Les Arts Festival 2021 in Valencia

Sold Out and 105 dBA: The return of LES ARTS to the festival scene 

The return of the festival held in the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, Spain, is supported in style by the powerful sound of DAS Audio systems.

On November 5 and 6, the sixth edition of the biggest music festival held in the city center of Valencia, Les Arts, lived up to the expectations of all festivalgoers. With a total of 40,000 spectators, the attendance was similar to other editions, even though, this time, it was necessary to present an antigen test, PCR or vaccination certificate to access the venue and enjoy the event without social distancing. Despite the unusual circumstances, no one wanted to miss the likes of Vetusta Morla,  Rigoberta Bandini, La Habitación Roja, ElyElla, Viva Suecia or Fangoria, among others, and as it is customary in this festival, organizers, The Music Republic, hung the “sold out” sign.

The remarkable quality of DAS Audio systems, present on both stages, inundated the entire venue and the energy coming from the systems rocked all the members of the audience equally, including those far away from the two delay towers. The dimensions of the venue, with a length of approximately 120 meters, and a full house, were two key factors to take into consideration when designing the system. Tight control of coverage patterns was essential in addition to avoiding reflections from nearby buildings and mitigating any noise issues that might affect neighbors of adjacent buildings.

As a result, Audioprobe, in charge of the installation of the equipment, used 16 units per side in L/R configuration together with an in-line configuration of 34 subwoofers in 12 double stacks forming an electronic arc. Frontfill setup comprised 6 double Aero-40 stacks while 8 Aero-40 units were deployed in each delay tower to cover the far-end 40 meters of the venue. The system was capable of reaching 105dBA at some points during the night (measured at 50 meters) and covered perfectly all the listening areas with the same quality sound. In the smaller stage, 14 Aero-40 units per side were flown together with UX-221 subwoofers in cardioid configuration.

Security measures against Covid-19 and the steady progress on vaccination in Spain are making possible the return to a “new normality” that the industry is eagerly awaiting. The return of large-scale music events has at last kicked in and it is expected to go back to pre-pandemic levels shortly.