{"id":466981,"date":"2024-10-18T11:24:22","date_gmt":"2024-10-18T09:24:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.l-acoustics.com\/?post_type=press-release&p=466981"},"modified":"2025-05-07T11:55:06","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T09:55:06","slug":"l-acoustics-k-series-concert-sound-system-brings-ray-of-light-to-pearl-jams-dark-matter-world-tour","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/www.l-acoustics.com\/fr\/press-releases\/l-acoustics-k-series-concert-sound-system-brings-ray-of-light-to-pearl-jams-dark-matter-world-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"L-Acoustics K Series Concert Sound System Brings Ray of Light to Pearl Jam\u2019s\u00a0Dark Matter\u00a0World Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The band\u2019s recent North American trek, with continuing tour support from RAT Sound, featured a unique deployment of K3 as stage monitors for frontman Eddie Vedder<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

SEATTLE, Washington \u2013 October 2024 \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0Pearl Jam is an absolutely unstoppable rock and roll juggernaut. More than three decades after releasing its grunge-defining debut album, Ten, the band continues to dazzle fan-packed stadiums with two-and-a-half-hour shows boasting completely different setlists night after night. North American tour sound provider RAT Sound Systems has steadily supplied Pearl Jam with L-Acoustics loudspeaker concert sound system for the past two decades\u2014most notably a K1 rig since 2010. The group\u2019s latest tour, supporting this year\u2019s\u00a0Dark Matter<\/em>\u00a0album release, found the band benefiting from a new deployment of K3 enclosures used onstage as monitors for singer Eddie Vedder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karrie Keyes, Pearl Jam\u2019s monitor engineer since 1992, didn\u2019t take the choice to use a line array loudspeaker as a foldback system lightly. \u201cI spent several weeks collaborating with respected engineers and concert sound system design professionals to explore options for reducing onstage volume levels,\u201d she recalls. \u201cIn the past, the band has consistently experienced stage SPLs of 115 to 120 dB. So when Ed decided to design a stage with monitor wedges underneath, it opened up new possibilities and we revisited the drawing board.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Pearl
Pearl Jam out on its Dark Matter<\/em> World Tour (pc: Geoff Whitman)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"RAT
RAT Sound Systems provided sound reinforcement for both North American legs of the band\u2019s Dark Matter<\/em> World Tour this year (pc: Geoff Whitman)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In a conversation with RAT Sound owner Dave Rat, Keyes discussed various options and eventually asked, \u201cWhy don\u2019t I just put a PA under him?\u201d Dave agreed, and the design process began. The original concept was a single line array running directly down the center of the stage, from downstage to upstage. However, after a few more Zoom meetings with the band, Keyes realized that Vedder wouldn\u2019t want to stand on steel grating for the entire show. \u201cWe then repositioned the speakers to the sides of him, similar to his previous wedge setup,\u201d she explains. \u201cThis was a better solution both for audio quality and for onstage comfort.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final monitoring design included four K3 enclosures on each side of the lead singer, running from downstage to upstage. This setup was complemented by two X15 HiQ wedges on the downstage edge for his guitar and instrument mix, with four K2 flown on each side as side-fills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
L-Acoustics K3 enclosures, used for stage monitoring, are hidden under the steel grating to the left and right of singer Eddie Vedder (pc: Geoff Whitman)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"K2
K2 side-fills are seen below the K1\/K2 mains (pc: Geoff Whitman)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Initially, there was skepticism at this approach. \u201cWe won\u2019t know how well it works until we test it,\u201d was Keyes\u2019 response. And the test results were outstanding. \u201cThe sound was clearer, and better still, the phase issues we experience by having three wedge vocal mixes firing at each other were resolved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dave Rat agrees that the approach was a success. \u201cUsing a line array offers a coherent sound source with controllable dispersion, whereas using independent wedges introduces a multitude of interference patterns from the various sources,\u201d he describes. \u201cPutting the line array under the stage allows a high quality, coherent sound source and reduces feedback instabilities as the artist moves around. Housing the monitoring under the deck made using a line source feasible, and rather than compromising the sound, the coherent sound sources under the stage gave us improved coverage consistency.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Pearl
Pearl Jam\u2019s stage crew (left to right): Sara Holt (stage tech), Tommy Caraisco (band\/crew monitor engineer), Brett Heet (monitor tech), and Karrie Keyes (monitor engineer for singer Eddie Vedder and drummer Matt Cameron)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pearl
Pearl Jam\u2019s house sound team (left to right): Greg Nelson (FOH engineer) and Andrew Gilchrest (system engineer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Like Keyes, Greg Nelson has been with the band for many years, serving as Pearl Jam\u2019s FOH engineer since 2004. For him, L-Acoustics K Series PA has been a dependable constant, with only minor tweaks made from tour to tour. \u201cOn our second North American sweep this year we again used 14 K1<\/a> over six K2<\/a> per side for the mains, plus 12 K1 over four K2 for the out-fills,\u201d he shares, adding that both the left and right sides also featured eight flown KS28 subs<\/a>, in cardioid hangs, bolstered by four more KS28 on the ground. \u201cFor the upstage side hang, or 270-degree hang, I\u2019ve switched from 14 K2 to 16 K3<\/a>. We are using front projection on this tour and the K2 hang was a bit long for optimum sightlines. The K3 have a much smaller footprint and pack nearly the same punch as K2, which is fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is something to this PA that really complements how I mix,\u201d he concludes. \u201cI can get Ed\u2019s vocal upfront with this amazing mid presence that I can\u2019t seem to get with other rigs. And I just love the way the K1 can throw to the back of these huge stadiums. We can\u2019t use normal delay towers in Fenway and Wrigley, and K1 concert sound system sounds excellent all the way to the top every time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Pearl
Pearl Jam\u2019s system deployment at NYC\u2019s Madison Square Garden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pearl
Pearl Jam\u2019s system deployment at Chicago\u2019s Wrigley Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With a Britannia Row Productions-supported summer European tour sandwiched by two RAT Sound-reinforced North American tour legs now behind them, Pearl Jam soon heads down to New Zealand and Australia for the remaining dates of its Dark Matter<\/em> World Tour. For more details on the band and its upcoming shows, visit ww<\/a>w.pearljam.com<\/a>. RAT Sound Systems can be found online at w<\/a>ww.ratsound.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Press release assets are found by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The band\u2019s recent North American trek, with continuing tour support from RAT Sound, featured a unique deployment of K3 as stage monitors for frontman Eddie Vedder SEATTLE, Washington \u2013 October 2024 \u2013\u00a0Pearl Jam is an absolutely unstoppable rock and roll juggernaut. More than three decades after releasing its grunge-defining debut album, Ten, the band continues […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":466983,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"news_tags":"","tags_api":"","footnotes":""},"news-tag":[],"class_list":["post-466981","press-release","type-press-release","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nK Series Concert Sound System for Pearl Jam\u2019s\u00a0World Tour - L-Acoustics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The band\u2019s recent North American trek, with continuing tour support from RAT Sound, featured a unique deployment of K3 concert sound system\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.l-acoustics.com\/fr\/press-releases\/l-acoustics-k-series-concert-sound-system-brings-ray-of-light-to-pearl-jams-dark-matter-world-tour\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"K Series Concert Sound System for Pearl Jam\u2019s\u00a0World Tour - 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