Blink-182 utilized an Eastern Acoustic Work’s (EAW) Adaptive sound reinforcement
system for their North American tour, which played sold out shows nationwide to
promote their latest album, “California.’ Camarillo, California-based Rat Sound
provided sound reinforcement for the popular punk rock band, which they have
done since the band’s rise to fame in the early 1990s.

“Because we played a variety of venues from large clubs like The Joint in Las Vegas
to amphitheatres and arenas, we needed to travel with a PA that was versatile and
easily configured to cover any venue size,’ said Jason Decter, who has manned FOH
for Blink-182 since 2009. “I have been involved with EAW’s Adaptive system since it
was introduced and felt it not only provided the sonic quality the tour demanded,
but was flexible enough to adapt to different venues.’

The Blink-182 tour inventory consisted of 60 Anya and six Anna enclosures
supported by 32 Otto subwoofers. Typically, a show would deploy a centre cluster of
six Anna modules flanked by Anya columns hung stage left and right. Because both
Anya and Anna modules hang straight, the system was easily scaled for venues that
required wide horizontal coverage. Adding more loudspeaker columns to the main
arrays resulted in a much smoother response throughout the horizontal plane than
could be achieved from mechanically articulated arrays.

Decter pursued using the Anya system for the Blink-182 tour after mixing
Bassnectar – with tremendous success – on an Anya system at Red Rocks and
Alabama’s BJCC Legacy Arena.

“I typically looking for clean, high SPL and good, fast, transient response,’ said
Decter. “Pop Punk music is very fast with a high beat count per minute. I needed a
system that can take those hits and recover while maintaining fidelity. I’m very
impressed with the tonality of the boxes, and the adaptability of the system was
exactly what we needed for the tour.’

By using EAW’s Resolution software, the system can automatically define the
coverage area after the arrays are hung or identify problem areas in real-time.
Once the audience area is defined in the software, the DSP on board each
loudspeaker adapts the array’s response to precisely direct the energy of the array
for coverage.

The sound reinforcement capabilities EAW’s Adaptive system demonstrates made it
an excellent choice for meeting the unique challenges that come from working with
a timeless three-piece band like Blink-182.

“It was very important that we reproduce the band in a way the fans expect – while
still providing them with an experience they won’t forget,’ said Decter. “The
response from the band, crew, friends of the band, and fans, was overwhelmingly
great. We accomplished what we set out to do.’