World stars together with Electro-Voice and DYNACORD at the Jazz on the Danube festival

The Jazz on the Danube festival in Straubing boasts a rich tradition, ranking for decades amongst the most important festivals in the European jazz calendar. For 24 years, the letters JAD (from the festival’s German name, Jazz an der Donau) have been synonymous with high-quality concerts representing a wide variety of musical genres. That was certainly true of this year’s programme, with highlights including the Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club® with vocalist Omara Portuondo, funk pioneers Tower Of Power, wonder vocalist Bobby McFerrin with the Chamber Choir Of Europe, and bossa nova virtuoso Paula Morelenbaum together with the SWR Big Band. The task of kicking off this year’s festival was entrusted to Ich+Ich, currently Germany’s most successful pop group.

Sound production for the 2010 festival was in the expert hands of Ingo Haasch and his team. To ensure an optimum sonic image at all times, Haasch drew upon the accumulated experience of prior JAD productions while introducing a number of new components into this year’s sound system design. “The FIR-Driveequipped EV XLC line-array system proved itself absolutely last year, which is why we used it again this year. A variation, however, was provided by the XCS-312 subs, which we arrayed in front of the stage. This added a positive nuance to the overall sonic impression,” says Haasch. Constituting less of a nuance than a quantum leap, in his opinion, was the switch to FIR-Drive. “The sound reinforcement system benefited immeasurably from the change,” he stated. “It was just like having a completely new system. I strongly recommend that all EV users with compatible systems invest in FIR-Drive technology. For relatively little money, you get an enormous return. And FIR-Drive not only represents fantastic value; it’s also very easily integrated into the overall setup.”

The first to witness the astounding performance of the FIR-Drive-equipped XLC system were the 3,000 fans that attended the opening concert by Ich+Ich. The sound was powerful, rich in presence, brilliant, transparent, and with oodles of headroom on hand. “ ‘Tiger’, Ich+Ich’s front-of-house engineer, also did a great job,” adds Haasch. Ich+Ich was not the only act to revel in these new sonic possibilities. “We were complimented by many performers and audience members alike on the powerful yet balanced sound,” reports deputy chairman Ralph Huber of Jazz an der Donau e.V. “This, needless to say, not only delighted but encouraged us. After all, if you want a festival to succeed, good sound is half the battle.”

The XLC-DVX enclosures were powered by EV TG7 and DYNACORD H5000 amplifiers. Xi-2123A and Xi-1122A loudspeakers provided out- and front-fill sound; Xsubs provided low-end support. Haasch & Co. relied on twenty CXM 15 wedges for the monitor system and four VL 212 cabinets for side-fills, all from EV’s sister company DYNACORD.

Equipment List

PA
2 x 7 XLC127 DVX
2 x 3 XLC215 DVX
2 x 1 Xi-1122A (front-fill)
2 x 1 Xi-2123A (out-fill)

Subs
2 x 2 x 3 Xsubs (in cardioid configuration)
4 x 1 x XCS312 (arrayed in front of the stage)
5 x Dx46 FIR-Drive controller
24 x TG7 amps

Delay
2 x 4 XLE
2 x 2 Xsubs (in cardioid configuration)
4 x TG7 power amplifiers
1 x Dx46 FIR-Drive controller
1 x NetMax N8000 controller

Monitoring
20 x DYNACORD CXM 15
20 x H5000 power amplifiers with RCM-26 DSP modules
2 x Plasma P2 powered subwoofer (as drum-fill extenders via Dx38 controller)

Side-fill
4 x DYNACORD VL 212
2 x Sub 28
3 x H5000/RCM-26

Microphones
8 x Electro-Voice RE20
4 x Electro-Voice RE16
2 x Electro-Voice N/D868