K-Array provides onstage sound for Femina Miss India
Published: ASIA
INDIA: K-Array KR200s were used as on-stage monitors for the Pantaloons Femina Miss India fashion-glamour event in late April, which was watched on television by an estimated one billion people. The loudspeakers were supplied by the manufacturer’s regional distributor Performance Audio, having been selected for their unobtrusive profiles.
Over its four decades, Pantaloons Femina Miss India has become the foremost event of its kind in Asia. It is described as more than a beauty contest, incorporating live music performances, dance routines and fashion parades. This combination of elements led the organiser to seek out a ‘substantial, digitally programmable monitor’ for on-stage fold-back.
Two KR200 systems were laid flat, 2m apart, along the semi-circular front of the stage. Placed horizontally, the loudspeakers occupy very little of the audience’s sightline, measuring only 57mm high off the stage. In order to further reduce the system’s visual impact, self-powered KL18ma subs were hidden below the stage in the stairwell.
Miss India creative director, Mark Robinson, reportedly had high expectations of the design even before the event took place, referring to Performance Audio as 'the finest suppliers of sound in the country,' and 'masters of their craft'. He was reportedly delighted following a demonstration, which saw him tour the auditorium attempting to spot the system on the stage.
‘They were already on stage but I couldn't see them,’ he enthused. ‘They merged perfectly into the background. I was impressed.’ He added that he was left ‘amazed and stunned’ by the on-stage sound. ‘Wherever I sat, the quality of the sound was fabulous. On the stage the KR200s were crystal clear and sharp, at the front of the stage, at the back…it was the same. They worked like a dream. We have another big thing in August, then bridal week in September. We'll definitely be using K-array.’
Equally full of praise was television director Ashim Sen, of Sony Entertainment Television, a partner of the event for more than a decade. ‘With live music happening I am always worried that on-stage monitors may stick out, often taking away from the look of the show. With the new K-array monitors the look and feel of the stage was unaffected as the KR200s could fit along the edges of the set. Also, the musicians felt comfortable with the return.’