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HK User Cooperation to the Fore at Goodwood Festival
The Goodwood Festival of Speed, now an extremely popular, well-established annual motor sport event, is one of the world's biggest and most diverse celebrations of the history of motor sport and car culture.
Goodwood's informal atmosphere attracts some of the biggest names, present and past, from both car and motorcycle sport, often with demonstration runs in - or on - the vehicles which helped them become star names.
From 19th century steam carriages to current Formula One cars, from classic rally cars to 3000bhp dragsters, the Goodwood event also affords the opportunity to rub shoulders with some truly legendary motor sport names, such as Surtees, Moss and Andretti, appearing alongside today's 'hot property' drivers which this year included Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Norwegian rally ace, Petter Solberg. Indeed, alongside the traditional annual hill climb, around which the event at Goodwood was originally based and continues to run, there is also a 2.5 kilometre loose-surface rally stage in the woodland area near the hill climb track, where various iconic rally cars from past decades get put through their paces.
Naturally, over the show's three-day duration, it's important that the various announcements and interviews, not to mention on-stage performances by a variety of bands, can be clearly heard, requiring a complex and integrated approach to the show's pro audio requirements. To this end, HK Audio partners, Technical Services of Gosport called on neighbouring HK user MLS to provide a compact Line Array system for their client TMS, who supervise and coordinate all pro audio requirements at Goodwood.
Organised and co-ordinated by Technical Services, the main stage set-up at the Goodwood Festival which has been set with HK for the past six years, proved that HK systems enjoy excellent longevity for their owners and those performing through them. Despite having an HK ConTour Array available, Technical Services opted for a classic HK Linear Pro system featuring eight LP118 500w subs plus six LP112 300w mid-hi units to provide front of house sound. This deliberate choice of Linear Pro over a current line array was as a result of the requirement not to spill sound into the other show areas, or interfere with trackside PA, but still to provide full-range sound.
Main stage monitoring consisted of a selection of both VT and CT 115 600w multi-function cabs.
Again coordinated by Technical Services, the unusual Goodwood Jazz Tent layout featured an audience ‘in the round' with the performers under canvas. A series of HK Linear Pro 12" / 1" boxes were utilised to spread a full 360 degree coverage, offering full-range sound while maintaining a short coverage pattern. Monitors this time were both D.A.R.T 310w and F.A.S.T 200w active wedges which allowed the artists clear and concise foldback as highly-tuned engines roared just 100 yards away!
A collaborative solution proved the ideal answer to the amplification requirements of one of the Goodwood Festival's scheduled highlights - ace UK Formula One championship contender Lewis Hamilton, interviewed by radio and television presenter Chris Evans! Thus Portsmouth-based MLS (Media Location Services), effectively located just across the water from Technical Services in Gosport, were invited to provide an HK Audio Cohedra Compact (CoCo) line array for this important event. In an opposite requirement to other sound areas on the site, this time the system had to be loud enough to offer some 2000 eager fans the opportunity to hear the race ace answer questions from Radio 2's Evans, whilst being as discreet as possible in appearance. MLS therefore provided two flown towers, each hanging eight HK CD108s positioned either side of the main balcony of Goodwood House, each hang placed discreetly in front of greenery attached to the house. 2 x CDR210s per side were also provided in case of any additional music requirements. Amplification was provided by one LAB.gruppen FP10000 with an HK Digital Field Controller, driven off a Yamaha LS9 16 desk.
However, such is the nature of a live multi-site event that it will often move out of schedule, and so a flexible approach by production teams is a must, as system engineer Guy Morris from MLS explains; "We arrived for a 7am set-up for a scheduled afternoon feature, only to discover that Lewis would be appearing at 10.30am instead!"
And as we all know, an army marches on its stomach, so a mini-crisis immediately became apparent...
"That's right," continues Guy. "Julian Kemp had thoughtfully provided us with vouchers for bacon butties so an immediate dilemma had occurred! Happily, the towers and Cohedra system were up and sound checked by 9.15am - just as the TV crew announced that they preferred to use their own TV mic and wanted it fed to the PA. Fine, but the mic brand they had is notorious for feedback and not the best for live PA use," winces Guy before adding: "however, a quick sound check and EQ tweak and the line array delivered the goods faithfully... And yes, we even got our bacon butties! Happy day!"
In picture: Below: An excited crowd begins to assemble in advance of the Lewis Hamilton/Chris Evans interview on the Goodwood House balcony - note the incredibly discreet hang of HK Audio's Cohedra Compact, tucked in just to the right of the first section of ivy to the right of the balcony!
10th September 2008
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