The Kongsberg Jazz Festival boasts multiple stages across the town, the largest of which is the Kirketorget (Church Square) Main Stage, which hosts an audience of around 12,000. At this year’s event, no fewer than nine of the 18 stages were equipped with CODA Audio systems, including the Main Stage, Gamle Norge Stage and unique Tubaloon Stage.
CODA’s Norwegian distributor Rubicon supplies system-tech personnel for the festival, with David Grimes and Terje Sørlund providing designs for the two principal stages. Production specialist, Konsersystemer took care of supplying PA for the Main Stage – one of ten rental companies who were involved in providing systems for the festival.
Konsertsystemer supplied a system based aroun AiRAY compact line array, which handled a 90m throw without delays. A total of 24 AiRAY units was supplemented by eight ViRAY and 16 SCP Sensor Controlled Subs, as well as six HOPS8 and six APS as frontfill. AiRAY has now been the system of choice for Kongsberg’s Main Stage since 2016, delivering powerful, crystal clear sound for major artists like A-ha and Kygo.
The Gamle Norge Stage, which is located outside the music club of the same name, is attended by a standing audience of around 2000 and was covered by a CODA Audio ViRAY system supplied by Joker Lyd, Lys & Scene. In addition to 24 ViRAY units, the system comprised 22 SCV-F Sensor Controlled Subs with four HOPS8 as frontfill and two G712 as outfill. 10 CUE TWO and two G18-Sub were deployed for onstage monitoring.
At the Tubaloon Stage, used for children’s concerts and characterised by its unusual geometric canopy, a CODA Audio TiRAY system (18 units) was supplemented by four TiLOW Bass Extensions, four U4 subs and eight CUE FOUR Stage Monitors. This system was designed by Frank Tangen of suppliers Tangen Lyd og Lys.
Petter Norby of Rubicon commented: “CODA Audio systems have the clarity and open sound quality that is perfect for the music in a jazz festival. There are lots of details in the music and CODA delivers the phase-correct sound that we want to hear. On the Main Stage, the AiRAY and sensor-controlled subs easily achieve the long throw needed. From a visual point of view it’s also important that the PA is as unobtrusive as possible, and CODA deliver high quality with smaller units than most other companies. The response to the systems from the festival organisers, artists, engineers and technicians has been universally excellent.”
David Webster, Global Sales and Marketing Director for CODA Audio, added: “It’s brilliant to see a full inventory of CODA systems deployed to such great effect across this fantastic event. It’s a real testament to the fact that our range can cater for stages of every type and scale. For us, it is as satisfying to see a small N-RAY system taking care of an 800-seater venue like the Kongsberg Church as it is to see AiRAY doing the business on the Main Stage. Credit must go to Rubicon, whose system design and tech support for the event was first class.”