RCF and TT+ Audio Put Brass in Focus at Woodstock der Blasmusik

Held July 2–5 in Ort im Innkreis, Austria, the 2026 edition welcomed 110,000 attendees, with more than 150 bands performing across nine stages. The program extended from traditional Bohemian-Moravian brass music and Oberkrainer ensembles to big band, jazz, brass-pop, electronic influences, and crossover performances.

The five equipped venues differed in scale, audience geometry, programming, and physical construction.

At the Allerhand Stage, the system comprised 16 TT+ Audio GTX 7C compact cardioid line array modules with 12 TT+ Audio GTS 16C cardioid subwoofers and two TT+ Audio GT 8 loudspeakers. Two RCF TTL 4-A loudspeakers provided delay coverage.

The Almdudler Sepp a Reh stage used 24 TT+ Audio GTX 10 line array modules and 12 TT+ Audio GTS 29 subwoofers, complemented by two RCF TTL 6-A loudspeakers as front fills.

At Hornbach Koloss, the system consisted of 12 RCF HDL 26-A line array modules and two RCF HDL 35-AS subwoofers.

Unlike the temporary festival stages, the Woodstock Stadel operates its sound reinforcement system throughout the year as a permanent installation. The system comprises 16 RCF HDL 30-A line array modules and six RCF SUB 9004-AS subwoofers, with two RCF

TTL 4-A loudspeakers providing front-fill coverage and four RCF TT 10-A loudspeakers used as delays.

The Kraut; Ruabm Arena was equipped with 18 TT+ Audio GTX 12 line array modules and 12 TT+ Audio GTS 29 subwoofers, with three RCF TT 10-A loudspeakers serving as front fills.

GTX 7C uses independently powered front and rear transducers together with digital signal processing through the XPS amplification platform to control directivity. Each module provides 22 dB average rear attenuation up to 600 Hz, with a maximum sound pressure level of 140 dB and 120° × 10° nominal coverage.

Rather than directing unnecessary acoustic energy toward the stage and adjacent spaces, the cardioid architecture allows the system to concentrate coverage toward the audience. In a dense festival environment, this approach can help reduce sound levels behind the arrays and limit interaction with nearby working and performance areas.

GTS 16C extends the cardioid approach into the low-frequency range. Designed as the dedicated low-frequency companion for GTX 7C, the flyable subwoofer incorporates a 16-inch neodymium front woofer and a 14-inch neodymium rear woofer. Compatible suspension hardware allows the subwoofer and GTX 7C to share the same rigging ecosystem.

For Phil Scholz, Application Support at RCF Germany, the effect was particularly noticeable backstage at the Allerhand Stage. “In backstage areas, artists and staff appreciate lower sound levels,” Scholz explained. “In tents such as the Allerhand Stage, a considerable amount of diffuse sound can normally build up behind and beside the stage, sometimes approaching the levels experienced in the first audience rows. With GTX 7C, we were able to reduce this substantially. Behind the tent, very little of the program from inside could be heard.”