Mixing for country music star Craig Morgan, FOH engineer Rob Harmon hears a wide variety of sound systems. “When you mix on a lot of different rigs like I do, the word ‘musical’ really means something,” he says. “I’ve now done three shows with EV X-Line systems in completely different environments, and it sounds more musical, with more depth and dimension, than anything else I’ve run into.”

“For an outdoor show in a temporary location, I just couldn’t believe how good it sounded when I raised my faders.”

Harmon’s most recent EV experience was a Craig Morgan show at Fort Randall Casino in Pickston, South Dakota. This was an outdoor show with full staging and lights. The sound system was an Electro-Voice X-Line Advance, supplied by NLFX Pro of Bemidji, Minnesota. The rig consisted of twin 8-box arrays of X2-212/90 mains over eight ground-stacked EV subwoofers. Power was supplied by 12 EV TG-7 amplifiers, all outfitted with RCM-28 DSP modules to enable IRIS-Net networking.

“For an outdoor show in a temporary location, I just couldn’t believe how good it sounded when I raised my faders,” says Rob Harmon. “It was a huge area, but the system setup by NLFX Pro covered it all with ease. This system gives me detail, clarity, and punch, all at the same time, and it’s effortless. My goal is to recreate the studio sound of Craig’s hits in a live setting, which requires detail and delicacy – with power. And EV has certainly achieved that with this rig.”

Rob recalls his first encounter with X-Line Advance as an eye-opener. “The first time I used the X2 was in a smaller amphitheater, just four boxes per side. It looked a little small, but when I turned it on the first time, my eyelids flew open. It just sounded so much better than what we’re used to hearing on a daily basis. ”

Being a full eight boxes per side outside, the Craig Morgan gig at Fort Randall Casino gave Harmon the opportunity to really hear what the full X2 system could do. “When I plug in my console key and pull up my mix, I know how it’s supposed to sound. With the EV X2, everything sounds more musical and has more depth, with none of the harshness on the top end that most PA systems have. It’s very coherent, too. I didn’t perceive the system as subs and tops. Everything worked together seamlessly, all the way down.”

After multiple experiences with Electro-Voice X-Line Advance, Rob Harmon is clearly a fan. “Touring with Craig Morgan, I hear every rig you can imagine, and I’m OK with most of them,” he says. “But the X2 is really stellar. When I show up at a gig and see an X-Line system in place, I just go back on the bus and say, ‘OK boys, it’s going to be a good day.’ ”