June saw the German Tolkien Society host a four-day festival in Geldern am Niederrhein, attracting 14,000 Tolkien fans and fantasy enthusiasts to an evening concert of diverse artists and ensembles. Technical audio production was handled by Rockline Sound&Light from Issum, who fielded an extensive Wharfedale Pro system to cover the wide musical programme.
The demands on the system were considerable. Initially, the system needed to cleanly amplify classical ensembles with diverse acoustic instruments, from strings, acoustic guitars and flutes, to various vocal performances. Later in the evening, volume and power were crucial for the headline performance – Medieval metal band Feuerschwanz delivered an energetic set featuring an outstanding pyro and fire show, with the Wharfedale Pro system providing the necessary power with ample headroom throughout.
The main system was provided by Spirit Of Sound – Veranstaltungstechnik, and featured eight flown Wharfedale Pro WLA-312X line-array elements per side. The low-end came from a subwoofer array comprising a combination of WLA-218BX dual-18--inch subwoofers in a cardioid configuration anf WLA-121 subwoofers set as end-fire. This system was complemented by WLA-112 elements for in fill and out fill, and served by 12 DP-4100F and 12 DP-2200F amplifiers with management from four XC-44F controllers.
‘The Wharfedale Pro system delivered an outstanding performance, convincing the event organisers to once again entrust us with the audio production for Tolkien Tage 2026, ‘says Rockline Sound&Light MD, Stefan Kosmalla. ‘We’re particularly pleased with the positive feedback from guest sound engineers, and I must highlight the excellent support from IAD-GmbH, the German distributor for Wharfedale Pro.’
More: www.wharfedalepro.com