Morris Light & Sound Uses New SL-Series for Two Main Stages at CMA Fest

	Ascend Firestone Stage d&b GSL system

Every year for 48 years, CMA Fest draws hundreds of thousands of country music fans and this year did not miss a beat. Held June 6 -- 9 in Nashville, fans and artists alike were in for a treat at the Riverfront Park Stage and Ascend Firestone Country Road Stage with two of the latest d&b audiotechnik systems deployed by Morris Light & Sound. Morris supplied five of the festival stages with d&b loudspeakers.

The d&b SL-Series siblings, KSL and GSL, made their mark at the festival, showcasing the talent of the many artists performing. From Eli Young Band, Maddie and Tae, and Michael Ray on the Chevy Riverfront Stage to the Ascend Firestone Country Roads Stage featuring Brett Young, Maren Morris, and Hunter Hayes; the CMA Festival, Morris, and d&b did not disappoint, the company says.

The broadband directivity control of GSL and the new KSL, and the cardioid technology of the SL-SUBs, allowed for the collaboration of both systems on two of the festival's main stages - Riverfront and Ascend. Morris Light & Sound utilized the d&b ArrayCalc and NoizCalc software suites to carefully plan each system configuration and ensure there would be no sound interference between them nor in the neighboring residential areas during the performances.

The d&b ArrayCalc simulation software is a tool for design, performance prediction, alignment, rigging, and safety of d&b systems. It can significantly reduce setup and tuning time in mobile or touring applications and allows for precise simulations when planning installations by accurately predicting how the d&b system will perform in a given audience area.

NoizCalc is simulation software for predicting noise emissions in the environment of one or more d&b sound systems. Combined with data from an ArrayCalc file, it calculates a map on the 3D terrain showing the noise levels from the stage, or stages, into the surrounding areas beyond the venue. The result is the ability to predict the noise emissions impacting neighboring areas and dial in the systems to create an optimal and reliable sonic experience delivered to just the right listeners.

"Riverfront always presents a unique set of challenges," states Chris Leonard, production manager and front of house engineer for Russell Dickerson. "You are walking up to backline gear that everyone shares and have a very short turn around period where you are not only setting your own gear up, but also trying to get the backline set and build mixes all in a 15 -- 20 minute set change. As the FOH engineer, we are pretty much flying blind into the first song, and basically have just enough time to grab some quick gain and a little EQ and then it's off to the first song. The first time I heard my lead vocal was at the start of my set. The d&b KSL and DiGiCo SD12 provided such an incredible platform to start with that I didn't need to spend much time at all chasing either. My entire mix came together so quickly; it was shocking. I also didn't have to even come close to getting into feedback on anything. With KSL being a fully cardioid system, it was a huge plus with this type of throw and go situation.

"With the given circumstances of set changes, one of the main concerns is making sure your artists are comfortable on stage and feel good with their IEM mixes," says Leonard. "Both the Morris stage crew and monitor engineer, Jeremy Bayne, were excellent to work with. My band and artist walked off stage after the set raving about how great their mixes were. The guys at Morris have this down to a science and excelled at the tight turnarounds. These festival experiences are usually what I dread all year, but I couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable experience!"

The Ascend Firestone Stage featured 28 x GSL loudspeakers, 12 x SL-SUBs, and six x Y10Ps. The Riverfront Stage configuration included 24 x KSL tops for mains, 24 x J-Series tops for out hang, 16 x J-SUBSs, six x SL-SUBs, and six x Y10P loudspeakers. The Closeup Stage in the Music City Center (MCC) included 16 x J-Series loudspeakers, eight x J-SUBs, and four x Y10Ps. The Disney Stage (in the MCC) was configured with 12 x d&b V-Series tops, eight x V-SUBs, and two x V10P loudspeakers. The Spotlight Stage (in the MCC) consisted of two x V10P loudspeakers and two x V-SUBs. All speakers for the five stages were powered from D80s with the Ascend and Riverfront stages also utilizing ArrayProcessing for even coverage across the listening planes.

David Haskell, president and director of business development at Morris Light & Sound states, "We were so happy to have partnered again with d&b on the deployment of such cutting-edge technology. It further gave us the ability to service our clients with great success, and for that we are very pleased!"