Carnegie Mellon University's largest annual concert takes place each spring during “Carnival Weekend.” For 2018, rapper and singer Wale was booked for an outdoor show in a new location on campus, meaning the event needed a more-specialized system design than what is used for our indoor venue. The parameters of the design were the following: utilize a stock of L-Acoustics equipment with a limited supplemental rental budget, provide ample bass while minimizing spill behind the stage, configure a console layout that allowed me to mix mains and monitors, and accommodate additional inputs for back-up backline equipment. 

          I investigated the best way to utilize our rental budget while considering the unique needs of the act. We cannot rent additional KUDOS cabinets to Pittsburgh without shipping from afar, but based on my modeling in Soundvision, I was confident I could achieve necessary coverage with four boxes per side. I opted to rent eight L-Acoustics SB218 subwoofers in addition to the four from inventory, allowing me to configure four triads in a cardioid configuration. Once aligned and tuned the array provided more punch than the SB218's usually muster, as well as notable rear cancellation. 

          This event also featured some exciting plot-twists. First, the day before the show the opener backed-out of their contract, so we incorporated the needs of a new opener on the day of the event. Then, our main act had a flight delay resulting in almost an hour between the opener and Wale arriving onstage. Luckily, my work experience as a DJ came to our rescue – I played music while our lighting and media designers provided visual distraction. We then started the show sans-soundcheck, but fortunately had things rolling within moments.