Press Release

Lighter, Stronger, and Smarter: L-Acoustics K Series Makes the Cut for the André Rieu World Tour   Lighter, Stronger, and Smarter: L-Acoustics K Series Makes the Cut for the André...

LONDON, United Kingdom, April 2024 – Award-winning Dutch violinist André Rieu has been treating audiences worldwide to his distinct brand of classical music for a quarter of a century. He has been ubiquitous on the live sound circuit as one of the most celebrated and commercially successful violinists today, averaging around 100 concerts annually. Often performing to sellout crowds in arenas of up to 16,000, a sound reinforcement system capable of conveying his works in all their complexity and intricacy is crucial. Throughout his career, L-Acoustics Certified Partner Solotech has been an invaluable audio partner for Rieu and his orchestra. This year, Solotech provided the artist with an L-Acoustics K Series concert sound system for the first time.

Solotech have supported Andre Rieu for years and this tour provided an L-Acoustics K Series concert sound system for the first time, weighing half of what the previous system weighed.

Lighter

“The K Series weighs half of what our previous system weighed, it’s available worldwide, and L-Acoustics Soundvision software, with its wide venue database, is a real time-saver when I get into my advance and designs tasks,’’ explains Alexandre Dugas, Audio Crew Chief at Solotech.

Dugas notes that the rigging department was behind the wish for a lighter professional sound system. “They wanted to get rid of those monster two-ton motors and some of the mandatory ‘safety steels’ in venues with stricter rigging standards. We now use three 1T with a delta plate, making the rigger’s life a lot easier, which is good for us, too.

An L-Acoustics professional sound system capable of conveying Rieu’s orchestra in all their complexity and intricacy to large venues of up to 16,000 capacity was crucial (Credit: Ant Longstaff/Shutterstock/SIPA)

Stronger

“The K2 is such a versatile speaker,” Dugas continues “Using Panflex, we can configure a main and side PA using the same enclosures, which gives me great flexibility. As a classical orchestra, we don’t need extensive low-end, and the full-range K2 saves us from hanging subs and frees up floor space. It also properly covers the last seats in those long venues. We used to need delay hangs, but with the long-throw capability of K2, we can cover those seats with just the main PA, which is a great logistical advantage on a tight one-nighter schedule.

Solotech deployed a main left/right system of 16 K2 per side, with side-fill of 12 K2 per side. Eleven Kiva II provide front-fills, four X12 are used for out-fills, and two KS28 subs are ground-stacked per side for low-end extension. Onstage, musicians hear themselves through 14 X8 and four X12 monitors. The entire system is driven by LA12X amplified controllers via Milan-AVB.

Smarter

Dugas and his team designed the system using L-Acoustics Soundvision 3D modelling software. “Soundvision allows me to be much more confident about the result I’ll get. So much time is saved, and the results are always as predicted.”

Of course, the most important factor in choosing the K Series is the sound: “We definitely get the most natural, transparent, warm, evenly distributed, and in-your-face sound of any sound system available today… period!” concludes Dugas.

Solotech deployed a main left/right system of 16 L-Acoustics K2 per side, with side-fill of 12 K2 per side for Andre Rieu’s tour

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