One of this year’s consistently hot concert draws, The Lumineers, kicked off an ambitious outing of amphitheater and arena dates throughout North America as part of its “III: The World Tour,” supporting the band’s hit III album.
To deliver its energized blend of alt-folk and Americana with intimacy and impact in large arenas and expansive outdoor amphitheaters, the band relied on a Meyer Sound LEO Family reinforcement system supplied by Escondido, CA-based Sound Image. That is, up until the tour was halted after just 18 stops due to Covid-19 venue closures, following a final (at least so far) show at the 18,000-capacity Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
The FOH Position
The Lumineers’ live mix benefits from the experience and practiced ears of veteran FOH engineer Josh Osmond, who has helmed the band’s house consoles since 2013.
“The most important factor for me is consistency,” says Osmond. “The mix itself is subjective, and once the band and I are on the same page as to what the show should sound like, then it’s up to me to make that sound as consistent as possible, night in and night out. That’s where using the Meyer Sound systems have really paid off. With the linear phase response of the LEO Family and the flexibility available through Compass control software, Meyer has given me all the tools necessary to achieve this goal.”
The touring rig was comprised of main left/right hangs of (per side) 10 LEO line arrays over eight LYON-M line arrays. Side arrays are 14 LYON each (eight LYON-M main over six LYON-W wide), the far 270 hangs each deploy 14 LEOPARD compact line arrays and six LEOPARD speakers forming the center array. Eight 1100-LFC low frequency control elements are flown per side as steerable cardioid arrays, with four additional 1100-LFC elements per side under the stage in an end-fire configuration.
System Control
For system optimization and signal distribution, the system utilizes eight GALAXY network platform processors, all linked on an AVB network running the new Milan protocol. The fully redundant network, implemented on a quad core fiber link, has a primary network with AVB only and a secondary network carrying AVB, RMS system monitoring and Compass control. The quad core link allows connecting both the stage right and stage left racks to the FOH master processor without additional switch hops.
“The biggest advantage of the AVB network over analog or AES3 is fewer connections,” says Ryan Cornelius, the tour’s systems engineer. “I can route our entire drive signal flow over two cables. It’s also more flexible, as I can reroute or add inputs to the GALAXY processors with a couple mouse clicks, rather than digging through the back of the rack for tie lines. The new Milan protocol is a big leap forward in terms of stability and ease of configuration,” adds Cornelius. “It has made initial network setup and deployment much simpler, and operation is stable and consistent.”
Osmond acknowledges two other worthy additions to the Meyer Sound LEO Family toolkit: the LYON update and the LMBC (Low-Mid Beam Control) configuration tool now available in Compass.
“LYON has always been a great speaker, but now with the update it has really opened up and given the box more headroom,” he says. “The phase response is great, and it requires very little EQ. I also really love having LMBC available to help achieve uniform vertical coverage from the arrays across the full frequency spectrum, from front to back. Aside from that, Meyer Sound’s GALAXY and the Galileo predecessors have always been my first choice as system processors. They have everything you want right at your fingertips. There’s no tabbing through page after page to get where you need to go.”
Two other key members of the audio crew are monitor engineer Brad Galvin, also with the band for more than seven years, and monitor tech/audio crew chief Stephen Wharton. As the one principally responsible for P.A. logistics, Wharton appreciates Meyer Sound’s self-powered approach.
“With this tour in particular, having a self-powered P.A. is a huge advantage,” he remarks. “Most venues have sold very well, and — because of that — the stage is pushed back as far as possible, often limiting the amount of space available. Not having amp racks on the ground really helps us out.”
The Next Step?
Exactly when the tour may pick up may be in question, but the dedication to audio quality by everyone concerned was assured. “Our collective desire, band and crew, is to produce amplified sound in an arena that is comparable in quality and clarity to what the audience would hear acoustically,” says Sara Full, the band’s longtime production manager.
Full also gave a nod to Sound Image for its role. “Jesse Adamson, our Sound Image rep, has been working with us since 2016 and has been diligent in making sure we had the best technicians with the proper training and skill. Sound Image did a great job of supporting us worldwide.”
The Lumineers III Tour
CREW
- Sound Company: Sound Image
- FOH Engineer: Josh Osmond
- Monitor Engineer: Brad Galvin
- Systems Engineer: Ryan Cornelius
- Crew Chief: Stephen Wharton
- Production Manager: Sara Full
- P.A. Techs: Emily Arnold, Tucker Arbuthnot
P.A. GEAR
- Mains: (10) Meyer Sound LEO over (8) LYON line arrays per side
- Side Arrays: (14) LYON-M over (6) LYON-W wide per side
- Center Array: (6) LEOPARD
- 270 Hangs: (14) LEOPARD/side
- Subs: (8) 1100-LFC/side, flown; (8) 1100-LFC/side, ground
FOH GEAR
- FOH Console: Avid VENUE S6L
- Outboard: Rupert Neve Designs Portico II Master Buss Processor, 5043, 5045; API 2500; McDSP AE600, SPC2000, NR800, Ultimate Compressor; Lectrosonics TM400
- System Drive: Meyer Sound Galaxy 816 AES
MON GEAR
- Monitor Console: DiGiCo SD5
- Outboard: (2) Waves Extreme Servers, C6, API 2500, PSE, CLA-2A; Rupert Neve Designs 5045 Primary Source Enhancer, 5024 Quad Mic Pre
- IEM Earpieces: Jerry Harvey Audio Layla
- Wireless Mics: Shure Axient Digital
- Wired Mics: Audix, DPA, Heil, Neumann, sE Electronics, Sennheiser, Shure, Telefunken
