Powersoft Goes Back to the Eighties with Sound Media

	"80s in the Park" festival with Powersoft K series amplifiers from Sound Media.

Hollywood, Florida-based professional audio and lighting company Sound Media supplied a PA system powered by Powersoft K10 and K2 amplifiers for the inaugural "80s in the Park" festival at Melbourne's Wickham Park Pavilion over the last weekend of September. Billed as "a two-day celebration of everything eighties," the festival attracted a crowd of approximately 13,000 to see hair metal bands Warrant, Slaughter, L.A. Guns, and Quiet Riot as well as films and memorabilia from the 1980s.

Sound Media, in collaboration with Atlantic Pro Audio and Portable Sound Solution (PSS), supplied an audio system for the event comprising 16 Turbosound TFA-600H three-way line array modules, flown eight per side, together with eight of the production provider's proprietary Megaforce Technologies Xtreme (XS-218) dual-18" subs, ground-stacked four per side. The entire rig was driven by Powersoft K Series amplifiers.

Lennox Foster, president of Sound Media, comments that the power output of the lightweight, 1RU Powersoft K Series amplifiers meant that he could keep his truck pack compact. "I just had six Powersoft amps: two driving the subs and four running the 16 Turbosound tops," he says.

The weekend festival kicked off the winter schedule for Sound Media, says Foster. "Our season started in October. It looks like it's going to be relatively busy, which is a blessing." Sound Media typically supplies corporate events for companies such as Coca-Cola and Amgen, and in April 2013 provided sound production for the red carpet at the 2013 Billboard Latin Music Awards, which were broadcast live on Telemundo.

The main stage at "80s in the Park" featured a who's who of artists from the era, including Tommy Tutone, Thor, Quiet Riot, Georgia Satellites, Gene Loves Jezebel, The Motels, Molly Hatchet, L.A. Guns, plus headliners Slaughter and Warrant. The lineup also featured AC/DC, Motley Crüe, and Dio tribute bands. The festival organizers, who also hosted showings of cult, horror, and documentary films plus Super Mario arcade video game and Rubik's Cube contests, have already announced that "80s in the Park" will return September 26-28, 2014.

Sound Media, which has provided sound reinforcement, lighting and AV services in Florida and the Caribbean for the past 15 years, originally purchased nine K10 and eight K2 amplifiers in 2011. All 17 amplifiers are fitted with Powersoft's optional KDSP and KAESOP cards, which enable control, management, and monitoring of the networked system via the manufacturer's Armonía Pro Audio Suite software.