Supporting community and electronic dance music with d&b

"Echostage is becoming an epic venue. There's no other site like it near Washington DC," OHM Productions owner Jeff Darby is proud to be providing audio for the newly renovated venue. "This team really cares about providing an experience for everyone involved. They wanted to take it to the next level. Part of that was mastering the sound in a very dynamic space."

The largest dedicated indoor concert space in the area, Echostage hosts anywhere between two and five shows per week. Though the converted warehouse attracts a wide range of world class DJ's and is known for electronic dance music, the venue is used for various other live music as well, drawing crowds of thousands. Proud of the clear sight lines on the large first floor dance area, and comfortable lounge seating in the balcony, the team strives to provide everything the fans and artists could need.

However, the open feel made providing clear and even sound relatively difficult. OHM being an active part of each show production, felt that d&b audiotechnik could offer the best solutions for Echostage. Darby continues, "The various music styles each require different sound adjustments. The V-Series from d&b is able to meet their wide range of needs, plus the ArrayCalc technology allows us to map the room to provide ideal sound, no matter where you are in the venue. The result is amazing. It sounds great."

General Manager of Echostage, Matt Cronin agrees, "We had been hearing about d&b from touring DJs. We definitely trust and respect the opinions of all our artists, so when we were ready to upgrade our system, it was important to look into d&b. We've been using the V-Series for months now, and the response is overwhelming. We've actually had artists ask if they can take it with them. It's exactly what we were looking for."

Darby and his team at OHM Productions have partnered with Echostage, providing continued sound support for each show. Energized by the team and the promising future for the venue, OHM decided to purchase its first full d&b system. Darby turned to longtime associate and d&b Sales partner, Bill Mills, CEO of Overland Pro Audio. Mills is a veteran d&b Sales representative, and helped the group settle on the right system. It was decided the V-Series system would be ideal for electronic dance music, "OHM has chosen a Midas PRO series console for FOH and outfitted the stage rack with AES inputs and outputs. They are making use of the digital output from the DJ mixer so the signal path is purely digital from the source to the d&b amps. We did an A/B comparison of the digital and analog output from the DJ mixer and the sonic improvements with the digital output were shockingly apparent across the sound spectrum but particularly with the J-INFRA subs. They add that extended LF range so critical in the EDM environment and they just really snapped into focus. There was no doubt the new system was perfect for Echostage. Plus, the inherent directional control of the system is helpful for such a large, uninterrupted space. I believe in these products, and am happy to bring OHM and Echostage into the d&b family."

"The system is exactly what we were promised. It's fast to rig, is easy to use, and sounds great," raves Cronin. "At Echostage, it's all about providing an intimate experience for both artists and fans. This sound system allows us to do that. We are a community of people enjoying music. That has always been our focus. We are excited to continue growing and improving to pay respect to that community for years to come. This was just a first, and very important, step towards that."