(29/08/2014) The Rock im Park and Rock am Ring festivals are the most popular music festivals in Germany, attracting an audience of 150,000. The two festivals are held simultaneously in N rburg and Nuremberg, in the West and South of Germany. The events each boast an almost identical artist line-up, with headliners this year including Metallica, Linkin Park, Iron Maiden, and Kings of Leon.
Both concerts are outdoors, but pose unique challenges for sound crews. Rock im Park's Zeppelinfeld has neighbouring residential areas so sound restrictions are a big consideration. Rock am Ring takes place at the world-famous N rburgring racetrack, a narrow and very long audio field that requires a powerful, directional PA system to deliver the best coverage for an extended audience.
Premier event production services provider satis&fy AG created two distinct sound designs and system deployments, turning to L-ACOUSTICS K1 to create a flagship system that was tailored to meet the very different coverage requirements and production constraints of each venue.
For Rock im Park promoter Marek Lieberberg, noise control was the key hurdle, as complaints from neighbours in past years had led to headline acts being restricted to 96dB at FOH. There have always been issues with noise pollution at Rock im Park, and the council threatened to revoke the festivals permit, so in previous years sound was dialled down so much that the audience complained it was too quiet! explains Johan Schreuder, Rock im Park sound engineer. Traditionally, the bands get a contract where it says they are allowed 96dB over a 10 minute period, which is really conservative for a rock show. They asked me if I could have a look at a solution to the problem, and using L-ACOUSTICS, we were able to raise that to 100dB over 10 minutes. This was down to the system design the rear rejection of the L-ACOUSTICS system; and the fact that we included many measures, such as making sure the monitor sound stayed on the stage by closing the loading dock, and covering the stage walls with sound absorbing material. We even went as far as to make sure that vendors on the field would position their sometimes very big stands in such a manner as not to create too many reflections in the wrong direction.
Because the venue is essentially a very wide field, with the mix position off to one side, Schreuder opted for a L/R four- hang system with 12 K1 per hang. As the venue is diamond shaped, L/L and R/R stacks were also positioned at 25m from the main PA, pointed directly outwards to the audience, not to the sides of the park. Fourty-eight SB28s, and 52 VDOSC enclosures were used for five delay towers, spread into two rows.
Instead of using a classic large PA system to cover the entire audience, we divided the audience into smaller sections and deployed smaller systems, explains Schreuder. This allowed us to ease up on the low sub capabilities of the system, meaning we didn't have to get too loud in the farfield. Then, we put up the first row of V-DOSC delays about 20-30 metres closer to the main rig than normal, raising them up and pointing them downwards to decrease noise overspill. Our SB28s were set up as cardioid to avoid the low frequencies infringing on the dBa ratings. We did a lot of measuring, and we discovered that if we let up on the bass, we were able to get quality sound without exploding the permit level.
In Nu rburgring, Rock am Ring provided some totally different challenges. In a less residential area, noise was less of a problem, however, the venue is a massive race track requiring coverage amounting to 280 metres in length and 60 metres wide a huge area to cater for. Its a narrow audio path, and obviously very long, so we put up a throw arrangement: a L/R system with four K1-SB on top, which increases the height of the array, and allows greater energy to the back. We then had four V-DOSC arrays. K1 is just phenomenal, and has more dynamics and more low end in the backfield than any other system, reveals Arnd Wagner, long-time sound designer for Rock am Ring. Because of K1s power and accurate long throw, we didnt need our first delay line until 75 metres; and then we had the rest positioned every 80 metres in stereo mode, until the end. V-DOSC gives you the low end in the delays too, so provides a consistency in sound its such a versatile box. For the sides, we opted for six KUDO.
Like Rock im Park, a cardioid bass setup comprising 48 SB28s was also chosen for Rock am Ring, configured in simple stacks of four, across the front of the stage. The great thing about the SB28s is that theyre so easy to stack. We have 12 points where the subs are spaced 70cm apart with a little arc delay, this way, everything comes out the middle, which guaranteed perfect low end coverage throughout, Wagner explains. There are other good systems out there, but I have always preferred the L-ACOUSTICS stuff for its reliability, flexibility, and a guaranteed even coverage. The kit is easy to work with, and you can add groups really fast. Also, the software is very simple, which makes tuning quicker and easier, and its always 100% accurate. There are no other loudspeakers that would do the job as well as they do.
A. Fozzy Ehmann, of festival organizer MLK concludes, For years, we had problems with the local authorities due to noise spill in surrounding residential areas at Rock am Park. Thanks to this L-ACOUSTICS sound system and its design, we were able to bring rock and roll back to the city of Nuremberg, and give the audiences at both Rock am Park and Rock im Ring the quality and level of audio they are entitled to in a rock show of this stature.
About L-ACOUSTICS
Founded in 1984 by Dr Christian Heil, L-ACOUSTICS is a leading innovator and manufacturer of high-performance loudspeakers, amplifiers and signal processing devices for t
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/07/2026
BLAST, a competitive entertainment company focused on esports, has announced more than $133 million in revenue for 2025, representing more than 40% year-over-ye...
02/07/2026
Riedel Communications has announced official SKAARHOJ panel support for SimplyLive production workflows, enabled through the SimplyLive 2.1 release. The integra...
02/07/2026
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has deployed LiveU video-over-bond...
02/07/2026
Gravity Media USA has announced the appointment of Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development, effective July 1, 2026. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bosto...
02/07/2026
TwelveLabs, a video intelligence company, has announced $100 million in Series B funding co-led by NEA and NAVER Ventures, with participation from Amazon, Radic...
02/07/2026
The Pro Padel League (PPL) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports that will air five PPL championship matches on CNBC during the 2026 season, the...
02/07/2026
LiveLike, a digital fan engagement platform, has announced eight confirmed FIFA ...
02/07/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Future's Best of Show Award, presented by AV Technology at InfoComm 2026, for its blueCORE family of standalone signal processor...
02/07/2026
Synamedia has announced the appointment of Dr. Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition...
02/07/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, Fra...
02/07/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. ( Z') has announced exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Bundesliga in India for five years, beginning with the...
02/07/2026
An effort uniting News, Sports, Local, and Telemundo, the 50+-camera live produc...
02/07/2026
Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Ben Wang appe...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
02/07/2026
Aims to simplify additive synthesis
Sine Machine is the debut launch from Melatonin, a Vienna-based developer who have spent the past six years creating wha...
02/07/2026
Products to remain fully active & supported
Following the news of Native Instruments joining the inMusic brand line-up, Academy and Emmy Award-winning visua...
02/07/2026
What you missed!
Last weekend, Saturday 27 June 2026, saw the debut of Sound On Sounds new GearExpo UK event, the largest dedicated pro-audio event to take ...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Following the successful launch of its inaugural APAC Mentoring Programme last month, the Rise AV APAC Regional Council will bring the conversation around mento...
02/07/2026
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Used to Shoot Director Takahisa Zeze's Cry Out
Brie Clayton July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Highly mobile camera supports tense and de...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions acquires BFE, expanding its lead in European broadcast, medi...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
(29/08/2014) The Rock im Park and Rock am Ring festivals are the most popular music festivals in Germany, attracting an audience of 150,000. The two festivals are held simultaneously in N rburg and Nuremberg, in the West and South of Germany. The events each boast an almost identical artist line-up, with headliners this year including Metallica, Linkin Park, Iron Maiden, and Kings of Leon.
