Sunburn Rocks with Full Spectrum Sound
STONEWATER delivers true frequency response from 20 Hz to 20Khz
One of Asia’s largest music festivals, OPPO Sunburn in association with Percept Live and Klassique Events Goa returned to its birthplace Goa, this December after a hiatus of 3 years. The festival which made a grand homecoming for its 13th edition at Vagator for a three-day showcase from 27th to 29th of December 2019, yet again delivered over-the-top, out-of-this-world production, which witnessed probably one of Sunburn’s biggest turnouts ever! The festival saw many great performances from some of the biggest international and Indian DJs like DJ Snake, Joans Blues, Chain Smokers, Flume, Martin Garrix, Shaan, Sartek, BEMET, Julia Bliss, Basshunk, and Basspatch, 5-time DJ Award winner Chilean-Swiss DJ Luciano, to name just a few, across 5stages at the festival- Main Stage, Second Stage, Solaris Sin City, Solaris Vivrant and Psychedelic Circus.
Upping the ante at the Psychedelic stage in terms of sound reinforcement was Pune based STONEWATER Audio Labs with the debut of their Full Spectrum (FSS) Sound System.
The Psychedelic stage was home to a very unique experience for audio and music professionals /enthusiasts.For the first time ever, in India, one could experience the entire spectrum of the human auditory potential, from 20Hz to 20 KHz, at a major mainstream outdoor event. This was made possible by the recently launched; Point Source based “Full Spectrum Sound” System (FSS) by Stonewater Audio Labs. One of India’s leading rental companies – NJSM, deployed the system.
“We at NJSM have been associated with Sunburn for over 3 years now and we constantly strive to deliver something new and in tune with the Music that’s been played whereby delivering an experience that the listeners want. After studying a lot, we found that Stonewater Audio Labs was the best bet,” said Sanchet Suvarna from NJSM.
Even among some of the best touring systems available currently, rarely do you find any meaningful frequency response below 30 Hz or above 15 Khz There is a lot of vital music content in modern music recordings, which are in the missing frequencies, especially on the low-frequency end. The very low frequency content has a deep and in-expressible emotional impact on the listener, if and when reproduced accurately. This was the core idea behind the development of our Full Spectrum Sound System,” says Vikram Shetty, Director at Stonewater Audio Labs.
System Configuration:
Mid-High: 8 nos of Stonewater P800 long throw, point source loudspeakers
Kick Subwoofers: 12 nos of Stonewater PXB218 Hybrid Horn-Reflex subwoofers
INFRA-SUBWOOFER: 6 nos Stonewater IFR3000 INFRA
Subwoofer arrangement: Two Teir End-Fire Array
Mid-High arrangement: One cluster of 4 nos P800 Per side
Amplifiers: 8 nos of Stonewater B4i, 4 channel amplifiers (3000W x 4 @ 4 ohms).
DSP: Stonewater DC48, 4In-8Out digital speaker management system.
System Configuration:
NJSM, opted to fly a cluster of 4 Stonewater P800 long throw, point source loudspeakers on each side of the stage. The dedicated Stonewater Flyware ensures precise angles between the individual speakers, which allow them to acoustically integrate with each other in a seamless manner.
To achieve an optimum balance of Definition, bandwidth and pattern control, 12 Stonewater PXB218 Hybrid Horn-Reflex subwoofers and 6 Stonewater IFR3000 INFRA subwoofers were deployed in a Two Tier End-Fire Array arrangement.
The Stonewater DC48, 4In-8Out digital speaker management system managed processing with a class leading dynamic range of 117 Db and advanced features like “predictive limiting” for rock solid speaker protection even under extreme conditions. Robust and cutting-edge loudspeaker amplification was provided by 8 Stonewater B4i, 4 channel amplifiers (3000W x 4 @ 4 ohms). It is a high density amplifier with 4 independent power supply sections in each amplifier.
The Stonewater “Full Spectrum Sound” system appears to have created a new niche in high-end professional audio, by virtue of being a touring system that has a true frequency response from 20 Hz to 20Khz.This effectively means, the system can reproduce, practically anything that you are capable of hearing. The system is a 5-Way configuration that employs a 2-tier subwoofer system comprising of the PXB218 Kick Subwoofer and the IFR3000 INFRA-SUBWOOFER. The remaining frequencies are produced using two clusters of the Long Throw, 3-Way, High SPL point source Loudspeaker - the P800. Each P800 is capable of producing a staggering maximum SPL of 143 dB, with a frequency response from 85 Hz to 20 KHz.
“A point source system that can have the integrity of a strong technical support team and highly engineered products, backed by the know-how of Vikram Shetty, was the key reason for having chosen this system,” says Sachit Subramanian from NJSM.
Rental Company, Khade Pro Sound from Sankeshwar in Karnataka, who also own a large tour audio inventory from Stonewater Audio Labs, provided local crew to ensure smooth functioning on stage. Ably supporting the entire team were the directors of Stonewater, Vikram Shetty and Mohit Palesha.
Advantages over Line Array Systems:
“Apart from the incredibly wide frequency response of the FSS system, the point source principle brings in some significant advantages over traditional line arrays. High frequency response at longer distances is much better due to reduced number of points of origin. The overall system has a much better impulse response and vastly reduced time smearing. This results in high definition sound with superb dynamics and also a much lower propensity for feedback,” said Vikram Shetty.
Testimonials from Visiting DJs:
Needless to stay, artists performing at the psychedelic stage were elated with the experience
Crew Members:
From NJSM: Sanchet Suvarna, Sachit Subramanian
From Khade Sound: Santhosh Khade, Satish Khade
From Stonewater Audio Labs: Vikram Shetty, Mohit Palesha
Vinay Menon, Stage Producer for the Psychedelic Stage said, “The psychedelic stage is my baby and I produce it all the time. This sound is amazing. I have never heard anything like this. All the artists have really enjoyed it and I have enjoyed it.”
“Today is the first time I have played on Stonewater and the experience was overwhelming. So huge, so crisp, so clear ...muaaah!!! ” said DJ Illumination from “Xerox and Illumination” from Israel
“This is a really nice system. I travelled the world and I have listened to many sound systems. But this system is different. It is just awesome. Really good,” echoed Chaban, guitarist of popular Ukrainian band “Shanti People”.
Indian DJs Designer Hippies and DJ DiscoBar who performed at the psychedelic stage also reinforced what their international counterparts had expressed.
“The sound was epic! Stonewater it just blew my mind! I would love to have this at every festival that I perform in. It left everybody on the dance floor speechless” says Designer Hippies, while DJ Disco Bar goes on to add “It is one of the best sound systems I have ever played on. Really amazing.”
“In addition to our touring systems, we have also deployed our newly developed audio technologies at select high-end night clubs/bars in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, and Delhi. They have created deeply moving, emotional experiences for DJs, musicians and club-goers alike,” concludes Vikram Shetty.