Vocal throw for a capacity open-air crowd
Punch-to-size ratio from a compact, low-weight rig
Coverage across the full width of the stage, including a pocket fill
Delays and out-fills beyond the main hangs
Full visibility and control of a networked system
Silverstone Circuit, United Kingdom
140,000 fans at Silverstone: the sound of live music's return
The Formula 1 British Grand Prix weekend brought 140,000 fans to Silverstone in July 2021, the latest and largest phase of the UK Government's Event Research Programme for the return of audiences to large-scale live events. Alongside the entertainment on track, a festival stage hosted performances from Rudimental DJ, Anne Marie, and Becky Hill. Safe Hands Audio covered the crowd with an Electro-Voice X-Line Advance system, powered and networked by Dynacord.
Case Study
Stadium / Arena
Electro-Voice
Dynacord
Europe
Silverstone Circuit, United Kingdom
140,000 fans at Silverstone: the sound of live music's return
Case Study
Stadium / Arena
Electro-Voice
Dynacord
Europe
The Formula 1 British Grand Prix weekend brought 140,000 fans to Silverstone in July 2021, the latest and largest phase of the UK Government's Event Research Programme for the return of audiences to large-scale live events. Alongside the entertainment on track, a festival stage hosted performances from Rudimental DJ, Anne Marie, and Becky Hill. Safe Hands Audio covered the crowd with an Electro-Voice X-Line Advance system, powered and networked by Dynacord.
- Venue
- Silverstone Circuit
- Location
- Silverstone, United Kingdom
- Install partner
- Safe Hands Audio
- Product highlights
- Electro-Voice X-Line Advance X2, X12-128, XVLS · Dynacord TGX20, MXE5, SONICUE
The venue
A Grand Prix weekend, and the biggest live-event test yet
Silverstone is the home of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, and the July 2021 race weekend drew 140,000 motorsport fans to the circuit. Alongside the action on track, a festival stage treated the crowd to live performances from Rudimental DJ, Anne Marie, and Becky Hill.
The stakes reached beyond the podium. The weekend was the latest and largest phase of the UK Government's Event Research Programme, the trial run for the return of audiences to large-scale live events. The sound on that stage had to deliver for a capacity crowd, the crew, and the performers.
“To be honest, it was just a wonderful feeling to be back out and working on a gig after such a long time. Seeing happy faces in the audience was a reminder of why we all do this for a living and it was great to play my part in putting on an excellent show for them.”
Neal AllenOwner, Safe Hands Audio
The challenge
Reach a capacity crowd across the full width of the stage
An open-air festival crowd at a racing circuit leaves nowhere to hide. Safe Hands Audio needed a system with the vocal throw to reach the back of a capacity audience and the punch to carry full-range music, from cabinets whose rigging weight and compact size suited a festival stage.
The crowd spread across the full width of the stage, leaving a pocket the main hangs could not cover alone. Delays and out-fills had to extend coverage without costing the team visibility or control of the wider networked system.
The solution
A fully networked system, from line array to mix engine
Safe Hands Audio deployed its Electro-Voice X-Line Advance X2 line-array system: 24 X2 high-performance compact 12" two-way cabinets at front of house with 12 X12-128 dual 18" subwoofers. 4 X-Line XVLS cabinets spot-filled the pocket across the stage width, and a further 12 X2 with 4 X12-128 subs handled delays and out-fills.
Power for the main system came from 10 Dynacord TGX20 4-channel DSP amplifiers, each capable of delivering 20,000 watts. Dynacord's MXE5 Matrix Mix Engine, configured with SONICUE Sound System Software, streamlined every aspect of monitoring and control across the fully networked, Dante-based system.
- 24 Electro-Voice X-Line Advance X2 cabinets at front of house
- 12 Electro-Voice X12-128 dual 18" subwoofers
- 4 Electro-Voice X-Line XVLS for spot-fill
- 12 X2 cabinets and 4 X12-128 subwoofers as delays and out-fills
- 10 Dynacord TGX20 4-channel DSP amplifiers, 20,000 watts each
- Dynacord MXE5 Matrix Mix Engine
- SONICUE Sound System Software with Dante audio
“The combination of SONICUE and MXE5 has been excellent because we have full visibility of the system for control. We are very familiar with SONICUE and the advantages it can bring us now and this has given us the confidence to go fully Dante with our transport.”
Neal AllenOwner, Safe Hands Audio
The result
A flawless performance for the UK's largest trial event
The system performed flawlessly across the weekend, Allen reports, carrying performances from Rudimental DJ, Anne Marie, and Becky Hill to a capacity festival crowd while the Grand Prix ran alongside.
The weekend also confirmed a way of working for Safe Hands Audio: full system visibility through SONICUE and the MXE5, and the confidence to move transport fully to Dante. Allen credits the sound with helping make the UK's largest trial event so far a memorable experience for everyone who attended.
Flawless system performance across the Grand Prix weekend
Full coverage for a capacity festival crowd
Complete system visibility through SONICUE and MXE5
Confidence to run transport fully on Dante
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