5/22/2013 UK — TURBOSOUND’s FLASHLINE speaker system has delivered seamless, clear, and dynamic sound for Emeli Sandé’s Hammersmith Apollo show at the conclusion of her warmly received seven-date UK tour.

The powerful and authoritative FLASHLINE line array system — designed to deliver hi-fi sound to large audiences using paper cone midrange transducers to deliver beautiful vocal frequencies — was specified by Sandé’s live sound engineer Darren Connor, and supplied by Mansfield-based Entertainment Sound Specialists (ESS) via Britannia Row Productions.

Connor deployed a configuration of 11 FLASHLINE TFS-900H flown per side, six FLASHLINE TFS-900B subwoofers per side on the floor, two Aspect TA-890H infills, and two TQ-308 passive two-way front fills for the show.

“This is a system that has been really well thought out, from the flying system right down to the amplifier features,” says Connor. “I was impressed with the contained rigging system where none of the pins or rigging parts protrude. It looks clean and is totally straightforward to fly.

“As soon as I turned on the PA, the two distinct parts of the frequency spectrum that I was immediately impressed with were the high frequencies and the sub frequencies. The fidelity and definition, whilst maintaining a smooth sound in the higher spectrum, were stunning. This allowed me to create a full range, open, and ‘airy’ mix without it being harsh and offensive to the ear. It also allowed me to be a little more generous with the sibilance on Emeli’s vocal to bring her voice out of the mix a little more.

“I was also impressed with the tightness of the subs. They proved to be extremely efficient, and what seemed the best level at first was actually reduced by 5dB by the time I had finished ringing out the system.”

Connor and the system techs, Adam Smith (Britannia Row Productions) and Martin Wharton and Paul Danson (ESS), used a combination of SMAART and TURBOSOUND’s TurboDrive software to configure the FLASHLINE rig, which “made setup and zoning of the system easy”, he says.

For the earlier dates of Sandé’s UK tour, Connor specified TURBOSOUND’s Flex Array speaker system, which combines elements of line array theory with proven virtual point source technology. The medium scale line array system provided the flexibility to adapt to widely differing venues and audiences, ranging from London’s Royal Albert Hall, the Brighton Dome, and Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, to the famous Armadillo Theatre at the SECC Glasgow in November 2012. Connor deployed a system mostly comprising eight TFA-600H 75° dispersion boxes — with three 100° dispersion TFA-600HW at the bottom of the hang — over six TSW-218 subs per side, two TQ-440 three-way in-fills / balcony fills per side and two TQ-308 front fills.

“I’m a big fan of the Flex Array flying system as it really does fly quickly. We were able to get great coverage in some awkward theatres by splitting the system — flying some boxes and ground stacking the rest for under the balcony lips.” says Connor. “The Flex Array system is perfect for touring, and I will also be seriously considering FLASHLINE for all of the larger venues that I do with Emeli from this point on. I can’t wait to hear it outdoors at a festival and also in arenas, as I expect it to be equally impressed.”