Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has become a nucleus for live events in recent years and is home not only to the biggest outdoor festival in the Middle East, but one of the biggest music events in the world, SoundStorm. Created by entertainment company MDLBeast, the event annually welcomes hundreds of the world’s top international artists and nearly half a million spectators over its festival weekend. Organizers rely upon Cohesion each year to design and deliver consistent, crystal-clear audio across multiple zones throughout the expansive site.
As an aspirational and ambitious festival in the heart of the Arabian desert, Soundstorm pulls out the stops for its hundreds of thousands of guests, and audio is certainly no exception. As part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s “Vision 2030,” the festival is designed to be a crown jewel on the entertainment calendar, so the Cohesion PA needs to satisfy the expectations for a premier audio experience reflective of the system design for that season. Examples of recent applications include the “Underground” DJ stages and the crucial “Very Important Beast” (or “VIB”) guest suites.
Two of the four “Underground” stages at the festival rely upon a Cohesion system comprising of CO12 and CO10 hangs, CP218 II+ subwoofers (as well as a CP118+ for each stage), and CP6+ and CF28 for fill. The VIB suites feature a novel use of CF24 fill speakers, all on the same axis as the festival’s “Big Beast” main stage and delays, to completely envelop guests in sound. Additional CO8 are used for VIB deck fill. More than 150 worldwide crew members from Clair Global and Clair Global brands Eighth Day Sound, ATK Audiotek, and AudioRent Clair have deployed the audio over the past few years .
The DJ stages receive impeccable fidelity and ample low end from the Cohesion systems deployed there. In the VIP areas, the CF24, each measuring only 13.5 x 5 x 4” and weighing only 7.5 lbs., occupy minimal physical space in each elevated suite. They blend seamlessly with the architecture and aesthetics of the lush suites and provide exceptional audio for this important application.
“If you truly want to elevate your VIP experience, Cohesion is how you do it.”
