QSC WideLine-8 System Launches Daft Punk at London’s Shard

London, UK, July 2013 — London-based professional sound production company Podd Sound chose a QSC WideLine-8 line array system for use at the recent Sony Music European launch party for Daft Punk's new album, Random Access Memories. The stylish event was held on Floor 69 of London's recently completed landmark Shard skyscraper, now the tallest building in the European Union, with a star-studded guest list including Calvin Harris and Jude Law — a very appropriate launch for the record it celebrated.

The WideLine-8 array used by Podd Sound at the Daft Punk launch comprised 16 QSC WL3082 line array elements and 12 WL212-sw subwoofers driven by no fewer than nine QSC PL380 amplifiers, and managed by two SC28 processor/system controllers. The system components were supplied to Podd Sound by Shure Distribution UK (SDUK), the distributor of QSC products in the UK and Ireland.

"The Shard was an impressive-looking venue, but of course the room chosen for the event was a strange shape, and all of the hard glass surfaces made rigging the PA a challenge," explains Mathew Podd, owner of Podd Sound. "I've been a fan of QSC loudspeakers for a few years and thought the wide dispersion of the WideLine system would help me achieve the coverage that was required. Shure Distribution UK was very helpful and the system worked really well. WideLine is so compact, it was ideal for use in the Shard, where we didn’t want the speakers spoiling the view, and it’s also good for loading in and out of venues. I handle a lot of London-based events and in this day and age, you want the gear to be as light to move as possible — you can’t really drive huge rigs around in the city in 7.5-ton trucks any more. The ratio of size to weight and power output is really impressive, too."

Random Access Memories is the fourth studio album by the French post-modern duo Daft Punk, cost over a million dollars to make in world-class studios such as Ocean Way in Los Angeles, and includes contributions from Giorgio Moroder and Chic guitarist/producer Nile Rodgers.