MicroWedge Debuts With Brian Wilson, Was (Not Was) Live
A Valentine’s Day concert at the venerable Orpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles by Don Was and the Was (Not Was) band, featuring legendary performers Brian Wilson and Kris Kristofferson, proved an excellent occasion for the public debut of EAW’s brand-new MicroWedge Series stage monitors. Oxnard, CA-based Rat Sound Systems Inc. supplied the sound reinforcement systems and support under the direction of crew chief Tom Caraisco.
The big news in system-land was the first-time live concert deployment of the EAW MicroWedge MW12 stage wedges for all performers, fueled by monitor engineer Andy Turner’s mixes. The wedges were driven by a combination of Chevin and Lab.gruppen power amplifiers.
“We really, really like the performance of these new wedges,” notes Caraisco. “Once Andy got things going on stage, and we went through all of the mixes, he was genuinely pleased.”
“The old Microwedge was solid and performed well enough when compared to other wedges, but these new ones are night-and-day superior,” states Dave Rat. “This is a whole new deal. I knew the wedges were a big step forward, but what I did not expect was such an overwhelming embrace so quickly from our own engineers as well as the artists and band engineers."
Rat Sound took delivery of 32 MW12s just prior to the Valentines Day concert and dispatched them immediately. “We already have a major tour going out with MicroWedges, and the first 32 were directly turned around and sent out on gigs, including the Ragga Muffins Festival in Long Beach,” adds Rat. "The reports from all gigs – including the Valentines Day concert - were stellar. We immediately put in an order for an additional 24 MicroWedges to further increase our touring inventory."