Ace Audio Relies On Crown Audio For Guitar Under The Stars Event

Succeeding in an acoustically challenging and unique live sound venue, Ace Audio provided the sound reinforcement system for the “Guitar Under The Stars” event, an outdoor concert held at the Riverfront Recapture in Harford, Connecticut. The “Guitar Under The Stars Event” has become a yearly tradition that draws thousands to the Hartford riverfront for a full day of music.

Crown I-Tech 4000’s and 8000’s were utilized for Front of House and monitors while XTi 4000s amplifiers powered the fill speakers. “Three years ago we switched to Crown I-Tech amplifiers, and it’s been a major plus for our company,” stated Mike Goodreau, President of Ace Audio. “The reduced size and weight of the amps allows us to use smaller trucks and the low current draw of I-Tech helps us in smaller venues with inadequate AC power. Not to mention the service support we have received from Crown has been excellent.”

The Riverfront Recapture presents multiple issues as a live concert venue. “The highway runs overhead to one side and there is boat noise from the river behind the stage. Additionally, there is very limited access for trucks to unload equipment and the PA is difficult to place properly. For this reason a sound system with good pattern control and high intelligibility is required,” stated Mr. Goodreau.

Crown amplifiers powered JBL speakers at all points in the venue. Ace Audio implemented eight JBL VerTec 4888 midsize line array loudspeakers, four JBL SRX712M as front and side fills, and eight JBL SRX712M for monitors. Three dbx 4800 processors were used for front of house and monitors in addition to four dbx 2231 and eight dbx 166XL processors. Harman HiQnet™ System Architect™ was utilized to configure the dbx DriveRack 4800 processors.

Ultimately the show was a major success. “The Riverfront staff was very pleased, and complimented us on our quality of sound and the little amount of time it took for us to set up,” said Mr. Goodreau. “I left the show with new clients in addition to the attention of many new prospects as well!”