LONDON – Adlib Audio is supplying English 2-tone/ska band The Specials with sound equipment and the crew. Tour manager Mike Darling chose Adlib, based on previous assignments with Ibiza Rocks and other projects. Adlib crew members included James Neale and Richy Nicholson.
Neale and Nicholson are working with the band's engineers, Marcos Ferrari (FOH) and Pete Abbot (Monitors) on a tour that ranges from small arenas and to provincial theatres, and the primary requirement of the system was that it be exceptionally flexible.
The main FOH speaker system is L-Acoustics V-Dosc (specified by Ferrari), however Adlib is also carrying some dV-Dosc and Arcs cabinets for the larger shows. In the largest configuration, this is set up as main left and right flown hangs of eight V-Dosc cabinets and a under hang of three dV-Dosc per side. The flown side hangs consisted of six dV-Dosc cabinets per side. There were also four Arcs cabinets per side for front fills and two dV-Dosc units along the front edge of the stage. However, there have been numerous variations, both flown and ground stacked, depending on the venue. The tour also includes six SB28 subs per side, all powered by the new L-Acoustics 8 amps.
Ferrari, who has a studio background, specified a Digidesign Profile console. He is also using some special outboard equipment, which he has worked with previously in the studio. His main aim was to use this tour to steer away from analog equipment and make it fully digital, using on board plug-ins.
Ferrari is using a Manley stereo variable MU limiter/valve compressor daisy chained together with two Tube Tech PE1C mono parametric EQs on the main stereo mix, which he is using for a bit of soft compression and EQ.
He is also using two Millennia STT1 mic preamps, which are used as recording channels for lead singers Terry Hall and Neville Staple.
In his rack, there are also some classics reverbs, including two Lexicon PCM70s, a PCM 81 and a Lexicon 460L.
Neale tunes the system each day, optimizing it for each venue.
In monitor world, Pete Abbott is using another Digidesign Profile, complete with 16 d&b M2 wedges on 10 mixes. One of the guitarists has an IEM mix and there's also an IEM mix for the backline crew to use as needed. The side fills are a pair of L-Acoustics Arcs coupled with a pair of SB28s a side for a decent injection of bass onstage, and these are powered by LA 8 amps. The wedges are all run off d&b's proprietary D12s.
Adlib is supplying a comprehensive mics-and-stands package, including Shure Beta 58 hand held radios for the two lead singers and an assortment of other Shures AKGs and Sennheisers.
For more information, please visit www.adlibsolutions.co.uk.
