Coastal Audio

29/07/2024

Coastal Audio supplied production to the inaugural Reggae Revival Festival at YOT Deck on Sat 27th July. Production comprised 2 x HK audio CTA-118 Contour Array subs and 2 x CTA-208 Contour Array elements per side. A long day with five world class acts, Doughboy Groove, Satisvibes, Jay Thomas, Bradamon Band and Roaring Lion. A great night and all bands were recorded to Reaper via the Madi/USB combo card in the Soundcraft Si Compact console.

08/07/2024

I was engaged by Brendan Watterson of VAST-AV to freelance as audio engineer for the 2024 Dementia Conference at the JW Marriott Hotel in the Gold Coast. the PA consisted of four (4) JBL EON612 powered 12′ speakers, 4 Shure ULX-D hand held microphones for Q+M, an EV Polar Choice lectern Microphone a Yamaha TF1 console, and a Yamaha 1608 TIO Dante stage box. The conference was streamed live with VAST-AV supplying cameras and video switch.

The organisers were extremely happy with the technical delivery of VAST-AV and I’m always very happy to be included in their elite team.

www.vast-av.com

01/07/2024

A busy week last week with two shows for Vast-AV at St John’s Cathedral mixing two Candlelight shows; the first with Paradiso Strings and their renditions of Tracy Chapman and The Beatles and the second with Chromatica Collective and their wonderful classical arrangements. Then it was off to Mullumbimby Civic Centre on Sunday for the Finding Freedom Concert for Refugees.

be sure to check out the PA packages at www.coastalaudio.com.au/pa-hire

23/06/2024

Reggae band Satisvibes are regular performers at the Hotel Brunswick in Brunswick heads and we decided to put the full HK Audio ConTour line array through its paces, along with my new Soundcraft Si Compact 16 and 32R digital stage box. The system sounded absolutely amazing, but I had to keep the master on the console at -15db because it was simply too much PA for a small space with only 100 people who braved the cold, and remained there all night! Every time I use the full system I’m astonished by its power and clarity and even at 14 years old, its easily as good as any of the L’Acoustics, NEXO or D+B offerings of the same vintage. it truly is a high-end system and its like mixing on a very large pair of studio monitors. The Studer preamps in the Soundcraft 32R digital stage box sound both transparent and full, and the lexicon suite of effects in the Si Compact take me back to the days when PCMs were a staple in touring effects racks.

Working with this band and system reminded me of just how much i love what I do, and i had numerous people approach me and comment on how amazing the band sounded! Audio is generally a thankless job and its comments like that from audience members that make it all worth while.

This system will service up to 1500 people and is only $1200-$1500 making it more than affordable for small festivals. Please feel free to contact Andy on 0424 656 973, or view http://www.coastalaudio.com.au/pa-hire for more details.

17/06/2024

Disco cover band Glitterati Riot engaged me to provided production with my C Rig for a wedding at a private house in Mudgereeba on the Gold Coast for about 50 guests. This PA is the perfect size for functions of up to 120 people and performed extremely well. The guests loved the band; many were involved with ABC Classical and appeared impressed with the quality of production.

Two LD Systems ICOA12A coaxial 12" powered speakers and a double 12" LD Systems Maui 44SE bandpass sub were used for front of house, with an additional pair of ICOA12A as monitor wedges. I threw in a pair of Shure SLX-D radio mics with SM58 capsules as a gesture to the bride and groom, and to make for a better performance for the band.

This PA is currently on special until September 30th for $400.00, delivered set up and operated for corporate cover bands and RSL acts - normally $500.00!

02/06/2024

All ready to go for the Dementia Conference with Vast-AV at the GC Marriott to kick off tomorrow...

27/05/2024

Sydney Disability Connection Expo 2024

Coastal Audio is proud to be the official audio supplier for the Sydney Disability Connection Expo 2024 at the Sydney International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Audio supplied consisted of 4 x LD Systems ICOA12A powered 12″ speakers and an LD Systems Maui 44SE subwoofer. A full schedule with up to 15 acts in a five hour period with no changeover time. All of the performers have a disability, from psycho social to physical, and they appeared to enjoy their 15 minutes of fame immensely!

A worthy cause for which I was proud to supply production!

www.dacexpo.com.au

27/05/2024

DAC Expo – BCEC

Coastal Audio provided production for the main stage for the 2024 Brisbane Disability Expo at the Convention and Exhibition Centre.

This was a tough gig because i was also suffering from a kidney stone that was exacerbated by rigging in 42 degree heat and 87% humidity.

The show must go on! I also built the DAC website – 527 pages over a 5 week period through my multimedia business http://www.studioprojects.com.au!

http://www.developingauscommunities.com.au

27/05/2024

Holloway – Mullumbimby Civic Centre

Holloway performed his unusual blend of world music, chill and meditation music at the Mullumbimby Civic Centre during a tea ceremony. Production was supplied by the promoter and consisted of 4 x EV Evolve 50 column speakers, two of which were delayed. Holloway uses a Ableton Live and a variety of loops, drones and sequences to create and interesting and layered textural sound. He suffered some difficulties with latency from using plugins on his guitar path, I changed the buffer on Ableton for him to alleviate it somewhat, but there was still about 60ms of latency, which caused him issues.

The rule of thumb, even when using a processor as capable as the Apple M1, is to keep signal path as clear of extraneous processing as possible.

https://www.bennyholloway.com/

27/05/2024

US Band Yaima – Mullumbimby Civic Centre

Coastal Audio was engaged by the promoter for the US EDM act “Yaima” at the Mullumbimby Civic Centre. the challenge was to create a distributed system from 6 x EV Evolve 50, 2 x EV EKX 15″ speakers and 2 x EV ETX 18″ subs. I zoned the two areas of the room to maintain the stereo image and used a pair of Evolve 50’s on the stage with short spacers and the two 18″ subs on the floor. the EKX 15″ speakers were used on stands in the kitchen area.

All speakers were delayed and the result, despite the lack of adequate midrange from the 3.5″ speakers in the Evolve 50’s, was extremely good. I set up the fast fold screen and projection as well – a very busy day!

I’ll be doing a lot more work at the Mullumbimby Civic Centre in the near future.

https://www.yaimamusic.com/

27/05/2024

KISS Tribute – Grand Hotel Labrador

Coastal Audio was engaged by the excellent KISS tribute KISSperience to provide console, mics, IEM and lighting at the extremely difficult Grand Hotel in Labrador.

A great result was achieved, despite the noise restrictions, lack of parking and access problems with the band playing to a full house.

This one tested me, but I was really happy with the result – as was the band and venue. A pity that I lost most of my revenue from the night to the Gold Coast Council for parking my car and trailer in a trailer only area – go figure! Never again.

https://www.kissperience.com/

26/05/2024

Angel Strings – Linville Progress Association

Brendan from Vast-AV engaged me to provide production for a wonderful night of Classical music in rural Queensland for the Linville Progress Association with Oliver Samson on vocals.

The night was hosted outdoors in a tranquil bush setting and I cross hired some additional Beamz Pro BBA65 IP65 battery powered up-lights to light various trees and sculptures to provide additional atmosphere. The band opted for a tradition monitor setup in a semi-circle around an LD Systems ICOA12A and Olli used stereo IEMs.

All in all a wonderful night of culture with A-List musicians.

www.angelstrings.com.au

26/05/2024

Shakespeare in the Park – The Tempest

Brendan Watterson from the wonderful Vast-AV reached out to me to see whether I would be interested in doing FOH for the annual Shakespeare in the Park at the Roma Street Amphitheatre, and I was very quick to respond in the affirmative.

Equipment was an HK Audio Contour line array and Roland M5000C console, which I am really starting to fall in love with (and eventually bought!). We loaded in on the Friday and and rigged, then immediately started rehearsals. the rain was always in the background and we had to tarp everything up for one rather large downpour.

Show days were Saturday and Sunday, with Saturday featuring a demonstration of medieval swordsmanship by Prima Spada and an introductory talk by Emeritus Professor of Linguistics Roly Sussex. Sunday night was introduced by the Governor of Queensland Jeannette Young and I’m told that she enjoyed the play immensely.

www.vast-av.com

01/05/2024

I'm excited to announce that I've acquired an HK Audio ConTour line array that I'm making available for a limited time for $600.00 (usually $800.00), set up delivered and operated. This is an extremely high end system that punches well above its weight and in its "single" configuration (one sub and two array elements per side) can service up to 500 people. I can put out a "double" with two subs and two mid elements per side for $1000.00 (usually $1200.00) that will service 1000-1500 people - perfect for small festivals.

Monitors are four LS Systems ICOA12A powered speakers, with a double 12" Maui 44SE bandpass sub under one for a drum fill. I also have fours sends of IEMs available.

Lighting is Beamz Pro BAC-300 LED pars, with a pair of Beamz Panther 25 spots and a derby available upon request. Please refer to my website www,coastalaudio.com.au for more details.

11/09/2023

DOUBLE 12″ BANDPASS SUB

The Maui 28 G3 system puts out a surprising amount of bottom end for a column system with a single 12″ sub, but I like the kick drum to be felt, so I decided to invest in a Maui 44SE double 12″ bandpass sub with 800W RMS (1600W Peak) of Class D power driving it.

This gives the system the equivalent of 2 x 1″ horns, a 12″ and 2 x 15″ drivers for midrange and a 24″ sub per side, more than enough to provide adequate production for corporate and wedding bands and get people on the dance floor hopping! This will also provide excellent coverage for RSLs and small pubs of 200 people as effectively, if not more, than a horn loaded system (e.g. a 12″ or 15″ and horn midrange cabinet and 18″sub per side) with far better horizontal dispersion of 120 degrees and better localisation on the dance floor. This allows people at tables to engage in a conversation without shouting at one another – very important at weddings and corporate events!

Don’t forget about our introductory special ending on 30th September of $500.00 for the system set up, delivered and operated! Normally $600.00 minimum including lights.

04/09/2023

WHY IN-EAR MONITORS?

A lot of people have asked why I have no floor monitors, and exclusively use in-ear monitors (IEMs). The reasons are both numerous and practical.

When I designed my corporate/wedding system, I looked at the hundreds of shows that I’ve done over the years in function centres and RSL lounges and the difficulties of taking in a full production – six monitors in road cases, front of house speakers in cases with subs in canvas covers, not to mention amp racks and a console, a cable packer, mic stands case and lighting. All brough in by one guy and filling a Toyota Hiace van almost to the roof! Not only was it a massive effort to load in and rig, often through hotel kitchens or with difficult access, the road cases had to be stored in a separate room; or if one wasn’t available, taken back down to the van in the lift! Hardly efficient!

The solution was a system that will fit in a small trailer, is still 2,860W RMS (5,720W peak), and has an extremely small footprint – perfect for the often confined stages and spaces in which RSL, wedding and corporate function bands are required to play.

Then we move to the actual dilemma of keeping the stage volume at an acceptable level, which can be difficult with 5,000 Watts of monitors and 10,000 Watts of Front of House. Basic physics comes into play here and the old adage of “amplitude is no substitute for definition” comes to the fore. With an in-ear monitor rig, it is far easier to keep the stage volume to acceptable levels while giving musicians a far superior experience. This is taken to the next level when the IEMs are run in stereo with multi-driver ear buds provided that deliver superior bass response. The stereo imaging creates a sense of ambience and gives the musician the same level of enjoyment usually only limited to the studio!

With the advent of mid range UHF IEM systems like the Sennheiser XSW and LD Systems U505, the cost for four sends is actually comparative to six mid range powered speakers. Musicians can dispense with using amplifiers altogether, if they so wish, and use amp modellers – or amps can be turned down without having to compete with an exuberant drummer. This allows the front of house engineer to actually mix, rather than to perform damage control. A win win situation for both musicians and punters alike!

Some detractors have previously made noises (pun intended) that IEM systems can be a problem in a crowded RF environment, but I use a wonderful little box called an RF Explorer to perform a real time spectrum analysis to determine where where there is any channel crowding. Used in conjunction with Shure's Wireless Workbench software for my Shure SLX-D radio microphones, this gives a robust solution to what is a potentially disastrous scenario.

It's all in the preparation.

Don’t forget about our introductory special for the complete system with lights, setup and operated for only $500.00 (usually $600.00 – $800.00) – available until 30th September!

My apologies for turning off comments, but I'm not a social media person and I simply don't have time to engage in comments. Please feel free contact me through my website at www.coastalaudio.com.au

30/08/2023

Most small systems tend to neglect their light show and only put a few par cans behind the drummer, on either a chase or beat sense. When I designed my small system, I wanted to ensure that adequate attention was paid to the visuals, so I invested in two bars of four COB wash lights, four small Beamz MHL36 moving wash lights, two Beamz Panther 25 moving heads with gobos, a small Derby as an added effect and a Chauvet controller.

I spent a day programming in my garage, but unfortunately the photos don't do the light show justice.

Don't forget about our introductory special of the PA and lights, with me operating, for $500.00 - valid until 30th September. The system has been specifically designed for smaller venues of up to 300 people, weddings and RSLs.

26/08/2023