SP Music Group is a Sydney-based entertainment, events and venue specialist, with equal footing in the worlds of local touring and corporate events. A self-described ‘one stop shop experience’ for event-based Audio Visual, SP Music Group supply high-end equipment and backline to help bring their client’s vision to life. Taking pride of place in SP Music’s PA arsenal are RCF’s HDL20-A active line array modules, along with high powered RCF SUB 8004-AS and 8006-AS companion subwoofers.
The HDL20-A is a no-compromise line array mid-high module, featuring 2 x 10” woofers and a 3” compression driver, capable of delivering an extraordinary 135dB max SPL. The HDL20’s sonic superiority and extremely strong build quality have landed it international acclaim- cementing RCF’s position as one of the world leaders in workhorse PA technology, and becoming the most sold product in the brand’s history.
Entrusted to the majority of SP Music’s Front of House duties, the HDL20-A system has seen almost constant use since it was first acquired. According to SP Music’s founder, Adam Ruggeri, the build-quality of RCF’s line array technology is clearly evident:
“We’ve used them roughly every 3rd week for 3 years straight and they’re still going strong. Sometimes the systems will be going from 5 in the morning to 2am at night and they’ve never missed a beat. Even when we’ve had days of high-volume acts back to back, for hours on end- they continue to sound loud and clear. We’ve never had one fail on us; these units are really tough.”
With a structurally wooden-reinforced composite polypropylene enclosure, touring-grade mounting features and an efficient acoustic design, the HDL series is a highly dependable option for events professionals looking for line array performance.
“We’ve found the HDL20 systems are able to perform well in extreme temperatures. Especially in summer, where we might be setting up early morning and packing up at night. This part of Sydney will have both extremes in a day- but the boxes perform well all the same. We had the full HDL20 setup for a festival that went for 10 weeks straight and the system was rock solid all the way through.”
Adam goes on to outline the HDL20’s role in helping SP Music achieve the quality and flexibility they need to deliver a premium experience:
“SP Music’s current focus is a split between local touring and corporate. Last year we did a lot of mini-festivals, with the HDLs delivering audio for up to 4000 people. But we’ve also been doing setups where smaller, more subtle setups are required. A couple of pole-mounted HDL20s ground-stacked on subs are perfect for this. We also have some other RCF gear, notably some TT25-As, which we’ve used for fill and occasionally for monitors.”
“I’m always very impressed by the projection of the system,” says Adam. “They have such a long throw which is great for getting people dancing at the back of the crowds. You can achieve these results with other systems, but I’ve noticed they’ll usually need to be peaking in these scenarios- whilst the HDL’s can handle this quite easily.”
“After the system is properly tuned, any techs or acts that were sceptical of the boxes before hearing them, will tend to turn around and say the system is actually more than they need! Even seasoned techs are impressed with the HDL20s- that’s always a nice feeling!”
