
This post is also available in:
Deutsch (German)
The Dordste Feesten festival which took place this year in the City of Dordrecht, Netherlands, comprised three weeks of live events which took place against a riverside backdrop on a stage constructed on the deck of a floating 1932 steam ferry. Following the decimation of last summer's festival programme at the hands of the Coronavirus pandemic, the City authorities worked closely with events specialists Iventors, to stage a variety of music and comedy in a carefully designed, safe festival environment. The Energie Stage' proved to be a great success, in spite of the many logistical challenges faced by the organisers. Social distancing was still very much the order of the day, and so seating which would normally accommodate five thousand, was limited to just three hundred and fifty per event. Social distancing for the artists would be made easy by the thirty metres of water between the stage and the front seats of the audience
Iventors preferred supplier for its festivals is Dordrecht-based Van Meel Sound and Lighting, who came onboard to help with the challenge of delivering high quality audio in a somewhat unusual setting. Marc Hoogendam from Van Meel chose a CODA Audio system, having been an advocate of the brand since 2014 when he first heard (and immediately purchased) a TiRAY system with business partner Roland van Meel. Having carefully considered the brief, Marc realised that in order to cater for the demands of the site, he would have to supplement his trusty TiRAY system with reinforcements. Having spoken to Hans Engelen of Viladco, CODA's Distributor in the Netherlands, Marc settled on bringing in twelve ViRAY enclosures to supplement his existing system. He explains:
The area that had to be covered by the Audio was over eighty metres wide, was not higher than four metres and had a restriction of 105dB on FOH. That, combined with the thirty-metre distance across the water from the boat to the audience, presented challenges which couldn't be met by our TiRAY system on its own. That's where the ViRAY came in. We designed a system with six hangs of ViRAY per side, with an infill of three TiRAY and one TiLOW per side for audience members watching and listening from small boats between the stage and the shore. We also had to take into consideration the tidal range, which would see the PA move up and down by 1.5 metres in total each day. There were limitations on the maximum height of the tower provided by the organiser, and weight was also an issue the boat had to remain balanced! To sum it up, we needed a small, light, powerful system that could still give us all the required angles of coverage.
A significant additional challenge posed by the setting was that of noise control. A residential area was located just sixty metres behind the audience area (with a 70dBA limit on the nearest house), there was a cinema in close proximity to the temporary seating, and the nearby waters are part of a national park which hosts protected wildlife in designated quiet areas. Marc continues:
We had to be a little unconventional and place the subs underneath the bleacher seating and time delay them to the main hangs. The main consideration was the distance from the main PA to the audience and the respective physical drops to the water from the boat and the dyke. And this was where CODA's reliability comes to hand. The renders of the system are so accurate you know what to expect, so can be confident of eliminating any trouble spots, accurately calculate the delay times, and solve any phase problems.
Over the three weeks of the festival, audiences enjoyed the widest possible range of talent on stage, all presented with pristine audio, much to the satisfaction of Iventors' Bas de Zwart. According to Marc:
Bas already knew what the TiRAY was capable of he's heard it numerous times but he was amazed by the ViRAY, and complimented us many times during the festival on the power, musicality and clarity that such small boxes could produce. He was also impressed by how accurately the renders compared to the actual system in use.
The City Council was more than satisfied with the delivery of the sound, and visiting engineers were unanimous in their endorsement of the system. Marc concludes:
The TiRAY and ViRAY share the same sonic signature and worked seamlessly together to deliver fantastic intelligibility during the entire three week run we never had a visiting engineer that didn't compliment the system after their show. We're grateful to Hans from Viladco for his support our TiRAY system is used for every kind of production, and we're always amazed at what it's capable of although after this festival we are seriously thinking of extending our stock with ViRAY.
Photo Credit (all images) Rob van der Pas
viladco
vanmeel
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
04/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p-compatible PTZ auto-frami...
04/06/2026
This recent grad from Spring, TX, led creative-video output for the Aggies' men's basketball team last season and has been producing video and creating ...
04/06/2026
For the first time at a women's golf major, every player in the field will r...
04/06/2026
Three Panasonic PT-RQ45 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP projectors made their first live...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin and Akamai have announced a collaboration with NRJ Group, a French mult...
04/06/2026
Telestream will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7952), demonstrating media work...
04/06/2026
Sony has announced the development of RIALTO 65, a 65mm format image sensor block for the VENICE 2 digital cinema camera, targeting release in the first half of...
04/06/2026
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N8025, June ...
04/06/2026
Bell Media's TSN and RDS are the exclusive Canadian broadcasters of FIFA Wor...
04/06/2026
The Challenge: Receiving Heavy Media Files From Road Games Quickly and ReliablyT...
04/06/2026
MASV, a managed file transfer platform used in broadcast and live sports product...
04/06/2026
NESN has announced the appointment of Fahad Haider as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Haider returns to NESN, where he previously served as Vice P...
04/06/2026
David J. Halberstam, who spent almost 50 years in sports as a broadcaster and an executive, died June 2 after a years-long battle with brain cancer.
Over his l...
04/06/2026
Although collegiate production programs are tasked with delivering high-quality ...
04/06/2026
California studio, two production trucks, global distribution system are combine...
04/06/2026
New global program empowers and supports storytellers through scriptwriting course and access to industry experts
TikTok and Sundance Institute today announce...
04/06/2026
Steinberg DAWs now boast in-depth Tonalic integration
Celemony's innovative virtual session musician plug-in has just received an update that brings ARA...
04/06/2026
Get Hands-On With Over 20 Mic Brands
GearExpo UK is fast approaching, and if you've been looking for a chance to check out some new mics, then you'r...
04/06/2026
Combos feature new Amplifier Intelligence engine
Positive Grid's latest release sees the company introduce two new combo amplifiers that promise to offe...
04/06/2026
Is Your Job Making You Work this June?
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Launches the World Cup Watchers' Rights Association to Stand Up For Australians&...
04/06/2026
Statement regarding unauthorised use of SBS logos on third party social content
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has become aware of social media posts in c...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming infrastructure, and Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business onli...
04/06/2026
American Underground (AU), the Startup Hub of the South and a community of mor...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
NVIDIA and Microsoft Reinvent Windows PCs for the Age of Personal AI
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
RTX Spark - a 1-Petaflop Superchip, the Full...
04/06/2026
Inside the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Grade
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Simone Grattarola discusses shaping the look in DaVinci Resolve...
04/06/2026
Cine Gear Expo Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Ed Lachman ASC, Caleb Deschanel ASC, and M. David M...
04/06/2026
St. Vincents Live with Orchestra Tour to Feature Berklee Alum Ruby Plume Berklee alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume will appear on the same bill across seven d...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
All the Truth in My Lies Coming to Netflix on August 28
Entertainment
04 June 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the imag...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Larry Tanz, VP of Content, EMEA, Delivers a Keynote Speech at ...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Turn Your Living Room into a Stadium With the New FIFA World ...
04/06/2026
Keeping conversations real on LinkedIn Published on Jun 4, 2026 Categories: Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Communications
Share
LinkedIn
Facebook ...
04/06/2026
BackStory follows four Irish young people as they travel back to their parents' homelands
Modern Irish identity is enriched by cultures and influences from...
04/06/2026
June's forecast with GeForce NOW: 100% chance of gaming.
GeForce NOW is lining up new adventures for the month, from big-name blockbusters to quirky indies...
03/06/2026
SES and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, have launched multi-orbit satellite inflight connectivity on Viva's Airbus aircraft. A total of 60 A320s ...
03/06/2026
The College Football Playoff, ESPN, and TNT Sports have announced kick times and...
03/06/2026
RED Digital Cinema will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 (Booth 33, June 5-6, Universal Studios Lot), hosting three panels and hands-on product demonstrations.
P...
03/06/2026
Roku has announced the Soccer Zone, a dedicated hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 content available across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argent...