The Bürgerfest in Straubing — 100,000 visitors and a thank- you note for the sound engineers

The atmosphere at the Bürgerfest 2006 in Straubing — like that at the World Cup — was tremendous. Perfect organization, balmy weather and a varied and often exciting programme of entertainment made a visit to the sixth Straubing Bürgerfest an experience to remember. In the course of the weekend from the 23rd to the 25th of June, over 100,000 people flocked to the city, which besides producing electrical equipment and beer is the major market centre for the fertile Gäuboden plain, to visit the patchwork of booths, savour a smorgasbord of culinary delights from twenty different countries, and enjoy musical and cabaret performances distributed between nine different stages, with the shows of Michael Fitz, Monaco Bagage and the internationally acclaimed show band Anorak (which promises "a pyrotechnic display of professionalism, perfection, showmanship, jokes and entertainment" vitalized by "a whisper of eroticism") among the highlights.
Providing sound reinforcement for the four largest stages was the responsibility of the Straubing-based sound company StereoMike, whose engineers, directed by MD Mike Wittenzellner, relied exclusively on systems from EVI Audio. A wise decision (as ever!) and Mike was happy to report: "I even received a thank-you letter from the organizers in which they noted that 'the professional stage equipment was 100 per cent convincing' — a compliment we found highly gratifying and an outstanding testimonial for a young company."

In fact, the production was anything but straightforward: in the course of the Bürgerfest, StereoMike's 15-man production team had to cater to the multifarious needs of some 60 different acts, with Stage One, which drew as many as 4,000 revellers at a time, forming the focal point. "We opted for an EV XLD there," explained Wittenzellner, "as the audience was relatively deep, and the system turned in an outstanding performance."

As did the DYNACORD COBRA systems on Stages Two, Three and Four: "I take the COBRA everywhere," Wittenzellner confessed. "I'm a total fan of this system. It's just so flexible! On Stage Two, we flew it; on Stages Three and Four, we stacked it; but in every case, the results were fantastic."

About StereoMike
A working actor and musician, Mike Wittenzellner founded StereoMike at the start of 2006, having been with Andy Schindbeck for over eight years. StereoMike's up to 15-man team has already chalked up some notable references, having provided sound reinforcement this year not only for the Olympioniken in Rust — where, again, they worked with Anorak — but also for a number of luxury cruises. A company making waves, then, on the pro audio scene!

Stage One:
PA: 12 x EV XLD281, 6 x EV Xsub,
4 x EV Dx38, 6 x EV CP3000S,
2 x EV TG-7
FOH: MIDAS Heritage 2000/48
Monitor: MIDAS Siena 480

Stage Two:
PA: 2 x DYNACORD COBRA 4-Far,
4 x DYNACORD COBRA 4-Top,
6 x DYNACORD COBRA PWH,
4 x DYNACORD L2400,
2 x DYNACORD DSP244
FOH: MIDAS Verona 320
Monitor: MIDAS Siena 480, 1 x EV N8000

Stage Three:
PA: 6 x DYNACORD COBRA Sub
4 x DYNACORD COBRA Top
2 x DYNACORD LX2200
1 x DYNACORD DSP244
3 x EV RE-1
Monitor: 2 x EV ZX5

Stage Four:
PA: 6 x DYNACORD COBRA PWH,
4x DYNACORD COBRA4-Top,
2 x DYNACORD COBRA 4-Far,
4 x DYNACORD LX2200,
2 x DYNACORD DSP 244
FOH: 1x MIDAS Venice320
Monitor: 6 x DYNACORD Madras M15