A festival main system serves engineers who did not choose it. Each act brings its own genre and its own mixing style, and outdoor sound can be hard to predict. Metal sets are the sternest test: once the double kick drum starts, a lesser rig lets the low end build into a rumble instead of individual hits.

Time pressure compounds the challenge. The crew needs a system that is fast to design and fast to tune, because a festival schedule leaves no room to lose time.

The verdict came back act after act. Claudio Malaguti, mixing Alligatoah, was surprised that the system sounded bigger than it looks. Adam Labov of Mini Mansions ran no EQ on the system at all. David Billings, mixing Bury Tomorrow, could still hear individual kick hits where other systems let the low end blur into rumble.

For a festival that books everything from metal to classic rock, that is the outcome that counts: clear, powerful sound for every genre, and every engineer leaving with a smile.