Established by its founder Jan Smeets in the summer of 1970, PinkPop claims to be the longest continuously-run festival on the European continent. Located in a perfect setting in Landgraaf, 30 minutes from Maastricht Airport in Holland, the festival has been produced for the last six years by The Production Factory, the Dutch company formed by Mick Froeling and Gerrit Kuster, to offer a full range of technical and creative services.

The company, which has offices in both Holland and Germany, produces everything from corporate events to festivals, as well as the celebrated De La Guarda ‘audience experience’ show, and has been working on events with PinkPop promoter MojoConcerts for around 12 years.

With the three-day programme spread across the North and South Stages, and the 3FM Tent, this year’s PinkPop bill featured the likes of Massive Attack, Solomon Burke, Skin, Counting Crows, The Cardigans, Moloko, Deftones, Queens Of The

Stone Age and Audioslave, along with continental best-selling stars including the impressive Ilse De Lange and Anouk.
In line with normal Production Factory practices, “the best equipment and service providers” were sourced for the festival, which meant that PA firm Ampco Pro Rent and its sister lighting company Flashlight continued their long-running involvement — hanging their wares from the StageCo structures.

This included the new Synco W8L Line Array by Martin Audio in both the North and South stages.

Ampco Pro Rent’s production manager, Jannes de Vries, is usually office-based but travels to work on the firm’s larger events such as PinkPop and Lowlands. Sheltering from Saturday’s relentless storms inside the catering tent, he outlined the PA systems used on each stage.

The North and South stages each featured 16 flown Synco Martin Audio W8L line array cabinets per side with ground stacks of Renkus-Heinz Synco Touring System lows, mid-highs and ‘combis’, plus 24 Crest-powered R-H STS 18in subs per side. The line arrays were powered by Synco MA 4.2 amplifiers (again from Martin Audio) and processed by XTA DP226 controllers.

This was the first PinkPop to use the new Synco Martin Audio W8L line array, and although Ampco would have been happy to use the Synco Touring System of previous years, the words ‘line array’ on several bands’ riders encouraged the switch. Its sound was as clear as a bell, and its extremely long throw was very impressive — an ideal festival system, one might say!

De Vries made mention of one major change at FOH. “On the main stages, we’re driving the systems using BSS Soundweb, instead of Midas XL88s and Varicurves. It makes it very easy to ensure that the system curves of the North and South stages are identical, and the change has been well appreciated.”

PinkPop, with some exceptions, was relayed on the Internet at www.3voor12.nl, as well has having highlights broadcast on Dutch TV’s Channel 3. More than 30 years after its first summer ‘fling’ it’s as relevant as ever, and it’s a tradition that will run and run.

Audioslave on stage


Jannes de Vries, Ampco’s production manager for the event