It was more than 20 years ago today that Paul "Pab" Boothroyd first put fingers to faders as FOH engineer for Paul McCartney.
Boothroyd has been a steady presence behind the desk for Sir Paul since his eponymous World Tour in 1989, and has seen more than his share of changes over the years. But he maintains a philosophy toward his job that has worked well not just with McCartney, but with a wide range of distinctive artists including AC/DC, Paul Simon, the Eurhythmics, Faith Hill and Pink.
"My job is to present the music, to present the performance as the artist intended it, and as the audience expects to hear it," he observes. "People come to a show with certain expectations, and my job is to help fulfill those expectations as best I can."
Of course, when those expectations include a legacy of songs that are infused into the psyche of a generation, it does tend to set the bar a bit higher. "With Paul, these are iconic songs that every person in the audience has an attachment to," he says. "Whether it's a particular guitar hook or a certain vocal harmony, they expect to hear these songs in a certain familiar way. My job is to reproduce that as faithfully as possible."
It Starts with Good Players
Needless to say, working with a band of masterful musicians does take some of the pressure off. Keyboardist Paul "Wix" Wickens is an accomplished producer in his own right, and deftly handles the dense and complex orchestrations of some of the later Beatles' recordings. Guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray are exceptional players who add much more than the sum of their parts. And drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr. is a show unto himself, a tasteful player and exuberant performer whose voice truly does justice to the songs.
"This is really one of the best bands Paul's ever toured with," says Boothroyd. "These guys, they're all such consummate players. The music just falls into place very naturally, and that really makes my job a lot easier. It's only a five-piece band, but it's a huge sound. We've got about 30 different guitars, plus all of Wix's sounds, lots of different effects. I add a little to it, but most of it's the sound that's coming from the stage."
The host is also in good form. Watching him effortlessly move through a 90 minute sound check, followed by a three-hour concert, it's easy to forget McCartney is closing in on 70. He performs with a youthful energy and spontaneity that belies his years, and it's clear he's still a rock ‘n' roller at heart.
"Paul's always been the epitome of the old school rocker," says Boothroyd. "He likes it live and loud on stage, the same way it was when he was playing the clubs. No in-ears. The side fills have the full mix, and he likes Grubby (John "Grubby" Callis, the band's monitor engineer) to push it in the wedges. Everything's very open and a bit raw up there, and that's how I mix it."
The PA is all Clair i-Series, with a main array of 14 i-5 and 12 i-5B subs per side, augmented by two side hangs of eight i-5 and six i-5B. Clair iDL and P2 boxes cover side and front fills, respectively, with Crown and QSC amps powering the system. There's ample sound on stage, with 15 Clair SRM wedges and four R4 Series III boxes for side fill. Callis mixes monitors on a pair of Midas Heritage 3000 desks.
It's a Jungle Up There
Indeed, there's a lot of sound and not much opportunity for separation on stage. Laboriel sings on nearly every tune, and everyone else's vocal mics are in use much of the time, on a stage full of drums, monitors and an arsenal of Voxes, Marshalls and Mesa Boogies. Boothroyd's microphone technique is straightforward, designed to make the most of the arrangement, with everyone on Beta58s, except Laboriel, who uses a Beta57 on a boom. "A 58, to me, is a vocal reference for live rock ‘n' roll," he says. "Whether it's Annie Lennox or Brian Johnson from AC/DC or Paul, I know what it's going to sound like.
"A lot of the songs evoke a period," he adds, "and you want to get that sound and feel, with a bit of rawness to it. You can't polish it too much or you take away some of the essence. Back then, they would stick an SM57 on Paul's Vox amp, and that's what I do to get that same tone."
Boothroyd does use a few tricks to get separation on the drums. "I mic the cymbals on-axis from underneath using DPA4061 mini condensers, and sum those to a stereo pair; that gives me better separation, and helps eliminate some of the phasing when the cymbals move." The rest of the gear is a mix of Audix, AKG and Shure mics.
Meanwhile, Out in the House…
But while his approach to miking may be Old School, Boothroyd is anything but a Luddite. His rig of choice for mixing McCartney and most other artists is an Avid VENUE Profile. He carries very little extra hardware, doing most of the processing via the Profile's plug-ins. "I'm using some of the Oxford EQ and a bit of compression on Paul's vocal, some compression on the drums and bass, but I really don't do a lot of processing."
It's certainly a pared-down version of his former setup, a pair of 48-channel Midas XL4 consoles. "We do run a lot of channels, because there's so much going on, and so much switching of instruments and all," he says. "And one of the things I like about the Profile is the size. I've literally mixed shows in a closet for Paul. In fact, when we did the Cavern Club last year, we took the doors off of a closet, and that's where I set up."
That's not to say he's eschewed analog consoles completely. Two weeks after McCartney's opening night in Phoenix, Boothroyd was on a plane, headed to rejoin AC/DC, who he mixes on a pair of Midas Pro 40 desks. "For AC/DC, that's just the sound we're looking for," he explains. "It all goes through a front end of an XL8 mic splitter. It's a simpler show, musically speaking, but the routing's actually a good bit more complicated."
But for McCartney's shows in particular, the ability to recall a mix on the digital console is invaluable. "Paul's got such a wide range of material, and in a typical show the band will play around 30 songs," says Boothroyd. "Paul likes to keep things interesting. One night he'll decide to segue from Yesterday into Helter Skelter, another time he might launch into a song they've never performed live before, with no announcement. I usually won't pick up a set list until after sound check, so it's pretty much a matter of going with things as they come. Obviously it could have the potential to get out of hand, and at the beginning of a tour like we are now, there's always new songs to work out. But with these guys, it really doesn't take too long to get things dialed in."
Keeping it Interesting
And get it dialed in he does, making it look easy even when informed during sound check that the band will be performing Obladi, Oblada and Two Of Us for the first time this evening, or when they break into an impromptu jam on Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze. It's clear from McCartney's rapport with the audience that he loves to entertain and likes to keep things interesting.
"That's one of the best things about working with Paul," says Boothroyd. "He's always pushing the limits, always chucking new things at us. Last year they did a surprise show on top of the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater on Times Square, and another at the Cavern Club. That's the way Paul is – lots of fun, and never boring."
And clearly, McCartney fans do get their money's worth. It's a three-hour marathon of classic songs, the audience on their feet and singing along for much of it. The Beatles' legacy is truly in good hands, and so is the mix.
"I grew up with these songs too," says Boothroyd. "When I was a kid in Liverpool the Beatles' songs were always being played everywhere. I never even had a clue I'd get into music, let alone be working with Paul. But really, he's one of the most straightforward performers there is. He's not just a prime example of Old School – he pretty much wrote the book on it. And he understands people's attachment to these songs. All I can do is try to reproduce that faithfully, keep the clarity and keep thing in perspective. I'm just doing my job, like I do no matter who the artist is."
