LONDON – Adlib supplied sound equipment and crew for the recent U.K. leg of The Script's Science & Faith world tour.
The band's FOH engineer, Richy Nicholson, had used an L-Acoustics V-DOSC system from Adlib for last fall's theatre tour. For 2011's larger venues, including the O2 Arena in London, he opted for the new K1 system, and credited it for helping provide coverage with the 270-degree O2 setup.
There, he used main left and right hangs with 16 K1 elements and three Kara downfills per side, plus left and right side hangs of 14 V-DOSC, each with six dV-DOSC downs, complete with a hang of eight K1 subs flown beside each of the main hangs.
Further upstage, there were side hangs of eight Kudos and, at the O2, left and right delays of eight K1s two thirds of the way down the hall, all helping to fill the back and upper levels of the venue. The crew also used eight L-Acoustics SB28 subs per side on the floor to raise the low end; that configuration grew to 12 per side at the O2.
For infills and outfills, a series of ARCs and dV-DOSC speakers were used, with all speakers driven by L-Acoustics LA8 amps.
Having used L-Acoustics V-DOSC for some time, it was a natural progression to migrate to the K1 system, and Nicholson credited the gear for the accuracy of its horizontal throw. Flying the K1 subs also helped get the low end to the rear and (in the case of the O2) the upper levels of the arenas, without having to push the main hangs too hard.
One of Nicholson's goals was to ensure that the full band dynamics were featured in the mix, capturing the whole groove and solidity of the sound, while still delivering on the music's raw energy – in stark contrast to "TV mix" scenarios where pop vocals dominate.
Nicholson mixed on an Avid Profile, the console that he has used most over the last year. Although it has a capacity for 96 inputs, he only used 48 channels on this leg of the tour, and, conscious of not becoming "Mr Plug In," he kept it simple, using a wave C6 dynamic EQ for each vocal channel and a Tube-Tech CL1B compressor for vocalist Danny O'Donoghue.
The system design included the latest Lake LM26 system processors – four at the stage end and three at FOH, connected by fiber – and a Dante audio-over-Ethernet system to keep the signal digital and to provide a solid network for control over the LA8 amps.
Nicholson worked with Adlib systems tech Tony Szabo, who spec'd a Meyer SIM 3 for time-alignment and system setup; crew chief Marc Peers, who also oversaw monitor world; and PA techs Ian Nelson and Alan Harrison. Bob O‘Brien managed all aspects of the production with Ian "Quinner" Quinn as the TM. For the O2 show, Adlib also supplied James Neale and Carlos Herreros to tech the extra gear.
For monitors, the band members used their own mics (predominantly Sennheiser-based) along with a 6-channel Sennheiser IEM system which included feeds for the backline technicians. Nicholson credited Sennheiser for support "second to none."
On stage, Adlib supplied a Soundcraft Vi6 console for monitor engineer Paul "Mini" Moore. He gave it high marks for ease of setup and use. Adlib also supplied a Pro Tools 7 setup for recording each show, and this is being toured worldwide.
There were no wedges onstage, but for atmospherics, four SB28 subs were integrated into the backline, together with two ARCs cabinets, all fed with the kick and bass channels to provide some serious air movement from upstage.
Moore credited Adlib for the quality of gear and their attention to detail – above and beyond the needs of the audio setup.
"Apart from all the technical stuff, I get two cups of tea during the set, one after the fifth number and one at the start of the encores, together with a nice selection of chocolate goodies," Moore said, calling crew chief Marc Peers "Adlib's star tea -maker on this tour."
For more information, please visit www.adlibsolutions.co.uk.
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