Tour Snapshots, Part One

Summer might be over, but we’re still basking in the glow of a banner touring season. Browse the innovative road rigs supporting Dierks Bentley, k.d.lang, Childish Gambino, and Elton John. Tune in next week to check out the tour tech out with Ed Sheeran, Janelle Monae, St. Vincent, and Godsmack.

Dierks Bentley Tours with PK Sound: Country superstar Dierks Bentley kicked off his Mountain High Tour in May, hitting 60 large-scale venues—including a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden—with sound provided by PK Sound Trinity Advanced Robotic Line Array and Gravity Subwoofers.

Front-of-house and system engineer James "Pugsley" McDermott says this is the first Bentley tour carrying PK Sound Trinity Advanced Robotic Line Arrays: "It's been a technological advancement, not only in deployment, but also sonically." The new system comprises full-size main hangs with up to 16 Trinity boxes on each side of the stage, plus a dozen Trinity 10s for side hanging and front fills, per side. Six Gravity 218 subwoofers are flown per side, with an optional six per side on the ground, deployed in various configurations to fit each venue.

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McDermott says adding Trinity loudspeakers brought the Dierks Bentley sound system to another level, giving the crew the flexibility to control the contours of the sound field using PK Sound's Kontrol software. "Each box can be set from anywhere between 50 and 120°, and you can use them symmetrically or asymmetrically,” he explains.

"It just really cleans things up," McDermott continues. "Once you start eliminating reflections, and you start getting the rig to run efficiently—instead of having to fight the reflections and fight with the room—that's where the Trinity really shines, because you have the ability to take the room out of the equation."

Check out a video interview with James “Pugsley” McDermott.

Alcons Audio Powers k.d. lang’s ‘Ingénue’ Anniversary Tour

k.d. lang recently wrapped up a 21-date US theatre tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of her landmark album Ingénue, with sound coverage provided by an Alcons Audio LR18 compact mid-size line-array.

Main hangs were complemented by four BC543 very high-output subwoofers, an active cardioid design utilizing three carbon fiber cones. SR9 ultra-compact monitors were used for front fill, with VR8 compact monitors and QR24/110 modular line-source array columns in specialized fill roles.

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The tour touched down in many historic theaters, which tended to present unique sound reinforcement challenges. “Despite restoration and upgrading programs, meeting contemporary audience expectations in older venues always makes the audio team work hard,” says Alcons North American sales manager David Rahn, who spent time on the tour. “[FOH engineer Gary Stokes] really ‘gets it’; he is a pleasure to work with and the combination of him and Alcons delivered a beautifully-balanced sound.”

Childish Gambino and L-Acoustics L-ISA

Childish Gambino, the alter ego of DJ, writer, artist, and comedian Donald Glover, carried L-Acoustics L-ISA Hyperreal Sound technology on his This Is America Tour.

Tour director Christian Coffey, who serves as tour director for Run The Jewels, first heard L-ISA when the hip-hop duo toured with Lorde earlier this year. “Lorde’s tour sounded incredible—really full and panoramic,” says Coffey. “Everyone wanted an immersive experience with a non-traditional arena show, and we felt that the L-ISA system could be a great fit.”

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Photo by Greg Noire

The L-ISA Scene system provided by Britannia Row comprised three center arrays of 15 K2 flanked by a pair of 21-enclosure Kara arrays. Four arrays of 15 Kara were flown, two per side, outside of the Scene system as an additional L-ISA Extension system, and two arrays of 13 K2 provided coverage to the seats on the extreme sides of the stage.

Low-frequency coverage was delivered by two adjacent center hangs of eight KS28s each, flown in cardioid configuration, while eight ground-stacked KS28s provided LF reinforcement to the near-field audience. Six Kara spread across the stage lip provided front fill, and the system was driven by LA12X amplified controllers housed in LA-RAK II touring racks. “The L-ISA system has the capability to improve the overall breadth and dynamic possibilities for a live concert experience,” Coffey notes. “It can really widen and improve the aural experience in a multitude of settings and shows.”

Recording Elton John on Tour With RMS SawStudio and Mackie MCU

When Sir Elton announced a farewell tour this fall, his production team wanted a full multitrack recording rig. Alan Richardson, who has mixed monitors for Elton John for 22 years, spec’ed a system based on  RML Labs’ SAWStudio and Software Audio Console (SAC) software, controlled with a Mackie Universal Control Pro (MCU Pro) DAW control surface.

“About 35 years ago, I toured with Bob Lentini, who created SAW and SAC,” says Richardson. “Lentini lives here in Las Vegas, and Elton John was playing a residency here, so I got in touch with Bob, and he showed me what could be done with the latest version of his software. We bought SAC software at the same time because I was intrigued about using it to mix monitors. SAC gives you 25 individual consoles, so everyone in the band gets their own console.”

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Richardson auditioned several controllers before landing on the Mackie MCU Pro. “The MCU Pro has long throw faders that are really smooth,” he says. “As a mixer, that’s my main concern. We got the MCU Pro and the MCU XT Pro 8-channel control surface extension, so I have 16 faders.”

When the MCU Pro and MCU XT Pro arrived, Richardson had Lentini write a template, so they would integrate with SAWStudio and SAC. “With the template, the MCU Pro integrates right into the software system,” he says. “I basically use it as a VCA mixer, with everything assigned in groups to the faders. I can hit a preset button, and the MCU Pro takes me right to the fader I want. If I have to get to an input, I can get there quickly, make my changes, and continue mixing.”

Richardson also makes use of the MCU Pro’s recording transport functions. “I mix monitors and record with the same control interface, and it’s no extra work for me. The MCU Pro does everything I want it to do.”

Stay tuned for Part Two with tour snapshots for Ed Sheeran, Janelle Monae, St. Vincent, and Godsmack!

Sarah Jones is a writer, editor, and content producer with more than 20 years' experience in pro audio, including as editor-in-chief of three leading audio magazines: MixEQ, and Electronic Musician. She is a lifelong musician and committed to arts advocacy and learning, including acting as education chair of the San Francisco chapter of the Recording Academy, where she helps develop event programming that cultivates the careers of Bay Area music makers.