At the French Atlantic coastal resort of Royan, Un Violon sur le Sable (A Violin on the Sand) is a free, three-day orchestral music festival on the beach that has attracted up to 50,000 classical music lovers each day since it started in 1987.
The combined challenges of a large, particularly wide audience area and a repertoire that demands exceptional clarity and dynamic range places very specific demands on the sound reinforcement. So, production services company Atlantic Sono called as usual on Black Line Event from nearby La Couronne to deploy a NEXO STM system which has been the main PA at the event for the previous eight years.
“STM gives us the power, headroom and articulation we need for these symphonic concerts that culminate in spectacular firework displays, and also the directivity to cover a 100m deep audience that is also spread wide across the beach” comments Black Line Event, Managing Director Jean Claude Marsaud.
At the 2025 festival which took place on the evenings of July 19th, 22nd and 25th, the main line arrays on either side of the stage each comprised of 9 x STM M46 main modules flown side by side with 9 x STM B112 bass extension modules, plus an additional 3 x STM M28 omni modules on the bottom as down fills.
Nine x STM S118 subs were ground-stacked beneath each array in a cardioid configuration to tighten the LF response and keep the low frequencies off the stage, and pairs of NEXO GEO M6 cabinets were spaced across the stage as front fills. Three x NEXO NUAR racks per side provided amplification and processing.
“My experience with the STM on a symphony orchestra leads me to believe that it is a very linear system, whether at low levels or very powerful levels” reports the highly respected recording, mixing and mastering engineer Arnaud Houpert, the FOH mix engineer at Un Violon sur le Sable who is widely recognised for his expertise in mic’ing orchestras for recording and live performances.
“The timbres of the orchestra are respected, and the system is asked to carry the sound up to 105m from the stage. I love this system for classical music concerts.”
Speaking on behalf of the festival organisers, President Philippe TRANCHET says “Once again Black Line Event did a great job ensuring that every visitor to Un Violon sur le Sable enjoyed our amazing symphonic concerts with word-class sound.”
For further information on Un Violon sur le Sable, visit: violonsurlesable.com
For further information on Atlantic Sono, visit: atlanticsono.com
For further information on Black Line Event, visit: facebook.com/16blackline/
For further information on Arnaud Houpert, search Arnaud Houpert on LinkedIn
Photo credits : Fotogriff
