Sound Image Phoenix was recently tapped to provide a complete VUE Audiotechnik PA solution for the annual Gold Rush Music Festival last weekend.

The weekend-long dance music and hip-hop event took saw more than 50 artists, including Deadmau5 and Steve Aoki, perform across four stages in the wild-west style vibe of the Rawhide Western Town Events Complex in Chandler, Arizona.

The main PA consisted of left and right VUE al-12 line arrays comprised of 14 elements each. Four stacks of two medium format al-8 elements were positioned just in front of the stage atop the subs for front fill. Rack-mount VUEDrive V3 Series Systems Engines provided all power and processing for the arrays.

For the critical low frequency, a total of 28 VUE hs-221 ACM subwoofers were deployed in 14 stacks of two across the front of the main stage. Using the SystemVUE software, the subwoofer’s onboard VUEDrive electronics were programmed to delay output by a few milliseconds from the center subs outwards in a delayed arc configuration for maximum coverage. Mix duty was handled by a Venue Profile at FOH, and a DigiCo SD9 covering monitors.

“With this type of music, it’s all about the bass. There’s a lot of energy below 50Hz and it’s important to keep it tight and impactful across the entire outdoor dance area without falling apart six hours in,” said Sound Image production manager, Chris White. “High frequency is also really important- both in terms of volume and clarity. Delivering at these levels while keeping that energy going along with the bass well into the early morning hours is essential to pulling off an all-nighter EDM festival like this.

“Between the six-digit ambient temperatures and SPL requirements, these are brutal conditions for any PA,” White added. “The VUE system just kept going with no degradation in sound quality at all. Even after more than eight hours of continuous play at some pretty crazy volumes, the subs were hitting just as hard as they were in the first hour. In fact, I’m pretty sure I could have pulled even more out of them if I’d needed it. Amazing.”