Flying High, Travelling Light CODA AiRAY On Tour with

No other manufacturer has achieved the sonic results offered by AiRAY from a lightweight package (40kg) that has the same footprint as a 2 x 8 system. The fact that AiRAY is able to deliver this level of performance from significantly smaller-than-standard cabinets has clear implications for the market.

When the logistical elements of the equation are factored in, it quickly becomes obvious that savings in costs and time are significant. A tour's budget is very much at the mercy of expenditure on transportation and crew and since the AiRAY speakers are something like half the size and weight of comparable systems, the financial implications are clear. Many venues on this particular tour (as is often the case) offered only a short window of opportunity for load-in and set-up, so the lightweight, easy-handling AiRAY system reduced pressure by saving a great deal of build time. The speaker was developed with the economic considerations faced by touring productions very much to the fore and the Peter Pan production neatly illustrated the unique advantages offered by AiRAY. The requirement for the highest possible sound quality is a given for a production of this nature and taking both sound quality and logistical aspects into consideration, Music Hall's David Wright, production manager for Peter Pan and with 40 years of touring experience, offered this appraisal of AiRAY:

On my recent tours we've been equipped with most of the popular brand line-array systems and It's worth saying from the off that the AiRAY system travels, loads and unloads easily and efficiently. We carry 6 hangs for an in the round' arena production and it unloads and flies in no time. AiRAY's light weight is beneficial when calculating rigging weight combined with other production elements in the same roof space and its low power consumption to high performance ratio is also a bonus. Its compact design and light weight make a significant contribution to freight/truck space saving. The system is certainly powerful, appearing to effortlessly produce surprising volume that has a classy warmth and clarity. We're very, very happy with AiRAY.

Sound designer Guido Olischlager was similarly impressed:

Already an enthusiastic CODA user, especially the ViRAY system, I'd heard about AiRAY in early 2015 and went to its introduction at Frankfurt. At that point, given its specifications, I began to consider whether it might prove to be a good fit for the Peter Pan Arena Tour. Its subsequent performance at the product launch confirmed everything I'd thought. The system has enormous power and great projection and even at a hundred metres, the sound is still in your face'. In rehearsals at the empty Ethias Arena I was surprised by the power at low output levels, resulting in a show level without the massive slap-back you normally get in an empty arena. I've worked in that arena on many occasions, with many major brands and it was quickly obvious that AiRAY performed way better than the others. During rehearsals we were playing tracks through the system without any channel or system EQ and the sound was perfect!

Having confirmed AiRAY's sonic credentials in advance of the tour, all that remained for Guido was to load up and ship out into the real live environment of Peter Pan, where every aspect of the system's capabilities would be fully tested. Guido's report from the front confirmed that every expectation, creative and practical, had been met:

The easy and fast fly rigging system means that putting up the arrays is a breeze. The prediction software is very precise so there not much in the way of correction when the system is flown only the occasional minor system correction was necessary to adjust to a particular venue. Both production and promoter were very pleased with the sound. Apart from the superior sound that the system produces, it's the power to size ratio that really makes this a great touring product. Ultimately you have the size and weight of a mid-sized system, which takes up far less trucking space but the performance of a large scale system that can handle any venue. When the ease of rigging is factored in, for me, CODA's AiRAY is a winner!

LINK:	http://codaaudio.com/flying-high-travelling-light-coda-airay-on-tour-w...
	See more stories from coda

Most recent headlines