Although the Opening of the ‘Australian National Museum’ in Canberra took place on March 2001, ESS (Edwin Shirley Staging) came across these photos in their archives and have kindly allowed us to display them on our site.
JPS’s JBL VerTec System made its outdoor debut in Australia for the Event which featured Midnight Oil as the headlining act.
Revolutionary line source array technology has been used at outdoor events for the first time in Australia. The new V-DOSC system performed flawlessly to huge crowds at the recent Jazz in the Domain performance, the Olympics closing concert featuring Savage Garden, and at the Olympic Volunteers concert.
The V-DOSC system was supplied by Jands Production Services, the newly appointed network partner for V-DOSC rentals. Part owner and head of sound operations, Peter Ratcliffe, says he was amazed at its performance.
“We were stunned with the near-field response of the system over the entire 180 metre coverage area,” he says. “We were able to achieve a uniform coverage with stable imaging back to the performance area and a coherent full frequency response to crowds of up to 40,000.”
The system comprised 34 V-DOSC and six dV-DOSC elements with 20 SB218 subwoofers and four ARCS cabinets, all powered by Crown MA5000 amplifiers and flown 17 metres off the ground from two support towers
Manufactured by Paris-based L-Acoustics, V-DOSC is gaining rapid acceptance throughout the world due to its unique features and superior performance. The system represents an enormous improvement over conventional systems in terms of size, power, pattern control, near-field response and fast set-up time
Artists from Pavarotti to Van Halen, Supertramp, Rod Stewart and Metallica are currently touring with V-DOSC speaker systems while other uses include the most recent Grammys, Superbowl, Academy Awards, and the current London productions of Mamma Mia and The Witches of Eastwick.
Jands Production Services, Australia’s leading supplier of sound, lighting and rigging systems, joined forces with L-Acoustics earlier this year for all V-DOSC rentals in Australia and New Zealand.
The Australian sound equipment provider Jands Production Services has entered into an agreement with L-ACOUSTICS, the Paris–based loudspeaker manufacture, to purchase a complete V-DOSC system for use in it’s sound operation. In doing so, Jands becomes the network partner for all the V-DOSC rentals in Australia and New Zealand.
“For some time now we have been looking at what L-ACOUSTICS have achieved with their revolutionary Wavefront Sculpture Technologyâ„¢ (WST),” says Peter Ratcliffe, part owner of Jands and head of sound operations. “We were attracted to the compact size of the cabinets along with the V-DOSC system’s remarkable power, pattern control and near field response over distance. We wanted a system that would be suitable for Touring, Corporate, Theatre and Special Events. V-DOSC offers a quantifiable improvement in sound quality in all these applications”.
“The V-DOSC system is a complete solution including V-DOSC enclosures, SB218 subwoofers, dV-DOSC enclosures, ARCS enclosures, power amplifier racks, filter and EQ racks, rigging hardware and all necessary cables. In addition to it’s excellent sound quality the system typically occupies about half the truck space of a comparable sound system”.
“L-ACOUSTICS is very pleased to have Jands as a Network Partner,” says Dr Christian Heil, founder of L-ACOUSTICS. “They are a very professional company who have committed considerable resources to bring the V-DOSC technology to Australia and New Zealand and to have their staff trained in its operation. This training will ensure optimal use of the system in all conditions”.
The V-DOSC system is in increasing demand, mostly for Touring applications where its compact size and quick setup time result in significant cost savings. Promoters are also enthusiastic about V-DOSC due to its smaller size offering an unimpaired view of the stage from all sides without obscuring staging and lighting designs.
Theatrical sound designers are also embracing the benefits that the compact V-DOSC and dV-DOSC cabinets can offer. For example, the current West End Theatre production of Mamma Mia in London, England – also opening soon in Toronto, Canada – and the Witches of Eastwick – shortly opening in the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London – are both perfect examples of the successful application of Wavefront Sculpture Technology in the Theatrical domain.
L-ACOUSTICS manufactures a complete and comprehensive range of loudspeakers, each designed for multiple applications. The range comprises of three cabinets that incorporate Waterfront Sculpture Technology (WST), the well-known V-DOSC, the dV-DOSC (the V-DOSC’s little brother) and the ARCS. There is also the MTD108, and the multi-purpose MTD112 and MTD115, both with coaxial transducers. The dedicated 115FM floor monitor is fast becoming an industry standard specification and the SB115, MTD118 and SB218 sub bass cabinets complete the range.
The L-ACOUSTIC range of products offers both Designers and Engineers many exiting ways of providing Turnkey system solutions to any kind of audio application.
Jands Production Services in Australia is the leading supplier of sound equipment for rental. Founded in 1970, the company specializes in Touring, Theatre, Corporate and Special Event production.
Crowded House’s Farewell to the World concert was held on the outside footsteps of the Sydney Opera House on the night of the 24 November 1996, The concert was originally scheduled for the night before but was delayed by rain. Despite the change of date the concert attracted a crowd of more than 100,000 people, […]
Conservative protestant evangelist, Billy Graham, was in Sydney in April 1979 to present one of his crusades. These were big outdoor shows, attended by tens of thousands of people. Jands provided sound, lighting and the outdoor roof for the event. Date 20/5/1979 Randwick racecourse
The Living in the U.S.A. Tour included concerts played in the U.S. as well as Australia and Japan. Jands Concert Productions supplied the sound, lighting and stage roof for the Australian leg of the tour. Dates: 16 February 1979 Sydney Showground 24 February 1979 Melbourne Cricket Grounds Band: Linda Ronstadt – Vocals Waddy Wachtel – […]
During the 1970s, radio station 2SM staged a series of free concerts in Sydney. The February 1979 concert turned out to be its last at Victoria Park and featured Dragon, The Angels, Split Enz, Kevin Borich and Sports. Sydney City Council subsequently banned outdoor shows there following complaints about crowd behaviour and damage to the […]
The “Blondes ‘Ave More Fun Tour” was Rod Stewart’s second trip to Australia. For the outdoor shows the sound system was stacked on three levels and was powered by Jands J600S amplifiers. As in 1977, Patrick Woodroffe designed and operated the lighting which included PAR 64s, Altman Beamlights and Lekos along with a quantity of […]
This was 31 year-old David Bowie’s first tour of Australia. He brought along a Showco crew, FOH consoles and a custom built fluorescent light wall and ceiling structure. Unusually no coloured lighting was used. Instead the show relied on the different colour temperatures of incandescent, tungsten, fluorescent and other light sources to create contrast. […]
When Bette Midler and her entourage visited Australia, at the end of her 1978 world tour, she sold out 34 shows. Her infamous “trash with flash” act consisted of a sting of hits and jokes including her Delores Delago character – a beached mermaid, who zoomed on and off stage in a motorized wheelchair. Jands […]
