Adlib was chosen to be the audio supplier by tour manager Mike Darling, with whom they have worked on several seasons of Ibiza Rocks and other projects.
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. So 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 are 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 8 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 a side for front-fills and two dV-Dosc along the front edge of the stage. However, there have been numerous variations - both flown and ground stacked - and plenty of lateral thinking! They are also using six SB28 subs a-side, all powered by the new LA 8 amps.
Ferrari who comes from a studio background and specified a DigiDesign Profile console. He is also using some special outboard equipment, which he has worked with previously in the studio and knows work. His main aim was to use this tour to steer away from the analogue equipment and become fully digital, ending up fully using the on board plug ins available.
He 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 are also some classics reverbs including, two Lexicon PCM70's, a PCM 81 and a Lexicon 460L.
In monitor world, Pete Abbott is using another DigiDesign Profile, complete with 16 d&b M2 wedges on 10 mixes. 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.
(Jim Evans)
