Spain – DAS Audio held a preview of LARA in Miami last March gathering FOH engineers, sound technicians, distributors and American customers to present the system for the first time. The first impressions were very positive. The official launch of the system was on 26 April at Prolight + Sound (Frankfurt) and the system will also be presented at ISE (Barcelona) and the NAMM Show (Los Angeles).

DAS Audio's new powered cardioid line array system is already a reality. DAS Audio's LARA system reflects the brand's firm commitment to technology and it will soon become a benchmark in the industry. In addition, DAS Audio has also presented ALMA, the new system control and monitoring software created by sound engineers for sound engineers.

“It's a product that's going to be on a lot of technical riders. It's going to mark a significant change for DAS,” stated Yamil Martínez, Luis Fonsi's FOH engineer.

Coinciding with its 50th anniversary, the Spanish company presents a wide range of technological solutions, not only for live events but also for commercial installations. Javier Navarro, head of engineering and CEO, highlights: "Our intention is that these new tools mark a paradigm shift for the brand. Celebrating 50 years of history might be a coincidence, but it is certainly charged with symbolism. We strongly believe in the work done over the years and in the team behind it."

“I am very impressed with the system; I really like it. Coverage is excellent, very homogeneous. I was very impressed by the quality of the vocals, it is an extremely coherent system. A great job with the cardioid, the truth is that it disappears just below the system, it is not even necessary to go behind it,” stated Amable Frómeta, Juan Luis Guerra's FOH engineer.

LARA is a powered, cardioid, four-way line array system with a symmetrical design. LARA offers 146dB linear maximum SPL and wide dynamic range, making it an ideal system for large events. The cardioid design provides a remarkable attenuation at the back, behind the system, of 15dB in the 63Hz - 200Hz range. Not only does it help the artists on stage, but also reduces the noise pollution generated by any live event.

“Impressive, clean, great coverage, extremely efficient. LARA will mark a new era for DAS,” said Randy White, of Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center.

Power efficiency is yet another highlight of the LARA systems. The Powersoft S.p.A. class D amplifiers integrate a switch-mode power supply with power factor correction (PFC), ensuring maximum performance and efficiency regardless of the mains voltage. Each set provides a total of 6000Wrms of power, divided into eight channels, to feed the two 12 inch and the two compression drivers, the two front-facing eight ionch and the two rear-facing eight inch.

“Compared to all other line arrays on the market, this one is completely revolutionary,” said Arturo de Jesus Morejón of Reflections Productions.

All LARA components have been custom designed and manufactured to maximize system efficiency. The system incorporates two 12 inch bass loudspeakers with 4 inch voice coils, plus two eight inch speakers in cardioid configuration. To cover the mid-frequency range, two eight inch speakers with 2.5 inch voice coils are used. The high frequency section consists of two DAS M-78N compression drivers with three inch voice coils and a waveguide with a horizontal coverage of 100 degrees.

“The coverage is impressive, on all frequencies, but what I liked the most is that the TOPs are also cardioid. I'm looking forward to experiencing this system live,” said Oscar Marín, Rubén Blades' FOH engineer.

On top of what can be expected from DAS Audio and from a line array of this category, the brand have also included some very outstanding features, which constitute a major improvement for the sound engineer; control and monitoring for each frequency section, self-positioning and arrangement of the systems in an array, EQ for groups or single speakers, integration of the DASaim optimisation tool (FIR), creation of ONline and OFFline projects, etc.

“Expectations are high, the equipment really sounds spectacular. It is ready for any technical rider,” added Bad Bunny's sound and production team (Rolando Leo, Brian Martinez and Luis Velasquez).

The three-point rigging system is another great feature used in both LARA and LARA SUB, allowing to fly arrays of up to 24 LARA units and 16 LARA SUB units. The FSSTM (Fast Set Splay) system allows the angles to be adjusted in 1 degree steps, from 0 to 7 degrees, from the ground-stack position, reducing assembly time significantly.

During the final stage of the system and software development process, DAS Audio conducted a beta-tester programme to ensure usability of the new tools and maximise performance. "This programme has allowed us to evaluate the system in real and very demanding situations, the response of the system and feedback from the engineers could not have been better."

The systems have already been chosen for tours and festivals throughout Spain. They made their official debut at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne (Germany) on 30 April, and on 14 May at the Estopa concert in Barcelona and Izal in A Coruna, as part of their Spanish tour.

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