Italian hip-hop duo duo Coez & Frah Quintale have used L-Acoustics L Series to create immersive experiences for their live shows via L-ISA spatial audio technology. The concerts are part of the pair’s national tour in support of their Lovebars album.
The recent show in Florence, Italy, saw audiences immersed in the pair’s music using a specially designed 5.1 immersive L-ISA audio system, which also featured for the first time, L-Acoustics’s L Series speaker technology.
Compact, lightweight, and using up to 60% less material to build, the L Series is designed to occupy 30% less space than similar products. The 5.1 Scene System was comprised of five hangs of two L2 over one L2D, with eight KS28 subwoofers in two hangs of eight flown behind the central L2/L2D hang. Twenty-four K2 were used as out-fills, while 14 Kara II on the stage lip provided spatial in-fill.
Six further KS28 were placed in two left/right ground stacks in front of the stage provided the extra punch necessary for a hip-hop audience. LA7.16 and LA12X amplified controllers drove the whole system.
“Aside from putting a bit of a flag on a new technology and being able to say that we did it first, we know now that our investment, rather than being on fireworks on the stage, is more about the quality of the sound and the music,” said Frah Quintale.
Coez & Frah Quintale have forged successful solo careers, blending poignant songwriting and hip-pop beats to create a distinct style. They saw the tour as an opportunity to offer an immersive experience for their fans enabled them to create an intimate environment in a larger venue than they were used to.
“I was a little afraid of the size of the arena, because other shows I’ve seen in my life, they could be a little cold,” Quintale noted. “This system allowed us to create the vibe and the atmosphere of a smaller venue, on a bigger level.”
Sound designer Valerio Motta, who worked with the artists to help them adopt both L-ISA and L Series, agreed. “The use of L-ISA was a huge upgrade in terms of spatialisation, focus, sound impact and sound definition,” he said. “Adding L Series was the icing on the cake. L2 is a huge advance in many ways: smaller footprint, easy to rig, and lighter weight which is crucial when you are using several hangs in an immersive configuration.”
“In many ways, L Series was developed with L-ISA in mind” explained Tom Laveuf, application engineer, L-Acoustics. “L Series was designed for rapid deployment and lower margins for error. It’s also unobtrusive, integrating discreetly into the set. Combine that with vast advancements in the quality of concert sound reinforcement, and these features make it more feasible for our industry to adopt L-ISA technology for live sound… which is the way of the future.”
He added: “Coez and Frah Quintale are hip-hop artists with a very reactive audience, and the most important aspects of the genre are the vocals, and the beat. It was obvious to me that the whole of the audience was unified in the experience, you could tell that every fan was hearing, and feeling, the same things.”
Coez & Frah took time out of their show to explain the technology to their fans every single night. “They themselves felt the difference and wanted their audience to understand it. I believe they also feel that it is the way of the future, and that this is simply a better way to experience live music,” concluded Motta.
