More than 15,000 rock fans recently converged on Tucson Electric Park for KFMA Day, the radio station’s annual music festival, with this year’s event featuring metal icons Korn as the headliner joined by rising metal bands such as Hollywood Undead, Escape the Fate, Amberlin, Red, as well as several local bands.
Soundwave Audio of Tuscon provided sound reinforcement and support for the festival, with owner Mark Pacheco noting that his company was asked to supply “complete audio not just for the opening acts but for Korn – consoles, backline, monitors, microphones, everything. And we generally don’t do headliners.”
The house system consisted of 12 Martin Audio W8LC line array modules (flown) per side, with 12 Martin Audio WSX folded horn subwoofers per side on the deck, and sidefill coverage from two Martin Audio W8 full-range loudspeakers over two Martin Audio Blackline S218+ subwoofers (again, per side). All loudspeakers were driven with Martin Audio MA 4.2 amps, with digital processing from Dolby Lake.
Soundwave Audio also provided Yamaha PM5D digital consoles for the openers and a Midas Heritage H3000 for the headliner. Besides Pacheco, who was overseeing the production in a role he describes as a “floater,” the audio crew consisted of Jim Labukas (FOH tech) and Javier Delgado (monitor for opening acts and tech for Korn).
Pacheco adds that the event offered a few challenges. “They (the client) wanted four-box sidefills and 20 wedges on the deck,” he explains. “And we had a fairly small Stageline 320 (stage), but managed to get everything worked out. During the show, they used all of the (Martin Audio) wedges onstage except one mix. Other than that, it was a typical festival.”
He adds: “I’ve done the smoothest of jazz shows to the heaviest of rock and metal shows with great results from the W8LCs, and we’ve never had a problem. It’s a very musical loudspeaker. Every time I advance a show and tell the people I have a Martin rig, I usually hear, ‘Oh yeah, I like that stuff.’”
