Created in Miami, Florida, in 2015, Rolling Loud has since become part of the American West Coast, Asian, South American, Australian, and European festival calendars. Renowned for presenting the globe’s biggest hip-hop and rap acts, its European presence began in the Netherlands and Portugal and now – sponsored by Live Nation – the franchise has arrived in Germany with three-day debut at the Munich Exhibition Center.
Part of the trade fair centre complex in Munich, the open-air venue drew in a crowd of more than 60,000 to witness a diverse programme of nearly 70 performances spanning hip-hop, rap and dancehall, across two stages. Notable acts, including Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Ayra Starr, and Wizkid, were hosted on the capacious main stage in front of an audience of up to 50,000, which was equipped with L-Acoustics K Series, including the K1.
A major L-Acoustics rental provider in Europe, FeedBack Show Systems was responsible for the concert sound system design that required the festival’s signature high SPL along with tight directivity control. The challenge was to ensure dynamic, bass-driven sound to every corner of the audience, while minimising noise spill into the surrounding neighbourhood. FeedBack’s team carefully considered the interplay between the audience and stage, given the acoustic challenge presented by it being open at the back but enclosed on the sides that gave a delay in sound reception that stretched about 60m. A combination of L-Acoustics K1 elements were chosen for main and side arrays, with A Series as side fills.
‘The festival site is flanked by the expansive trade fair area, with residential zones both in front of, and behind it,’ says Feedback Project Manager, Michael Staps.
The main stage system comprised left/right arrays of 12 K1 with four K2 per side, bolstered by 12 K1-SB per side, flown behind and 21 LA12X amplified controllers. Near fill comprised 12 A10 Wide, four A15 Wide and 21 LA12X. To achieve the bass extension required by the hip-hop artists, 60 further KS28 subwoofers were placed along the stage front amplified by 24 LA12X.
On stage, the DJs were served by a monitor system of eight Kara II and 15 SB18 with 12 LA12X. Side fill comprised six A15 Wide with four SB18 subwoofers and a total of 14 X15 HiQ wedges. Four delay towers were placed 65m from the main stage and included 52 K2 and 24 KS28.
The team at FeedBack succeeded in creating a sound experience that satisfied all the requirements, impressing fans on-site, while keeping the neighbours comfortable and happy. ‘We created a bespoke audio solution that optimised rear rejection, giving the artists clear, comfortable sound that gave them the confidence to perform their best on stage,’ Staps reports. ‘The CX preset that we decided to use for K1-SB was a game-changer; it helped us to project more sound forward and less backward.’
Feedback from FOH technicians was overwhelmingly positive: ‘I can’t count how many crew members told us these are the best loudspeakers they’ve ever heard. Even artists with their own FOH technicians that have played at festivals around the globe, the consensus was that the sound in Munich was the best, which clearly reflects the top-notch product and superior design of L-Acoustics,’ Staps says.
More: www.l-acoustics.com
