead of themselves. During whiteouts, Burning Man doesn’t stop and the show must go on.
“When the sand storms kicked up we knew that trouble was coming, the alkaline dust of the desert wreaks havoc on equipment and 2 DJ mixers malfunctioned. The team was able to quickly source backups and the show went on” says Nate Martin of PK Sound.
When the arrays were flown on the stage, they were secured per usual, however, at one point on Saturday night additional adjustments had to be made. The storm picked up badly for about an hour, so the crew worked through it to lower the line arrays for extra security until the weather calmed down. This was all done throughout the show without skipping a set or even a beat.
From the artists who kept the crowds dancing well into to the night, to the production teams that made it all possible, there is something very special about the collaboration that makes this all possible every year. Through all the technical and environmental challenges, they succeeded in providing ‘burners’ with a monumental experience, but not without a little dust on their boots.
