Electronic dance music (EDM) has a rich, often overlooked history in the nation’s capital, with an underground scene that flourished decades ago, blending house, breaks, and garage across local clubs and parties. Alongside D.C.’s signature go-go music, the area also nurtured a next-generation electronic scene in the ’90s and early ’00s, with artists like Adam Freeland and Evil Nine helping lay the groundwork for some of the city’s most celebrated EDM venues.
Topping that venue list is Echostage, a 30,000+ square-foot converted warehouse in Washington, D.C.’s Langdon neighborhood, redesigned as a premier EDM destination. Upon opening in 2012, the 3,000-capacity hybrid nightclub and concert hall quickly became a defining force in nightlife and live entertainment, consistently ranking among the world’s best venues, including DJ Mag’s #1 venue in the United States and #8 globally. In 2020, Insomniac entered into a partnership with Echostage, Project GLOW Fest, and Club GLOW, helping to elevate the venue’s national presence. Since then, Echostage has continued to host some of the biggest names in music, including Tiësto, Avicii, Mau P, Fisher, Subtronics, Calvin Harris, Lorde, Sam Smith, Disclosure, Kaytranada, Chris Lake, Solomun, Black Coffee, and David Guetta.
For a venue built on world-class bookings, the sound system has to keep pace with the artists and their fans who walk through the door, and Echostage was ready to make that move. That meant L-Acoustics, says Pete Kalamoutsos, CEO at Club GLOW and Owner of Echostage, CTRL, and Insomniac Events’ Project GLOW Festival. “Every year we do our best to elevate the Echostage experience, and our new L-Acoustics L Series sound system—one of only a handful of permanent installations in the United States—creates one of the greatest live listening environments in the world,” he says.
Marc Chauvin, CTO of Showtime Sound, which designed and installed the new sound system, wholeheartedly agrees: “If you look at the EDM world, L-Acoustics is now what’s expected. It’s in all of the top clubs, and Echostage needed that for the riders of the artists who perform there. The venue’s production manager, Matt ‘Gonzo’ Gonzalez, was really a driving force behind this system’s selection. He knows exactly what artists are looking for, and there was never a question about what was going to go in.”
Echostage’s new loudspeaker design features compact-yet-powerful left and right mains of one L-Acoustics L2 over one L2D, with each array backed by a hang of four KS28 subs flown in a cardioid configuration. The low end is bolstered by 16 more KS28 in eight stacks of two, lined across the face of the stage. One A15 Focus over two A15 Wide are flown per side as out-fill arrays, while two more pair of A15 Wide are positioned atop the ground subs for front-fill. LA7.16i amplified controllers power all L and A Series enclosures, while LA12X drive the subs. A second system for stage monitoring consists of three Kara II over a KS21 sub on each side of the stage. These are powered by three LA12X and one LA4X.
Speaking after the debut weekend for the system, which featured shows by Galantis and KSHMR, Gonzalez praised the results. “The pattern control was impressive. This room really isn’t acoustically treated, and it was notable how much less energy and, by extension, how much less excitation of room modes was needed to make it sound full and impactful.”
As importantly, Gonzalez says the L Series install represents a new chapter in both the club’s technical evolution and in live sound technology. “You can sit back and take in the fact that technology is really moving on,” he says. “We see these big turning points every 10 or 15 years, these big technological markers, and L Series is clearly one of them. The fact that this system went up so quickly and that it is so consistent is fascinating. It’s been an eye-opening experience.”
As one of Ibiza’s most iconic clubs, Amnesia has built a reputation for having the island’s best sound. Since opening in 1976, it has hosted many of the world’s leading electronic music artists, establishing itself as a cornerstone of Ibiza’s club scene. Last year, a new sound system redefined Amnesia’s expansive Terrace – formerly an open-air space, now enclosed by a windowed roof. Here, PLUSMUSIC Ibiza was entrusted to design a system that would deliver the next evolution of club sound— building on the success of their custom-engineered KV2 setup in the Main Room.
“We found that KV2 Audio’s offerings aligned perfectly with our brief,” says project manager, Fernando Cerdeira. “Their point source systems are known for their superior sound clarity and precise audio delivery, which is crucial for creating an immersive experience in the club.” Working alongside Amnesia’s in-house team and renowned nightclub acoustics expert, George Stavro, PLUSMUSIC Ibiza designed a system that balanced power, coverage, and reliability for long sessions while staying true to the club’s legendary essence.
A major highlight of the project was the debut of two new KV2 products: the ESD312 loudspeaker and VHD7000D amplifier. “The two ESD312s act as dedicated near-field DJ monitors,” explains Cerdeira. “It’s compact, powerful, and incredibly precise – ideal for delivering the kind of detailed, low-latency monitoring DJs need to stay perfectly in sync.” The ESD312 is not permanently installed but instead designed for mobility, allowing the DJ booth to be repositioned easily for events with alternate stage configurations.
To deliver full coverage throughout the Terrace, the system also features eight SL412 wide- dispersion loudspeakers, ensuring powerful, consistent sound across the dancefloor. These are supported by a range of VHD8.10 mid-bass units and 16 VHD2.18J subwoofers, driven by ten of the new VHD7000D amplifiers, engineered to handle high-powered applications with advanced protection and performance capabilities. The VHD7000D incorporates an integrated RMS limiter to prevent thermal buildup, a peak limiter to safeguard against mechanical damage, and a tunable notch filter to control low-frequency resonance. “The sub is perfectly suited to Amnesia’s energetic environment,” Cerdeira continues.
Every area of the Terrace was carefully tuned for optimal sound. The bar uses 12x ESD10 loudspeakers to maintain clear, low-volume audio ideal for conversation. VIP zones are equipped with a premium mix of EX15, EX12, and ESR215 speakers, supported by 12x ESD1.12 subwoofers powered by 3x ESP2000 amplifiers, delivering rich bass without overwhelming the space. The static DJ booth features 2x ESR212 monitors, driven by 1x ESR2800 amplifier, with 2x VHD2.18J subwoofers powered by the new VHD7000D, providing performers with accurate, high-quality reference sound.
“It’s warm, clean, and powerful enough to fill the room without losing its clarity. Every detail shines, but it never feels too harsh – just beautifully balanced,” says Ibiza DJ icon Martin Vega of the club’s history with KV2. “At first, many DJs were hesitant, and the simple solution would have been to go with one of the conventional brands. But I was driven by the same passion as George Krampera – KV2’s founder and one of the most influential transducer designers of modern audio. I wanted our audience to enjoy an audiophile-level experience unlike any other club.”
At Coachella 2026, the Do LaB MACROdose electronic music stage, a vast open-air tent structure draped in waves of vibrant sculptural fabric, returned for its third year, powered by Meyer Sound. This year, the experience expanded beyond the tent’s perimeter, bringing more of the festival grounds into the fold.
The stage showcased a diverse lineup, including Tinashe, Seth Troxler, SBTRKT, and After Midnight, and attracted some of the largest crowds in its history. “Our crowd last year got so big it spilled way outside our area—upward of 30,000 people,” said Do LaB co-founder Jesse Flemming on the eve of the event. “So we’re adding more sound on the perimeter to push it a little further and draw people in.” With the Do LaB sound system well established, the team worked within a familiar framework. “We took the best of the last two years and applied it to this year,” says audio crew chief and systems engineer Ian Ingram.
A Meyer Sound PANTHER system, provided by Los Angeles-based integrator Launch, anchored the interior of Do LaB’s MACROdose canopy. Dual hangs comprised eight PANTHER-L and two PANTHER-W loudspeakers per side, supported by 18 2100-LFC low-frequency control elements, with two PANTHER-W front fills and two PANTHER-W outfills. LEOPARD compact linear line array loudspeakers and 900-LFC compact low-frequency control elements covered the DJ booth. Flown UPQ-1P loudspeakers covered a new upstage area, and ULTRA-X20 loudspeakers extended to the backstage VIP lounge. ULTRA-X80 outfills and delays extend sound to the edges of the tent, and ten ULTRA-X40 compact point source loudspeakers delivered a surround experience designed to add warmth and dimensionality, giving the space the feel of a reverberant hall.
From there, the system expanded outward. Four ULTRA-X80 loudspeakers, mounted on the outer ring and aimed outward, pushed sound beyond the canopy’s edge and blended seamlessly with the main PANTHER arrays. “The structure has a lot of hanging fabric,” says Ingram. “Low end covers, no problem—lowmids cover. That fabric tends to eat up some of the high frequencies. That’s where we use the ULTRA-X80 loudspeakers, to cover the acoustic shadows.”
Ingram, who has engineered Do LaB’s sound since 2008, says Meyer Sound’s MAPP 3D system design and prediction tool has become central to the team’s deployment confidence. “You do your homework, and you know what the coverage is going to be,” he says. “You don’t want to get the system up and realize it’s not working the way you thought.”
