Orange County, CA (September 2024) — The Entertainment Pros®, one of Southern California’s leading providers of full-service event production, decided to upgrade its audio capabilities in 2023 to be able to meet ever-increasing requests to produce electrifying events for clients like Disney, Hilton, and Palm Springs Resorts. Through a twist of fate, their search led them to choose the dBTechnologies ViO Series. As a self-powered, modular system that deploys quickly and offers a transparent, flat response, the ViO Series exceeded their expectations and has allowed them to scale to much larger events, wowing attendees and their clients alike.
CEO and Technical Producer Michael Swenson founded The Entertainment Pros® in 2015 as an outgrowth of his thriving career as the resident DJ for California’s most prominent theme park, among other engagements. As expected, they started by supporting DJ-style events, but as their reputation grew, they expanded to include corporate events and other functions. Demand for their services grew to larger events and venues, and it became apparent that they needed to upgrade their capabilities. Swenson describes what they were looking for in an audio solution and how they discovered dBTechnologies ViO Series.
“After years of working with our old system, we wanted more. We could comfortably serve a 1,000-head event, but we were starting to get requests for 5 – 10,000 attendee shows. It was a tipping point for the company, and we wanted to go big. Lighter, smarter, better, faster, quicker… that’s what we were looking for, and with the latest technology, we could finally get it,” commented Swenson. “Our priority was to simplify with a completely active system and to eliminate the need for separate amplifiers. We were already running electric for our stage lighting, so making that transition wouldn’t be hard.”
“Our next priority came down to how easy was the solution to deploy and whether it was modular so we could scale up our down to address the requirements of different gigs flexibly,” Swenson adds. “But, while the simplicity of deployment, the efficiency of an active system, and its modularity were vitally important to us, that doesn’t mean a thing to our customers. The only things they care about are how the system sounds and the impact of how the music feels.”
Swenson discusses the decision-making process that led them to choose dBTechnologies ViO loudspeaker system. They initially considered other brands but were introduced to dBTechnologies through a chance encounter during a demo for new lighting. Impressed with the system's performance and versatility, they decided to go with dBTechnologies.
“Funny enough, we had initially decided on the latest solution from another well-known brand and were weeks away from the actual purchase when fate stepped in. We were at the rep firm GeerTech in Huntington Beach for a demo of a lighting system we were considering when someone there recognized me. He asked me, ‘What audio system are you planning for this new setup?’ I told him, and he said, ‘Before you do that, you need to hear the ViO Series from dBTechnologies.’ He set up a demo for us, and from the first song, we were blown away by how the ViO system sounded; it was phenomenal. Once we learned about all the other features, we were sold. Honestly, I’m so glad this happened because we almost spent more money on a lesser solution. Talk about the right place at the right time.”
Enthusiastically, Swenson describes the flexibility of the ViO Series system they acquired. “Everything is interchangeable based on the size and space of the venue. We’re no longer limited to making one thing work for every application. The three-way ViO L1610s can be deployed multiple ways, ground stacked and flown, not to mention they throw far and push out a high SPL. In our arsenal, we also have the ViO L212s and the single and dual 18” subs (S118 and S218), which can also be flown or stacked. The ViO X205 and X206 can be used vertically, horizontally, flown, or pole mounted. For added configurations, we have some ViO L208 and Ingenia Series, and the system is rounded out with ViO W15T wedges for floor monitors.”
Once The Entertainment Pros® were outfitted with their new ViO System, it opened up a new caliber of events they could support. “We’ve done massive outdoor events at Palm Springs Resorts, the Anaheim Garden Walk at Disney, and Pride events in San Diego. We’re in the process of planning several indoor and outdoor events. The system's flexibility and the ViO Series' resilience to inclement weather have been critical. Dust, debris, liquid elements, whatever the environment throws at us, it’s reassuring to know that with ViO Series, we’re covered.”
Swenson adds that client feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, emphasizing the immersive experience and impactful sound that the dBTechnologies system provides. “There’s just something different about the impact of dBTechnologies ViO Series, something we’ve never experienced in a sound system before. It’s visceral. Our clients say they ‘can’t believe the feeling they get from this system.’ Some have even told us that it ‘makes the hair stand up on their arms.’ and ‘It changes the entire feel of the environment of the space.’ Suffice to say, they are happy.”
Swenson also appreciates the efficiency of the ViO system's power usage: “Between sound, lighting, and video, there are so many things to consider when you are running power for live events. Fortunately, the ViO Series is not power-hungry at all. We have metered them and were pleasantly surprised to see they were drawing less power than you’d expect, even when we were hitting them hard, almost redlining them.”
Swenson expands on his earlier comments about sound quality, “But none of these feature's matter if the system doesn’t sound good. When we first heard the ViO Series, we were impressed at how fantastic and flat sounding they were, but depending on the room, flat isn’t always what you need. With the AuroraNet software controller, the ViO Series can easily tune the system to the event space. From monitoring to power filters to running sub arcs arrays for proper time alignment, it’s simple, yet ridiculously powerful.”
When asked if he’d recommend dBTechnologies ViO System to others, Swenson concludes, “We don’t just recommend this system; we’ve gone so far as to become a dealer and demo it because we believe in it. dBTechnologies was masterful in the attention to detail they put into these products. ViO Series is modular and easily deployable. It has all the accessories to travel well, it’s tour-ready, and I could go on and on about the sound. I’d put ViO Series up against what are considered ‘the best’ loudspeaker solutions in the world, and ViO Series will hold their own.”
