Tour Snapshots, Part Two

In this second part of our Tour Snapshot series, we dig into the rigs supporting Ed Sheeran, Janelle Monae, St. Vincent, and Godsmack on the road. (Read Part One to learn about the technology on tour with Dierks Bentley, k.d. lang, Childish Gambino, and Elton John.)

St. Vincent Dials In a Demanding Workflow With DiGiCo: After a solo theatrical run earlier this year, Annie “St. Vincent” Clark recently headed back out on the road with a full band. FOH engineer Adam Jackson and monitor engineer Alex MacLeod each relied on DiGiCo SD10 consoles supplied by VER/PRG; the desks were connected through an Optocore network, which included a full DiGiCo SD-Rack at monitors, an SD-Mini Rack at FOH, and an Orange Box converter.

St_Vincent.jpg

MacLeod says that Clark always kept the tech team on its toes: “Some artists sort of know what they want when it comes to the live sound and kind of how to get it; Annie knows exactly what she wants, and she knows how to make it happen,” he says. “She really knows audio, and she won’t hesitate to call you out if it’s not right.” He adds that the SD10s provided the workflow the team needed: “In the Optocore loop, we were able to share head amps and share control of the gain,” he explains. “We used the same network to communicate using the text-chat feature on the DiGiCo desks, as well as having a talkback for each member of the band. Everything was well connected on this tour.” 

Jackson agrees that mixing a St. Vincent gig can be complex, but it’s made a little easier by the SD10’s automation and flexibility. “Of all the things I like about the console—and I’ve been using an SD10 for five or six years now—it’s having that screen in the center that’s the best,” he says. “I never have to look this way or that over the console—everything I need is all right there in front of me…We use a Shure KSM8 on Annie’s vocals with just some Empirical Labs Distressor set at 4:1 with fast attack and release, the Empirical Labs Lil Freq, and a Bricasti vocal reverb. Everything else I need is onboard the SD10, so it’s a very simple, reliable and great-sounding signal chain.”

Godsmack and Shinedown-credit Carlos Escobar.jpg

Photo by Carlos Escobar

Godsmack and Shinedown Rock Hard With Meyer Sound

Double-threat Godsmack and Shinedown just wrapped up a joint US tour together, touching down at sheds and arenas across the country with a Meyer Sound LEO system featuring LEO, LYON, and LEOPARD line arrays and an arced array of 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements.

FOH engineer and production manager Scott Tkachuk spec’d the system with Godsmack front man Sully Erna: “We had toured with a Meyer LEO rig before, and we were amazed at how far it could throw while maintaining clarity and a sense of presence–of being right there with the band,” he says.

These qualities turned out to be beneficial at larger sheds with lawn areas that rely on distributed house delay systems. “Some lawn systems are good, and some not so good,” Tkachuk explains, “but even some of the better ones are set up for mono and that defeats the whole purpose of painting a stereo image. We can have up to 8,000 people on the lawn, and they need to experience what I’m hearing at front-of-house. With the LEO system, we can shoot out into the lawns, holding a good stereo image and giving you the feeling that you’re only 50' from the stage.”

The tour’s default system configuration was anchored by dual front arrays of 12 LEO line array loudspeakers with four LYON line array loudspeakers underhung for downfill. Outfill arrays were 10-each LYON, and side wrap arrays comprised 12-each LEOPARD compact line array loudspeakers. Six more LEOPARD cabinets were available for front or peripheral fill as needed. Pummeling bass was supplied by the front arc of 18 1100-LFC low frequency control elements, further augmented by twin flown arrays of eight each 700-HP subwoofers.

Tkachuk mixed the Godsmack sets behind a Midas ProX console while FOH engineer Tom Abraham worked the Shinedown portion of the show using a Yamaha PM10. Wireless systems were all Shure, with PSM-1000 units for IEMs and a mix of UHF-R and Axient Digital for microphones.

Janelle Monae.jpg

Adlib Outfits Janelle Monáe’s Euro Tour

UK tour supplier Adlib first supplied tour tech for Janelle Monáe back in 2008, following her critically acclaimed EP Metropolis: The Chase Suite. A decade later, Monáe was out on the UK and Europe leg of her Dirty Computer world tour, with technical production once again provided by Adlib.

The audio system, spec’d by FOH engineer Amanda Davis and monitor engineer Anthony Cavasin, comprised DiGiCo SD12 consoles at FOH and monitors, L-Acoustics sidefills, and a mic package that included 10-ways of Sennheiser 2000 series IEMs and 8 channels of Shure UHF-R for instruments, with a Sennheiser SKM52000 handheld fitted with a 5235 capsule for Monáe.

Production manager Jeff Cochran says, “Adlib provided excellent service, quality gear, expert technicians and a friendly, interpersonal touch to the experience of hiring audio, lighting and video systems.”

Ed Sheeran lighting dir.jpg

Ed Sheeran’s Divide Tour Clarifies Comms with Point Source Audio

Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (“Divide”) tour relies on complex audio and lighting technology, with behind-the-scenes production support from Point Source Audio. Lighting director Matt Jones had been switching frantically between audio and comms until he made the switch from in-ears to a Point Source CM-i3 in-ear headset. Jones says that before adopting the CM-i3 headset, he would have to take his in-ears out in order to put on another headset. “The [CM-i3] has freed me up to not worry about taking my [in-ears] out and then putting on a different headset; it means that I can keep my headset with my in-ears and still be able to communicate with spots, stage management, and the technicians,” he says. “It’s improved the workflow so I don’t have to take my attention away from running the show.”

To accomplish the all-in-one audio plus comms headset, the feed from the audio FOH mix is added to Jones’ Clear-Com FreeSpeak 2 body pack via a Fischer Amps In Ear Amp, which has a volume control that can be adjusted to set the amount of show feed in his in-ears.

The CM-i3 headset setup lets Jones keep both eyes and ears on everything happening onstage. “My purpose for the show is to ensure that the show is looking consistent from one show to the next, and that means making sure that the spots are correct and the focus is balanced—that the show is as much the same today as it was when we first started back over 18 months ago.”

Watch a video interview with Jones: