Montreal-based Solotech, known for supporting A-list international clients like Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Leonard Cohen, Andre Rieu, Michael Buble and Diana Krall, has now become the first Canadian company to join the L-Acoustics K1/KUDO Pilot Program.
Solotech elected to purchase a larger than standard complement of enclosures consisting of 56 K1, 32 K1-SB and 32 SB28 subs, 48 adjustable KUDO and 28 LA-RAK touring racks each loaded with three LA8 amplified controllers.
“I first heard K1 when Radiohead came through Montreal and was absolutely stunned,” recalls David Brazeau, Solotech’s senior project manager. “Earlier this year, Solotech management had the opportunity to visit the factory in France, and even though we were able to demo only a small system, it was pretty mind-blowing. V-DOSC has always been an exceptional product, but the improvements that K1 offers are immediately obvious. It was truly the next logical step for us.”
Shortly after taking delivery of the new system in June, Solotech deployed half of its K1 inventory at a free concert that drew over 80,000 people to Quebec City on the eve of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. The following week, the system moved to Parliament Hill in Ottawa for Canada Day, which brought out a crowd of nearly 100,000 to see England’s Queen Elizabeth II.
From July 8 through 18, the K1 system was then used at Festival d’ete de Quebec, an 11-day summer festival in Quebec City attracting 1.7 million attendees and featuring more than 300 performances from artists such as Rammstein, Iron Maiden, Andrew Bird, Dream Theater, Thievery Corporation, Rush, Black Eyed Peas, Arcade Fire, Santana and many others.
In late July, the new system returns to Montreal’s Parc Jean-Drapeau for the Heavy MTL festival starring Rob Halford, Slayer, Megadeth, Mastodon and Alice Cooper. And just a week later, on the same site, the Osheaga Festival Musique et Arts will host bands like Pavement, The National, Keane, Stars, Jimmy Cliff and The Walkmen performing on Solotech’s K1 system.
“After having used K1 for several festivals now, I continue to be impressed with it,” Brazeau adds. “The clarity and amount of SPL we’ve been able to achieve over the distances have been shockingly good. I love the fact that when we push K1, the level goes up uniformly across both the entire bandwidth and dispersion pattern, keeping the integrity of the signal. It’s extremely hi-fi.”
Richard Lachance, Solotech’s senior vice president of touring, says that listening to K1 reminds him of the first time he heard V-DOSC. “When I bought the first V-DOSC system in Canada back in 1997, I recognized that it would take the lead in the market and set the new standard. K1 has done that once again for L-ACOUSTICS.
“The advancement in technology and engineering that this system embodies is groundbreaking. Even those people that have long been associated with other loudspeaker systems have been impressed with it and are excited to use it.”
Providing sound, lighting, video, new media and staging both domestically and internationally, Solotech is headquartered in Montreal with satellite operations located in Quebec City and Las Vegas.
