D.A.S. Audio: The Driving Audio Force on Tour with Gerardo Ortiz

	Rear view of the stage right DAS Aero 50 line array cluster used on the Gerardo Ortiz Tour Mexico 2014.

Though he was born in Pasadena, CA, vocalist / composer / performer Gerardo Ortiz was reared in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico. These days, Ortiz is recognized as a stand-out artist in the Norteño-Banda, Corridos music genre and, in 2011, he dominated the Billboard Mexican Music Awards. Ortiz is presently on tour and, to ensure the best audio fidelity with consistent coverage, he relies on loudspeakers drawn from the Aero Series 2, Convert, and Road catalogs of Valencia, Spain-based D.A.S. Audio.

Los Angeles-based International House of Music, Inc. (IHOMI), a music and audio equipment supplier that services a wide range of customers from individuals to professional touring acts, recently sold the Ortiz tour a large D.A.S. Audio sound reinforcement system. Presently, the mains system includes thirty-six D.A.S. Aero 50 three-way, large-format line array modules powered by Lab Gruppen 10000Q power amps and 24 LX-218CA high performance powered subwoofers. Additionally, D.A.S. Audio Convert 15A powered multifunction loudspeakers, Aero 12A powered, two-way, mid-high line array elements, and Road 15A two-way, powered stage monitors augment the system. Oscar Naranjo Jr., the system tech and FOH engineer for Gerardo Ortiz, discussed the system and its benefits.

"Prior to the start of the Gerardo Ortiz Tour Mexico 2014," says Naranjo, "Mr. Ortiz had used a D.A.S. Aero 12A-based sound system for numerous engagements here in the U.S. and was very pleased with its performance. He wanted to ensure that, for the Mexico tour, he had consistent sound everywhere he was scheduled to perform. Hence he selected this large D.A.S. system."

While the details of each setup vary from one venue to another, Naranjo reports the basic loudspeaker setup calls for 12 Aero 50 enclosures each for the left-right mains, which are augmented by six additional Aero 50 enclosures for the left-right outfills. If outfills are not required, the left-right mains then increase to 16 Aero 50 boxes per side. Low frequency support is provided by 24 LX-218CA sub bass enclosures.

Augmenting the mains system, four D.A.S. Aero 12A enclosures are utilized for frontfills while the sidefill setup consists of two D.A.S. LX-218CA subwoofers plus two Convert 15A loudspeakers. And for stage monitors, there are 24 D.A.S. Road 15A loudspeakers.

When queried about those attributes that made the D.A.S. Audio equipment ideal for the Ortiz tour, Naranjo offered the following thoughts. "We've been using a D.A.S. Aero 12 system in the US for a couple of years and have been very happy with its sound quality and ease of use," he says. "We have also used D.A.S. Aero 50s at some events here in the States, so when the time came to design a system for the tour throughout Mexico, D.A.S. was at the top of our list. From the time the [lift] motors are ready, it only takes us about 45 minutes to have audio up and running for the entire system--thanks to D.A.S. Audio's excellent flyware."

Naranjo also reports that D.A.S. Audio's customer and technical support services have been first rate. "We have always been happy with the customer service provided by the entire team at D.A.S.," Naranjo says. "D.A.S. Audio's Ramon Franco and Robert Almodovar provided myself and Ignacio Zamudio, our monitor engineer, with first class assistance throughout the design of the system. I also appreciated the fact that they traveled to four of our shows to ensure everything was functioning as we expected it to."

The Gerardo Ortiz Tour Mexico 2014 launched February 22nd at the Explanada de la Feria Leon Guanajuato and is scheduled to finish at Palenque de la Feria San Isidro, Metepec, Estado de Mexico on May 31st. Reflecting on the tour and the performance of the D.A.S. Audio system, Naranjo offers these final thoughts, "There is a lot of competition in Mexico when it comes to sound systems and Mr. Ortiz did not want to fall short in terms of the audience's expectation for high quality sound. We are very happy with the system. To this day, we have not encountered a single issue and we've had more than enough loudspeaker performance to cover every venue. We've also done two 360-degree show setups with this system and, throughout every location, the D.A.S. equipment has delivered the goods."