Onda Sonora Sound System
With time on our hands, past few months, we decided to do something about an eternal frustration of us and make a dream finally happen. We built our own portable high end sound system. Because dragging crates of vinyl to every gig wasn’t inconvenient enough 😊. The added weight is quickly forgotten though when you can avoid a crappy sound, an half-broken system and play sets the way you want them.
Years in the making. Some context.
Now more than 20 years ago we started as Onda Sonora Sound System. Adding those last 2 words a bit idly. We were young, foolish and very much influenced by UK sound system culture and David Mancuso’s pursuit of a sound quality on the dance floor. An influence that became more profound over the years to the point of becoming an obsession. Still, we came to our senses and deleted those 2 last words in our name.
Last year, in a way to work off the excess in energy we got from spending far too many nights far too early in bed, we decided to finally put our money where our mouth was back then. Literally as the feeble attempts to get it crowdfunded got thwarted by bureaucracy. We invested what we saved on beers and bought drivers, amplifiers, wood and more.
Our ambition was, first and foremost, to build a sound system with an exceptional sound. Not only going for premium quality but also one that fits our selection. Not a macho, bass-heavy affair that looks good on Instagram but something that makes our records shine in the best possible way.
This goal also implied the size of what we would put together. Not that we ever were big room DJs but our stubbornness to only play what we truly like limits our potential crowd somewhat. Which came in handy because this meant we could invest our budget, also far from limitless, rather in quality than necessary volume. Which made another ambition, that it had to fit in a van and need only 2 regular power sockets, reasonably easy to reach.
Not sure if it was dumb luck, us being idiots savant or simply all the good karma we saved over the years pouring out at once but we feel strongly that we have reached those goals. The first tests even surprised us. Amazing records sound even more spectacular now. Finally we have everything at our disposal to play sets like we want them to play. We are Onda Sonora Sound System once again.
What is this sound system exactly.
Not only did we build a 3-way speaker system ourselves, we hooked it onto a set of top notch class AB amplifiers, a fully analogue crossover and our own totally revised decks and rotary mixer. No digital trickery messes up the signal that goes from our Grado needles to the Beyma drivers. All designed to deliver an exceptional 105 dB of sound with more than enough headroom to a crowd 10m away from the speakers. And then some. We even built our own speaker stands to make sure sound reaches the dancers / listeners at the right angle.
Can we get this sound at our party?
Sure you can. But not without the DJs. It’s Onda Sonora Sound System. Those last 2 words come with the first 2. It’s a package. Of course we love to share the pleasure of playing on it with other DJs that are ingrained with the same love for quality sound and wayward music as we are. As long as they know that red lights on a mixer are on the same level of nono as French-kissing a wild bat. We are also open to other projects that involve good sound and a love for music. Get in touch and we’ll work something out.
How?
Send us a mail with what you like to do and together we’ll see what’s possible. We’re ease to get enthusiastic with the right motivation.
Some video’s:
Some pictures:
