D.A.S. Audio Helps MTI Sound Find Success on the Campaign TrailWith this year's presidential election completed, both President Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, made numerous campaign stops to bolster voter support -- particularly in the critically important 'swing' states such as Florida. For Sanford, Florida-based MTI Sound, the campaign stops led to numerous live sound reinforcement projects -- and creating a part of that success was the ease of working with his sound system, which utilizes components drawn from the catalog of Valencia, Spain-based D.A.S. Audio. Scott Shryock, president of the full service sound, lighting, staging, video production, and installation company MTI Sound, specified a combination of D.A.S. Audio Aero 12A powered two-way, mid-high line array modules, LX-218CA powered subwoofers, and Road 12A powered stage monitors for these projects. He discussed the nature of the jobs and how the D.A.S. equipment helps him meet the expectations of his clients. "We frequently got the call for these campaign stops at the last minute," Shryock explained, "so the ability to move the equipment as well as set it up and break it down quickly is critical. All our D.A.S. equipment is self-powered, which simplifies cabling and goes a long way toward making an efficient setup. Equally important, the Aero 12A's rigging hardware is all self-contained, so this, too, makes truck pack easier and simplifies the process of flying the loudspeakers. We did several of these events recently and right up to Election Day." For a recent visit by President Obama in Melbourne, Florida, the MTI Sound crew deployed sixteen D.A.S. Audio Aero 12A's, four LX-218CA subwoofers, and a dozen Road 12A stage monitors. "We flew five Aero 12A's on each side of the stage for the left-right mains," Shryock said. "These were augmented by left-right delay stacks -- each consisting of three Aero 12A's and two LX-218CA's. The delay stacks were positioned roughly 100' out in front of the house mains. Our Road series monitors served multiple purposes. President Obama had one by his side as his stage monitor and the rest were used for fill purposes in order to maintain a low visual profile. Two Road 12A's were used for front fills while the rest were deployed in the bleacher areas to the sides and behind the President." "We used this basic setup for all the campaign stops," Shryock added. "Depending upon whether these are outdoor or indoor events (where crowd control limitations are considerably more restrictive), we've been seeing crowds ranging in size anywhere from approximately 3,000 to 12,000 people. To ensure optimized positioning and angling of the loudspeakers, I model the setup using EASE Focus loudspeaker aiming and acoustic modeling software. The results have been very impressive. The Aero 12A's have really good horizontal dispersion with solid vertical throw and, best of all; they're very easy to aim. The system provided consistent coverage throughout all audience areas and both speech intelligibility and music reproduction was first-rate." The D.A.S. loudspeakers have an additional feature that Shryock is very enthusiastic about, "Here in Florida, we frequently say, 'If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes.' It can change from sunshine to rain and back almost that fast. I love the protective flap that resides over the connections and power module at the rear of the D.A.S. enclosures. We were caught in some heavy rains twice recently, but with those covers, the gear was protected and we encountered no difficulties keeping everything operational." Before shifting his focus back to some forthcoming engagements, Shryock offered these final comments. "Our D.A.S. equipment has been exceptional," he said. "The sound quality is terrific, the gear is reliable, and the company's customer support services are excellent. At a Romney stop, country music artist T.G. Shepard performed. Like our client, both he and his engineer were very impressed with the system's sound and performance. D.A.S. Audio's combination of sound quality, thoughtful features, and support services are the best possible. I never cease to be impressed with this equipment." 
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