Concept Group

CONCEPT GROUP FRANCE INVESTS IN FUNKTION-ONE’S VERO VX

From its headquarters in Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur in the south of France, Concept Group has built its reputation on an attentive and detailed approach to customers and their projects. Its significant stock of equipment, occupying around 4,000m2, has recently been bolstered by the addition of a Funktion-One Vero VX system.

The company, headed up by Patrice Burle and François Xavier Martin (FX), has, despite challenging market conditions, maintained its growth.

“We favour a tailor made approach,” explains FX. “We like to question convention and certainties and follow our own technical path – the one that will bring the maximum satisfaction to our customers, because the solution will be best adapted for their needs.”

The meeting between Concept Group and Funktion-One was arranged by Chris from Solution One. In 2017, Chris demonstrated an Evo Touring system to Steeve Thimpont, Concept Group’s Head of Audio. “I was particularly surprised by the throw of the system. The result at 30 metres for a small stacked system was really impressive. I had listened to Funktion-One systems in the past, and I had clearly missed the potential of this brand.”

FX, a skilled live sound and studio engineer, being a conscientious professional, simply put it to the test : “I had the opportunity to mix one of the bands I manage on a Funktion-One system. For the first time in my life, I heard the note of the bass drum. It was a perfect reproduction of the way the musician tuned his instrument!”

“We met with the team in England and Tony Andrews, Funktion-One founder, walked us through his approach to audio and we found so much common ground. Funktion-One has their own approach that goes off the beaten track, which is in line with our philosophy.”

Steeve adds : “We have been working for many years with traditional brands, and although I had nothing to complain about in terms of the quality, it was apparent that people were doing more or less the same thing, with very similar technologies, especially on the line source systems. We decided to make Funktion One a proposal for the three stages at the biggest electronic music festival in France, Electrobeach.”

“The main stage audience area holds around 30,000 people and for this the Funktion-One Vero system appeared to be an excellent solution, with a completely different technology from what we were using at the time. This was the first outing for Vero in France and it created an incredible shockwave.”

Electrobeach 2018 proved to be an important moment, not only for Concept Group and its relationship with Solution One and Funktion-One, but for the VERO system that, beyond its sound performance, has also demonstrated operational qualities in its deployment on different stages.

The reaction was immediate in the days following the festival. Moreover, it also transpired that the power draw for the main stage was reduced to a tenth of that required in previous years…

In 2019, Funktion-One released Vero VX, offering Vero’s performance characteristics and ease of deployment in a more compact, versatile format. Steeve highlights : “We had the opportunity to have a Vero VX and V124 system out on a few festivals. It must be said that the results have been more than encouraging. Many elements are improved from a classic line source system, particularly tonal balance and throw. The flying system is very innovative; you can adjust the cabinet angles once the system is suspended and set the inclination with the remote control thanks to a motorised lifting point. It’s remarkable and makes it easy to fine-tune the coverage once the system is in the air.”

Paired with V124 subwoofers, Vero VX is a new sound sensation. The first surprise is the management of the dynamics with very impressive transients. This is probably what makes VX work so well, it has sensations where other systems are lacking.”

Patrice adds: “Our customers ask us for it. Those who have tasted the VX system have really felt a big difference. This system is key to our development in music festivals in France, but it is also a major asset for other events, whether sporting or corporate. The work carried out in collaboration with the brand makes the system increasingly open to new applications.”

Concept Group plans to deploy Vero VX at major events and train its technicians on Funktion-One audio systems in order to continue the adventure with Funktion-One’s ingenious engineers.

“Thanks to Tony, Ann, John and Chris for their passion, their philosophy and their help and support,”