From Southern California to Eastern Pennsylvania, a number of this summer’s concert series sound providers have utilized the QSC Audio WideLine Series line array to meet the sound reinforcement requirements presented by unique and challenging venues.
The Pechanga Amphitheater in Temecula, CA, which ranks among the top Southern California performance venues, hosted headliners this summer including Matchbox Twenty, Lady Antebellum, Alan Jackson, Daughtry and many others.
This 4,500-seat outdoor venue, which features a combination of assigned floor seating, raised seating and bleacher seating. Star Way Productions of Murrieta, CA handles the sound for the summer concert series at Pechanga and chose QSC WideLine-10s to head the system.
“The WideLine system has become the widely accepted choice by the many national acts performing here,” says Austin Hill, senior audio engineer at Star Way. “The system and its components are extremely versatile and handle our shows of every size— from 6 boxes to 60—and we get consistent clean, clear sound every time.”
Star Way Productions also used the WideLine Series for the annual Temecula Balloon and Wine Festival, featuring two stages, one of which is sponsored by Pechanga. This summer’s system is comprised of: 20 WL2102 boxes per side (left and ight), 10 WL2102 boxes as a center vocal hang, eight WL218-sw subs per side flown, plus 10 WL218-sw subwoofers per side, stacked.
In addition, Star Way deployed six QSC K Series loudspeakers across the lip of the stage for front fill, and finally, QSC Basis to control, what Hill says is “a whole lot of QSC power going on. “
Meanwhile, at Costa Mesa’s Pacific Amphitheatre, the WideLine Series have been in place for the 2011 summer season, with acts like Bob Dylan, Chris Isaak, Steve Miller Band, Melissa Etheridge, Selena Gomez, and Justin Beiber taking the stage. Escondido-based Sound Image has handled the summer concert series here for nearly a decade.
With the Pacific Amphitheater’s 15,000 outdoor spectator capacity stretched across the entire lawn area, Sound Image uses the WideLine Line array for its sound quality, light weight and ability to cover a wide area.
“The WideLine is by far one of the best sounding boxes out there. It packs a wallop and doesn’t weigh very much,“ says Gary Sanguinet, audio engineer at Sound Image. “This is an extremely wide venue and the WideLine is perfect as the center array, because they are low profile and small, and have 140-degree dispersion, so they cover the width that we need as well as the distance.”
On the east coast, WideLine is also the array of choice for Philadephia’s Mann Performing Arts Center. For the past four years, Clear Sound of Yeadon, PA has been providing QSC WideLine-10 Arrays for the summer concert series at the Mann Center.
“We actually got the contract at as the result of a shootout where we put our WideLines against a competitor, and the folks at the Mann Center chose the WideLines,” says Clear Sound owner and president Chris Dietze. “Sound quality and the size were the big factors. The house at Mann has front suspension points which are limited to 1,000 pounds each; the WideLine is the only system that can reach all the seats with good coverage and still meet the weight limit. And they sound great.”
Clear Sound also uses the WideLine-10s for the summer concert series at the Dell Music Center (formerly Robin Hood Dell East), Mann’s sister amphitheatre. An uncovered amphitheatre with fixed seating for 5,000 plus lawn seating for 500, the Dell has featured a number of top acts this summer, with artists like Nancy Wilson, George Clinton, P Funk, Stephanie Mills and the Stylistics taking the stage. As Dietze explains, many of the artists themselves are impressed by the power of the system.
“At the Dell, we always have artists who arrive and expect to see a large PA, and they are looking all around for it. We have to point out where the WideLine is, “adds Dietze. “Then they are always astonished when they hear the sound that comes out of them.”
The QSC WideLine-10 is a full range 3-way line array loudspeaker system designed for use in a wide variety of venues, ranging from ballrooms, theaters and nightclubs to concert halls, houses of worship and arenas. WideLine-10 features an open, natural sound quality and exceptionally wide 140° horizontal coverage pattern – the widest of any line array system currently available. Both Wideline-10 and Wideline-8 Systems feature QSC’s patented multiple aperture diffraction slot waveguide to achieve their broad horizontal coverage and a nearly ideal vertical line source.
About QSC Audio
QSC Audio Products, LLC is a leading manufacturer of power amplifiers, loudspeakers, signal processing, digital signal transport, and computer control systems for professional audio markets worldwide. For more information, contact QSC Audio Products, LLC, 1675 MacArthur Blvd., Costa Mesa, CA 92626 USA. Phone: 800-854-4079 (USA only) or 714-754-6175. Fax: 714-754-6174. E-mail: [email protected], or visit
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Margaret Sekelsky
