[AV] Irvine Offers Their Clients Endless Possibilities in Event Sound with QSCKris Plourde, president and CEO of N-Effect Productions, recently opened a state-of-the-art 25,000-sq.-ft. event, meeting, and production facility in Southern California's Orange County that offers clients endless possibilities in an event space with the best in sound, lighting, and video technologies. [AV] Irvine, a 9,000-plus-sq.-ft. configurable space housed within N-Effect Productions' headquarters, features nearly 200 lighting fixtures and a 30' LED wall, with sound systems from QSC including WL3082 WideLine-8 line array loudspeakers and GP218-sw subwoofers powered by PLD4.5 processing amplifiers. After years of having to make compromises in rented venues for his event clients, Plourde purchased the land near Irvine Spectrum Center and Irvine Meadows Amphitheater and designed, developed and built [AV] Irvine from the ground up. "I've been in the production industry for 20 years and gone to a million different venues," he says. "And there was always a horrible load-in, or not enough power, or you couldn't do things like use a confetti cannon. I wanted to create a venue that my clients could come to and have spectacular events -- a venue with all the bells and whistles built in, as well as the flexibility to do whatever they need." Plourde collaborated with AV industry specialists to equip the space, including Ben Frederick of Audio Geer in Huntington Beach, California, who assisted with the QSC gear. A total of 12 QSC WL3082 line array modules and four GP218-SW subs can be deployed anywhere in the venue. Five PLD4.5 four-channel processing amplifiers power the entire rig. There are also 10 QSC AD-C152ST ceiling-mount speakers located throughout the lobby, hallways, and restrooms, driven by a pair of CDX4.2 four-channel processing amplifiers. Plourde is a long-time user of QSC speaker systems, he says. "I own a WideLine-8 line array that we use for our mobile applications with my production company, N-Effect, which produces 400 to 500 events a year all over the United States. We also own K12s and K8s. The WideLine-8 is a great match for [AV] Irvine, because the events all tend to either have presenters, dance music, or background music, and the arrays suit all these needs." The size of the WideLines was also a factor in his choice. "We had to think about rigging points, as well as the weight factor, and line of sight. If the stage is in front of the 30' LED wall and I chose an oversize line array, I'd lose some seating. The WideLine-8 was the perfect size for us." "I've always had great experiences with QSC products," reports Plourde. "I've used just about every loudspeaker brand out there and QSC consistently stands out as having the best quality and the best bang for the buck. It's a plus that they are also right here in Orange County, and everyone there has always been really great to work with." [AV] Irvine can support a wide variety of corporate and civic events, weddings, galas, and socials, and has in-house design and technical teams to manage every element of a production. "Flexibility is the key to doing a great job for our clients, as well as having enough firepower to make the client's show look really professional. The only permanent fixture is the LED wall. We can build out the stage to whatever size we want, add a catwalk, or whatever. We can modify the venue to suit the client's specific requirements," says Plourde. "Last week, Cox Cable did a Shark Tank-type TV show at [AV] Irvine. They had access to a 30' LED wall, 180 moving head lights, and the line array system, which made their show look and sound very professional and cutting edge," he says. "The next night was an International Interior Design Association event, then we had a high school prom and then a wedding -- four events, back-to-back, which were all successful, that were all completely different." For more information about [AV] Irvine, visit the URL below. 
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