Ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro with the VUE al-8 line arrays at Denver’s Arvada Center Amphitheater (click for full size)
Space Recording Live Sound has been the exclusive audio provider for Denver’s Swallow Hill Music for more than 15 years. This year their collaboration has grown to include full production duties at Denver’s popular Arvada Center for the Arts.
For the 2014 season, the Arvada Center’s 1500-plus capacity amphitheater is once again hosting an impressive roster of international talent, including acts such as Pat Metheny, Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, Jamie Cullum, Don McLean, Judy Collins and the Colorado Symphony, to name just a few.
But it’s not just the undeniable talent that will delight crowds at the Arvada Center this year. Also gracing the stage is Space Recording Live Sound’s new VUE al-8 Line Array System.
Production Manager Allen Noftall has configured dual al-8 arrays consisting of eight elements per side. Four VUE V6 Systems Engines deliver all power and processing for the arrays, while a pair of Soundcraft SI-Performer 3 consoles handle both main and monitor mixes.
“I first heard the VUE al-8 at a demo hosted by PSI late last year,” explained Noftall. “I was immediately impressed by the amount of pure, clean sound emanating from the system. The top end was like nothing I’d heard before. I knew immediately I wanted to use these at Arvada.”
Noftall continued, “VUE came out and did an EASE model of the venue. We configured the al-8 according to the model, and it was absolutely perfect from the moment it we fired it up. This is easily the most precise and predictable line array I’ve worked with–and the sound quality is nothing short of spectacular.”
An EASE model specified dual al-8 arrays of eight elements per side. VUE V6 Systems Engines provide power and processing for the line arrays (click for full size)
Now nine shows into the season, Noftall couldn’t be happier with the al-8’s performance. “This is the third loudspeaker system I’ve mixed on at the Arvada Center and it’s by far the most effective,” he explains. “I can push the VUE system hard and it never breaks up. I can also back way down for more mellow acts and it never loses its amazing detail. Put simply, the al-8 sounds incredible at any volume.”
Having won Noftall’s respect and earned a place among his most trusted audio assets; the VUE al-8 system will soon be joined by a few familiar additions.
“The al-8 is so versatile and scalable that I see it working well for everything from small street festivals to corporate events,” concluded Noftall. “Now I’m looking forward to adding few VUE ACM subwoofers to the mix. I’ve heard these subs in action and can’t wait to combine them with the al-8.”
For more information about the Summer Stage Concert Series at the Arvada Center, visit: www.arvadacenter.org or www.swallowhillmusic.org.