When British electronic music composer and producer, Tipper played his first theatre events since before the pandemic at the Orion Amphitheatre in Huntsville Alabama, sellout nights were guaranteed. What was also never in doubt was that the artist’s complex sonic narratives would require premium sound design and delivery.
Philadelphia’s One-Source Productions, a trusted name in the live sound sector for eighteen years, provided the audio for the shows, with owner and CEO Joe Adkins, deploying a Funktion-One system comprising 20 x Funktion-One Vero for mains, 12 x F124 and 12 x F221 subwoofers, and Funktion-One Evo for in-fills and out-fills. One-Source Productions has been delivering sound for Tipper for almost decade, having first worked together at a small show in Boston. A mutual commitment to precise and clear audio quality has driven the relationship ever since.
One-Source powered the Funktion-One Vero at the Orion shows with amplifiers by UK manufacturer XTA, pairing the company’s DPA and DNA series amplifiers with the Vero system for the first time. Joe Adkins talks about the choice:
“We first worked with XTA amplifiers in 2015 at an event in Ibiza, where we partnered with another company to supply production. We used XTA amps to power the rig and from the very first use were impressed with their clarity, reliability and overall performance. The amplifiers truly stood out in a demanding live event environment and we quickly adopted them into our inventory. We’ve used XTA ever since.
“We’ve had a lot of success using the new XTA amplifiers alongside our Funktion One Evolution 7 system, so for these shows it seemed like a natural progression to integrate them with our larger Funktion One Vero system. We’ve long been fans of AudioCore as it allows us to quickly set up and deploy our systems – crucial for the demanding nature of live events. We immediately noticed the significant improvement in sonic clarity compared to the older other-brand amplifiers we’d been using. The difference was truly night and day!”
For the main Vero hangs One-Source used a combination of 2 x XTA DPA100 and 1 x DNA per side, with the F124 and F221 subs powered by a combination of DNA120 and DPA100 units, respectively. Joe continues:
“The combination of the F124 subs and the XTA DNA 120 amplifiers was truly remarkable. The low end power and clarity it delivered throughout the entire show is unparalleled. We’ve never had a setup that handled low frequencies so well.”
One-Source Production Manager Dan Getz is equally enthusiastic:
“Funktion-One speakers are already efficient. Their design and configuration allow for versatile control of the PA which results in less demanding processing at front of house compared to other PAs, while being horn loaded makes them far more capable in terms of coverage. These features mean you can do more with fewer drivers and amplifiers, but pairing the Vero with XTA amplifiers delivered an even cleaner sonic profile. The PA sounded more detailed and balanced, and the small details in the music became more apparent. The overall fidelity is significantly improved.”
XTA’s sound quality and reliability has established them as One-Source’s amplifier of choice, but Joe is keen to stress another factor which has been instrumental in the relationship:
“XTA’s customer support is something we truly value. Anytime we’ve had questions or needed assistance, we’ve been able to reach out to their team and get prompt, helpful responses. In today’s world that level of support is incredibly important to us.
2025 is shaping up to be another busy year for One-Source with many festivals already booked. The weekend of July 4th will see them once again hooking up with Tipper and Friends at The Gorge amphitheatre in Washington for another outdoor spectacular. Joe is looking forward with confidence:
“For this event we’re shipping our gear 5,400 miles, so reliability is absolutely crucial. The truck transport is always a tough part of the journey for our equipment, and having gear we can count in thrugh the challenges of travel is more important than ever. We’re confident that with XTA amplifiers in our setup, we’ll have the performance and reliability we need to make this event another great success.”
