Canadian rental company Frontier Sound & Light (FSL) and partner company Bates Audio took delivery of the country’s first Turbosound Flex Array rig - 32 TFA-600 mid-high cabinets - at the beginning of August last year and instantly set it to work.

Following his complete satisfaction with a Turbosound Aspect® point source he purchased three years ago, Michael Kerwin, FSL’s technical director, was so convinced that Flex Array would be the line array solution he had been waiting for that he decided to purchase the rig without even listening to it first.

The Flex Array system went up quickly and easily and, with just eight boxes a side, was big, punchy, clean, and filled the park.

FSL, and the 10,000-plus rock fans at the third annual Y108 Rock’N’Roll Picnic in Hamilton could not have been more pleased with the results, as some of Canada’s top bands, including Age of Daze, Rides Again, punk rockers Teenage Head, Pride Tiger, a whirlwind performance by The Trews put it through its paces.

Throughout the rest of the summer, FSL’s Flex Array appeared on dozens of high profile indoor and outdoor shows including the 11th annual Markham Jazz Festival in Ontario.

“It was my pleasure to once again book Frontier Light and Sound for the 2008 Markham Jazz Festival,” said the festival’s organizer Josh Grossman. “The 2008 festival was the third in a row for which Frontier provided the audio support and they have consistently received compliments from audience members and performers alike. We were especially impressed with this year's main stage, which was set up in a local park and featured new equipment from Turbosound.

“The sound was fantastic and perfectly managed by the technicians. Whether an audience member was sitting up close, at the back of the seating area or off to the side, they were able to enjoy high-quality sound and sound production. I look forward to working with Frontier again next year.”

The last quarter of 2008 saw FSL and Turbosound handling events across Ontario including SUM 41 and Die Mannequin at Georgian College, the 20th Anniversary Rock 95 Birthday Bash featuring Finger 11 and Trooper at The Roxx, and the 10th annual Miss Africanada Pageant at the John Bassett Theatre, as well as Method Man and Redman Hedley at the CAW Hall in St. Catharines, David Wilcox and Suzie McNeil and the Campus Crusade for Christ at the Sheraton Centre.

Demand for the new rig is high, with bookings already confirmed for the beginning of 2009 for Theory of a Dead Man at Georgian College and Canadian Superstars featuring Kardinal Offishall, Snow, Choclair and more at The Roxx, plus festivals pre-booking from May to August.

“Flex Array lives up to its name, providing easy flying and ground stack implementations for indoor and outdoor venues of all sizes,” says Kerwin. “It provides a combination of high-fidelity and power unmatched by any other cabinet in its size and weight, and a sound that’s equally at home with jazz and public address as it is with hip hop, alternative metal, and classic rock.”

Photography: Ryan of GetmoMedia.com and Shawn Holland