CODA Audio AiRAY Ensures Protest is Heard in The Hague

Hoedemakers PRO recently supplied CODA Audio systems for an important day of demonstrations in The Hague, Netherlands, as Headliner recently discovered…

Organised, peaceful demonstrations are a part of democratic life across the world. A recent example which took place in the Netherlands epitomised the spirit of such events when more than 25,000 people gathered at the Zuiderpark in The Hague to air shared grievances about aspects of government policy in advance of provincial elections. Although principally providing a platform for speeches for politicians and representatives of a wide range of organisations, the day-long event also featured DJ sets including one from the Hague’s own Outsider.

Events of this kind often suffer from inferior audio - something that on this important occasion, the organisers were not prepared to accept. Very careful consideration was therefore given to the audio and visual requirements for the day, with experienced providers Hoedemakers PRO and ABC Scherm respectively engaged to ensure that communication from the stage was clear and effective for the large crowd.

Hoedemakers PRO has worked with CODA Audio products for more than a decade, beginning its investment in the brand with ViRAY, SCV, G18 and LINUS amplification before more recently adding APS, LINUS 14D, AiRAY and SCP subs to its inventory.

For the 190m x 120m Zuiderpark site, Hoedemakers system tech Julian Lacroix, supported by Hans Engelen of Viladco (CODA’s distributor in the Netherlands) designed a system based on CODA’s flagship AiRAY line array. As well as a comprehensive sound system, Hoedemakers PRO also supplied power and staging for the event.

“Since investing in AiRAY to take care of a number of large festivals in 2022, we know exactly what it can do,” Lacroix comments. “Few if any systems in this class compare with AiRAY’s sound quality and dynamics - its compact size and ease of rigging are also a major factor in its success.”

The site to be covered at the Zuiderpark was 120m x 190m for which the Hoedemakers PRO team deployed 16 AiRAY and four ViRAY per side as mains, eight ViRAY as outfill, and 12 AiRAY per side as delays. An arc comprising 12 clusters of two SCP sensor controlled subs completed the front of house. Two HOPS12T and two U4 subs were used for DJ monitoring, with four CUE TWO stage monitors for presenters.

Julian Lacroix was pleased with the system’s performance: “Even at 120m away, the main PA was clearly audible across the entire site and the organisers were very happy with the quality and intelligibility,” he says. “We even received compliments from various speakers about how good the sound was - something that they told us isn’t always the case!”

“It’s great to see our systems being put to good use at an open air rally like this,” adds CODA Audio director of global sales and marketing, David Webster. “It underlines the flexibility and adaptability that CODA gives to rental companies like Hoedemakers PRO who are catering for a wide range of applications. In the case of an event that predominantly concentrated on spoken word presentations, crystal-clear intelligibility couldn’t be sacrificed for power alone. AiRAY can deliver that clarity, whilst effortlessly ensuring that everyone present doesn’t miss a word.”