Bobby McFerrin’s number one hit song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” brought the American singer, musician, and conductor to the world’s attention. A ten-time Grammy winner, he can even imitate instruments with his unmistakeable voice. And he was also a guest at the recent 15th Leipzig International Festival of Vocal Music, appearing with his seven-man a cappella group in the Gewandhaus concert hall. The critically-acclaimed artist received technical backup from Fohhn Focus Modular systems.
At Prolight + Sound, Fohhn presented a series of new products: AIREA, the AT-661w speaker system, and the high-performance remote-controlled Focus Venue system. Tried and tested standbys like the Arc-Series speakers and the Linea Focus and Focus Modular systems were not forgotten, and the last mentioned is going to be installed in Leipzig’s Gewandhaus.
Fohhn Focus Modular
in Leipzig’s Gewandhaus
The Gewandhaus Leipzig: one of the most prestigious concert halls in the world. It seats an audience of 1,900. The extended reverberation times made possible by its specially designed acoustics provide the optimal conditions for classical orchestral music and organ recitals. Yet it was these very acoustic conditions that posed the biggest challenge to Fohhn Audio AG’s sound engineers when it came to vocal audibility and amplifying electronic music.
They decided to go for two Focus Modular FM-110s coupled with two FM-400s with Beam Steering capability on each side of the hall, making it possible to focus sound towards the audience without generating echoes and interfering with the acoustics of the auditorium as a whole. Using Two Beam Technology, four separate cones of sound could be focused directly on the audience.
The convenience and sound quality of the Focus Modular system didn’t just impress event organisers and Bobby McFerrin’s team. The audience was blown away by his performance – with a little help from Fohhn Audio AG’s world-class technology.
Picture sources: Fohhn
