Peter Pan flies with Coda
Published: MEA
QATAR: Touring theatrical spectacle Peter Pan - The Never Ending Story called on a Coda Audio Airay for the Doha stop of its recently completed world tour. The Airay system was specifically purchased by Belgian rental company Studio Haifax for the tour which included an 11-show run at the Qatar National Convention Centre.
The arena-scale in-the-round production, created by Music Hall of Belgium, combined state-of-the-art digital imaging, acrobatics, pyrotechnics and strong musical performances. Having heard Airay at its official launch, sound designer Guido Olischlager was convinced it was the right solution for the tour as it would offer both sonic and logistical advantages.
‘I’d heard about Airay in early 2015 and went to its introduction at Frankfurt,’ said Mr Olischlager. ‘At that point, given its specifications, I began to consider whether it might prove to be a good fit for the Peter Pan Arena Tour. Its subsequent performance at the product launch confirmed everything I’d thought. The system has enormous power and great projection and even at 100m, the sound is still “in your face”. In rehearsals at the empty Ethias Arena I was surprised by the power at low output levels, resulting in a show level without the massive slap-back you normally get in an empty arena. I’ve worked in that arena on many occasions, with many major brands and it was quickly obvious that Airay performed way better than the others. During rehearsals we were playing tracks through the system without any channel or system EQ and the sound was perfect!’
The production called on 54 Airay units which needed to be transported and flown in a variety of venues around the world. ‘On my recent tours we’ve been equipped with most of the popular brand line array systems and it’s worth saying from the off that the Airay system travels, loads and unloads easily and efficiently,’ stated Music Hall's David Wright, production manager for the tour. ‘We carry six hangs for an “in the round” arena production and it unloads and flies in no time. Airay’s light weight is beneficial when calculating rigging weight combined with other production elements in the same roof space and its low power consumption to high performance ratio is also a bonus. Its compact design and light weight make a significant contribution to freight/truck space saving. The system is certainly powerful, appearing to effortlessly produce surprising volume that has a classy warmth and clarity. We’re very, very happy with Airay.’
‘The easy and fast fly rigging system means that putting up the arrays is a breeze,’ agreed Mr Olischlager. ‘The prediction software is very precise so there’s not much in the way of correction when the system is flown – only the occasional minor system correction was necessary to adjust to a particular venue. Both production and promoter were very pleased with the sound. Apart from the superior sound that the system produces, it’s the power to size ratio that really makes this a great touring product. Ultimately you have the size and weight of a mid-sized system, which takes up far less trucking space but the performance of a large scale system that can handle any venue. When the ease of rigging is factored in, for me, Coda’s Airay is a winner!’