NEXO’s GEO M10 mid-size line array is on the march in the USA, with an eye-catching support role in a unique competition for the marching music performing arts.
Staged at Middle Tennessee State University, the event was a serious competition between two teams in the Drum Corp International (DCI), the USA’s leading organisation for marching music, an activity that involves more than 7 million American students. J Sound Services (JSS) of Nashville was asked to specify NEXO/Yamaha sound systems for the marching bands, with the ability to reproduce the detail of all the instruments and balance those details within the entire ensemble.
“The drastic swing in dynamics between a brass section wide open and the soft mallet of the front ensemble is a tall order for any sound system,” explains Jason Spence, owner of JSS and principal systems designer. “As with any sound reinforcement system, careful consideration was given to coverage, especially at the judging area. And, as with any project, we had a budget to meet. We also needed efficient amplifiers with low power draws and a system that was fast and easy to set up. As we evaluated numerous systems and the criteria, the NEXO M10 easily checked all the boxes.”
Significantly, the key objective for the GEO M10 system was to provide clarity, rather than the SPL of a big rock show. Responding to the brief, JSS designed and supplied two portable NEXO rigs with GEO M10 line array modules and MSUB15s or RS15 subbass, powered by 2x NXAMP4x2 Mk 2 amplifiers, and NXAE104 AES network cards. The rig was mixed by a Yamaha QL5 digital console.
“The teams have six minutes to role onto the field and be ready,” Spence explains. “So, speed of setup is extremely important, and with AES, we don’t have to wait for the network to come online before we can make noise.”
Further information
J Sound Services