Bill Irwin said he has been interested in audio since he was in high school.
Many years later, the man is the hero of many musicians who perform at Arts on the Fly, Horsefly, B.C.'s annual music festival.
The riverside setting of the festival is kept low-key thanks to the genius of Irwin, who is an expert at off-grid power set ups, which he has been installing for about 40 years, he said.
He utilized a combination of solar power and horns he made himself of birch built to a specific mathematical shape. The three-way horns help boost the sound and combine with the bass speakers to get the music to the people and reduce the competition between on-stage monitor speakers for the performers.
Irwin's horns make enough of a difference in the sound amplification his combination of solar and batteries for use after dark can quietly power the River Stage at the festival, keeping the setting serene - except for the music, that is.
Without the need for a large, loud, exhaust-making generator, Arts on the Fly can truly make the most of the incredible location.
"It's all about scale," explained Irwin.
"The most beautiful thing about it is it's not high tech, it's the oldest acoustical instrument known."
