Adamson and Sound.com Support A.R. Rahman's Huge Homecoming Show

Grammy- and Oscar-winner A.R. Rahman drew a massive crowd in mid-August 2019 for a special concert in his home city of Chennai, India. Once again, the artist -- widely known as the Mozart of Madras -- relied on Mumbai's Sound.com to supply and support the live audio system for the show, which this year was built around Adamson Systems Engineering's heralded E-Series.

"A.R. Rahman has been a client of Sound.com for the past eight years," begins Sound.com founder and managing director Warren D'souza. "When we completely replaced all of our tour sound products with Adamson systems earlier this year, we knew we could offer the best possible solution to our high-end clients like Mr. Rahman. This was our first major outing with our new inventory, and I think it proved beyond doubt that we made a wise investment."

The system deployed at the YMCA College of Physical Education grounds for the show included main left and right arrays of 15 E15 three-way, true line source enclosures over three E12 three-way, full-range enclosures per side in front of nine flown E119 subwoofers in FBF cardioid configurations. An additional 15 E119s were ground-stacked on each side of the stage for more low-frequency support while eight S10 two-way, full-range cabinets handled front-fill duties.

The single delay ring included left, center, and right arrays, with nine standard S10s on the left hang, 12 on the right, and a complement of 16 narrow-dispersion S10ns for the center. D'souza notes the unorthodox configuration was due to the uneven and asymmetrical layout of the audience area, and adds that in previous years, they required an additional delay ring to properly cover the site; however, the power and clarity of the Adamson solution negated the additional reinforcement.

"I've been a fan of Adamson systems since mixing on the E15s a few years back in Canada. Ever since then, I've been waiting to get to work with an E-Series PA in India," shares Fali Damania, Rahman's FOH engineer. "The deployment for this show was excellent. My mixes translated exactly as I prepped them in the studio and in production rehearsals. I was amazed by the power, clarity, and representation of the entire spectrum, and not once did I feel like I was running out of headroom."

Sound.com also had Adamson products covering the stage. While Rahman and his band are all on in-ear monitors, some like to split the mix at certain parts of the show. As such, two flown arrays comprised of five ultra-compact S7 two-way, full-range cabinets under a single S118 subwoofer were deployed as stage fills, with an additional S118 serving as a drum sub. As well, 14 M15 stage monitors were strewn across the deck -- including two specifically for Rahman himself.

The decorated Indian film composer, record producer, musician, and singer has sold hundreds of millions of records worldwide, making him one of the world's best-selling artists of all time. He has won 25 Filmfare awards, four National Film Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, two Grammys, and two Academy Awards over the course of his decades-long career.

Since its inception, Sound.com has evolved from being just a sound rental company to re-defining the idea of delivering an experience of "great sound." With a combination of the best technologies, processes, and a professional approach, the company is committed to serving clients and audiences with incredible experiences on major tours, festivals, and more.

The company sourced its new Adamson inventory from the Canadian manufacturer's Indian distributor, Sonotone, in January 2019.

"Investing in Adamson has been a game-changer across the board for Sound.com, from its outstanding acoustic capabilities and amazing sound quality to ease of rigging and the sheer ability to put a lot of boxes in the air to achieve the long throw we need," says D'souza in closing. "Everyone who hears the system becomes an instant fan -- engineers, production teams, promoters, artists, and of course, the fans on the ground, as we learned getting to support the legendary A.R. Rahman in his hometown of Chennai."