Each July, the southern France town of Aix-les-Bains opens its arms to throngs of rock music fans as it hosts the storied pop-rock festival Musilac between the shores of Lac du Bourget and the summits of the Alps. In 2023, for its 21st edition, Musilac broke its own attendance record, welcoming a crowd of 110,000 people over the four-day event, which saw internationally recognized acts like Arctic Monkeys, Gojira, Indochine, Phoenix and Franz Ferdinand take to its stages.
The layout of the open air Musilac Festival is designed to take full advantage of its lakeside location, with two main stages situated side by side — one near the water’s edge and the other abutting the mountain. While perfect for the stunning backdrop, this setup requires a sound system that can cover a wide audience with impeccable concert-grade sound for all.
L-Acoustics Certified Provider Dushow has provided sound for Musilac for the last 15 years. Its priority is to offer consistent, top-of-the-line sound across the nearly 500-foot (140-metre), double-wide audience area. To be sure to hit all the high notes, Dushow designed a double left-right configuration with three hangs of L-Acoustics long-throw K1 and K2 loudspeakers.
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Using Soundvision, L-Acoustics 3D real time modelling software, Dushow was able to design and simulate the sound setup before arriving onsite. They created a left-right/left-right system using three hangs of 14 K1 with three K2 down, sharing the center hang alternately as left or right, depending on which stage was active. Three flown arrays of 12 KS28 each were hung behind the main hangs. Further low-end was supplied by twelve ground-stacked K1-SB subwoofers. Two hangs of 10 K2 flown on either side of the central hang handled the in-fill, while 14 Kara II were used for lip-fill. Two delay towers eight K2 provided sound to the farthest audience members. On each stage, 14 X15 monitors offered performers powerful sound.
“Implementing L-Acoustics K Series at Musilac has profoundly transformed the auditory landscape of the festival. The precision, power, and versatility of the K Series have enabled us to create an acoustic environment that truly stands out,” says Alexandre Capponi, department director at Dushow. He continues, “Musilac is now more than just an auditory experience, it’s a long-lasting journey into sound that stays with you, resonating long after the final note has played. We’re incredibly proud to create the elevated sound experience that our attendees crave.”
Click ‘view slideshow’ to see additional photos of L-Acoustics’ K Series at the Musilac Festival.
