“Our first-ever international venture at the Kathmandu Music Festival 2024 showcased Phoenix Networks‘ ability to deliver an exceptional sonic experience to a diverse global audience. Building on this success, I am confident that Phoenix Networks will continue to assert its presence worldwide by consistently raising the bar for world-class live sound reinforcement!” exclaimed Animesh Mishra, Founder-Director of Phoenix Networks, as he reflected on the company’s crucial role in the success of the 2024 edition of Nepal’s premier Kathmandu Music Festival.

As one of India’s most reputed comprehensive technical solution providers for events of all scales and applications, Phoenix Networks has achieved a significant milestone by successfully commissioning its first international gig at the Kathmandu Music Festival 2024 with their famed Meyer Sound Panther and Leopard systems; given the fact that the globally-recognized music festival stands tall as one of the biggest celebrations of art, craft, cuisine, and talent in Nepal.

The Kathmandu Music Festival 2024: A Soulful Sonic Extravaganza
Hosted in the picturesque city of Kathmandu in Nepal, the Kathmandu Music Festival 2024 is a two-day extravaganza celebrated the end of one year and the beginning of another, with utmost warmth and zeal. The festival in 2024 was held in accordance with the Bikram Sambat calendar (the official calendar of Nepal) which marks the end of the year 2080 and the start of 2081. The event took place at the plush open-air ground at the premier Hyatt Regency hotel in Kathmandu; serving as a vibrant platform for cultural exchange and musical exploration.

The highlights of the festival included immersive live performances by internationally celebrated artists like Atif Aslam and Anuv Jain, as well as renowned Nepalese pop bands such as The Edge Band and The VEK Band. The festival also featured a variety of cuisines, exclusive sneaker and street-wear pop-ups, and a vibrant flea market.

Day 1 was adorned by a heartfelt live concert by renowned playback singer, actor, and songwriter Atif Aslam. The crowd began gathering well before the artist’s entry, eager to witness their beloved vocalist. Aslam’s performance included some of his major hits like “Jeena Jeena,” “Tu Jaane Na,” “Hona Tha Pyar,” and “Tere Sang Yaara,” which left the audience spellbound. Overwhelmed by the audience’s response, Aslam extended his performance for an additional hour, resulting in a 2.5-hour-long recital. He concluded his performance by shaking hands, signing autographs, and posing for pictures, leaving an unforgettable imprint on the audience’s hearts.

On the other hand, day 2 was equally action-packed, as it featured numerous native artists, bands, and musicians who have gained national and international recognition. The day began with a magical solo performance by Surakshya Malla – one of Nepal’s burgeoning singing talents; followed by soulful renditions from local bands like Satish Ghalan and The Band, Abhishkar Band, The Edge Band, and The VEK Band. The highlight of the day, however, was a lively performance by Indian sensation Anuv Jain, popularly known as “Just a Guy with Guitar.” Jain’s entry was remarkable as he scaled the stage in a laser pyramid, performing his popular song “Baarishein” twice; along with other chartbusters like “Husn” and “Alag Asman.”

While the plethora of activities and performances certainly lit up the 2024 Kathmandu Music Festival with vibrancy and glee; it is the sheer immersive nature of the event that kept the audience cheerful and buoyant across both days. And breathing life into this immersive atmosphere at the Kathmandu Music Festival 2024 was a mesmerizing live sound experience from Meyer Sound that was designed and commissioned by live event specialists Phoenix Networks.

According to the organisers of the event – they desired to treat their audience to nothing less than a truly world-class aural ambience. And so, the responsibility of bringing together such a formidable yet seamless audio architecture to enchant the thousands in attendance, was entrusted to Phoenix Networks – the largest inventory holder of Meyer Sound equipment in India. The company’s stellar reputation for augmenting exceptional soundscapes for some of the biggest and most technically challenging events to have graced Indian soil (for example, Ed Sheeran’s uber-successful Mathematics concert in Mumbai) is what made them the perfect partner to create a similar superlative sonic concurrence for the Kathmandu Music Festival 2024.

Waging Triumphantly Through The Storm
Armed with innate technical expertise, determination, and the organisers’ faith in their unmatched abilities; team Phoenix Networks approached the project like they do all their works – with complete zeal to achieve nothing less than excellence.

“Accurate planning and precise execution are key to making any event a success. At Phoenix Networks, our team of over 29 members worked tirelessly from the initial planning stages to the final execution, making this event the talk of the town” Animesh affirmed; explaining that the process began with the team investing countless man-hours in planning every last detail of the audio system and setup – right from the logistical aspects of transporting the entire system from the company’s HQ in Bhopal (India), to the systematic manner in which the system was to be rigged, aligned and tuned at the venue; and everything in between.

A specific system configuration that spotlighted Meyer Sound’s incredible Panther and Leopard systems was locked on, which was made possible through an in-depth analysis of the venue using simulation software and platforms. And following this; the team embarked on organizing other details that would be crucial to seamlessly pulling off a successful show at the Kathmandu Music Festival. The challenges that team Phoenix Networks faced; including transporting equipment from India to Nepal, arranging local assistance, mitigating the uneven terrain and geographical topography, and, not to forget, the extreme weather conditions; were all addressed with the utmost level of precision and professionalism – as they always do.

That being said, it must be noted that the successful commissioning of the festival’s audio system was no small feat; as an unexpected snow blizzard took the crew by surprise, making the process even more precarious.

Yet the crew remained unfazed, as Animesh explained, “To be honest, the storm was genuinely unforeseen and we were completely blindsided by it! Such an instance would’ve been a daunting challenge for any other team in our situation, justifiably so. However, we could stay assured of the performance of our Meyer Sound system mainly because almost all of our inventory came standard equipped with inbuilt weather hoods which prevents any sort of damage to the equipment. While we did need to secure some of the gear with additional weather hoods to prevent damage to the lateral side; the self-armoured PANTHER series and GALAXY 816 network processors sustained the storm without any external support. In fact, we were up and operational within 15 minutes of the storm passing! That’s the beauty of the system; Every time I encounter such instances, it reaffirms my faith in Meyer Sound and validates my decision to partner with them. Their foresight is exceptional, and the advanced technology they incorporate keeps them ahead of the competition.”

Phoenix Networks’ Technical Prowess
After successfully mitigating the challenges posed by the unanticipated blizzard, it was time for team Phoenix to shine – as the live event specialist confidently displayed their intuitive technical prowess in coalescing a truly riveting sonic atmosphere at the Kathmandu Music Festival 2024.

To ensure unparalleled audible exposure and maintain uniformity across the vast expanse of the ground, Phoenix Networks deployed the Meyer Sound line array systems strategically. The loudspeaker system included the primary FOH rig deployed in a stereo configuration of 14 units of the PANTHER modules on each side of the stage which blended 4 units of the wide throw modules and 10 units of the long throw modules. The meticulous alignment and tuning of this carefully augmented FOH rig allowed team Phoenix Networks to assure crystal clear frequency response and linearity throughout most of the venue, while 4 units of LEOPARD line array modules serving as the front fill reinforcement assured clear and balanced sound to the audience members located closest to the stage. And to cover the entire expanse of the imposing 490ft long venue, team Phoenix Networks stationed 6 units of the LEOPARD line array modules as the delay reinforcement solution on either side of the venue flanks; thereby ensuring a truly consistent and pristine audio experience for audience members located at the very ends of the venue.

Perfectly complementing the impeccable tonality, voicing and performance of the PANTHER + LEOPARD systems were the 1100-LFC low-frequency elements (subwoofers), which ascertained optimum coverage of chest-thumping low-frequency fidelity for audience members to enjoy across the massive venue. 7 units of 1100-LFC subwoofers were precisely rigged in a gradient subwoofer array arrangement on either side of the stage, while 3 ground-stacked units of 1100-LFC subs were deployed on either side of the stage in a cardioid pattern. This intentional and meticulous subwoofer deployment not only helped in nullifying onstage low-frequency interference, but in turn, also enhanced the quality and impact of the overall soundscape.

And affording unparalleled control over this decisively coalesced loudspeaker system were 3 units of Meyer Sound GALAXY 816 processors, which ensured flawless signal distribution and comprehensive system management.
Enjoying a superlative sonic ambience wasn’t just restricted to the audience members in attendance; as Phoenix Networks tailored the on-stage setup to meet diverse requirements for the artists’ performances. For example, for Atif Aslam, they deployed DiGiCo’s famed SD10 digital mixing console with octa-core facility at the Front of House position and the current industry favourite Quantum 338 digital mixing console from DiGiCo for the monitor mix; with this move helping to deliver unparalleled audio precision and flexibility for the artists’ designated engineers. On the other hand, for other musical bands, a combination of DiGiCo’s SD10 console along with the Midas M32 Live digital mixing console were employed; whereas for Anuv Jain, the VENUE S6L-24D digital mixing console from AVID was preferred for the Front of House position.

Furthermore, artists were assisted with 16 units of PSM 1000 advanced in-ear monitoring systems from SHURE, which offered unrivalled acoustical parity, while precise capture of vocals was ensured through a carefully selected assortment of world-class microphone systems from industry leaders SHURE and Sennheiser. The team deployed SHURE’s famed Axient Digital ADX2 wireless microphones for Atif Aslam, whereas Sennheiser’s acclaimed 6000 Digital series systems paired with an HSP4 head mic was chosen for Anuv Jain. The microphone selection also included Shure SM58s and SM57s for instruments, Sennheiser e900 and Audix DP7 for drum kits, and various other high-quality microphones for delicate acoustic instruments. Wireless guitars were equipped with Shure ADX1 belt packs and SKM6000 bodypacks, ensuring seamless performance mobility.

The backline setup offered by team Phoenix Networks was equally impressive, featuring a Pearl Reference Pure drum kit, a Yamaha Clavinova CLP745 digital grand piano, a Yamaha Montage M8X synthesizer, and a Novation Launchkey 61 MK3 – all of which allowed for a truly accurate representation of versatile musical expression.

A Bright Future Has Only Just Begun
There’s no doubt whatsoever in the fact that comprehensive audio setup designed and commissioned by team Phoenix Networks ensured that both the audience and the artists experienced a prodigious auditory experience – thereby contributing to the festival’s resounding success.

And reflecting on the festival’s success, Animesh shared his views, stating, “Audience members and artists alike were amazed by the exceptional auditory experience provided by the comprehensive sound system. We firmly believe that exemplary sound reinforcement is the cornerstone of any successful show, and the festival’s resounding success is a testament to this. It paves the way for us to lead the industry with unwavering dedication to achieving excellence in everything we do.”

Furthermore, he expressed his satisfaction with the Meyer Sound systems and their performance under extreme conditions, while revealing plans to integrate the MILAN protocol with their existing inventory through the acquisition of Luminex GigaCore Switches.

Elaborating on this, Animesh explained, “We were truly impressed by the performance of our MILAN-certified sound system. This advanced audio networking protocol, built on top of AVB standards, ensures precise synchronization, reliability, sustainability, stability, and streamlined configuration, promoting interoperability between different MILAN-enabled devices. The MILAN protocol also strengthens and defines device requirements for compatible media streams, formats, media-clocking, redundancy, and controller software, providing advantages at both the network and application layers. We are excited to integrate this deterministic technology with our existing inventory by acquiring Luminex 830 GigaCore Switches to facilitate the MILAN protocol. This integration will make our entire inventory future-ready, enabling us to expand our creative horizons and deliver the magic the entertainment world expects. Stay tuned, as we have many other advancements to reveal soon.”

Phoenix Networks’ successful commissioning of the Kathmandu Music Festival 2024 stands as a testament to their expertise and dedication. Their meticulous planning, advanced technology, and commitment to excellence have not only won them acclaim from the event organizers but have also set a new benchmark in the industry.

And as Phoenix Networks continues to push the boundaries of innovation and creativity, their journey promises to deliver unparalleled auditory experiences to audiences beyond Indian borders.

Meyer Sound