The company's MD Gary Marks explains: "Björn Again has been a client for many years now, probably 10 years. But this time round, the PA requirement was quite different from previous tours. Andy Keighley [Björn Again's production manager] had very specific PA requirements, taking into account the changing demographic of the Björn Again audience. The brief was to provide a compact line array which could fly off 2,250kg points on the front truss should it be needed, and it couldn't block any sight lines due to the nature of the show. He wanted high quality sound that could be heard but not seen."
After a meeting at the 2005 PLASA show with Logic's Andy Simmons, it was decided to use the Ethos array on the tour. Marks says: "I'd heard about the Ethos system through Glen Smith at GSA, but this was the first time we'd used it in 'anger' - I couldn't believe the phone calls I was getting from Hippo [Ian 'Hippo' Williams, FOH engineer] after the first few shows, he was raving about the system. I've never heard a guy so pleased with a speaker system and it's gone from strength to strength after that."
Hippo takes up the story: "This system's been a dream to use from day one, starting with the load-in. Crews love it, it's small and one side of the PA [six top boxes] travel on a single dolly, so it's a one-man push into the venue. It's a doddle to fly because all the fly gear is on the box. Sometimes we've had to ground-stack, which it's designed to do and works well, but actually I think it's easier to fly. I'm using small, single-phase motors so I can usually get the PA up while everyone else is still loading in, it certainly makes my mornings easier!"
"In terms of sound quality I've been really impressed with what such a relatively small system can do. I've always believed in the basic theory of 'less is more'. In many of the venues we're using the six 'VA' top boxes per side with just a single block of three B2 bass bins per side, this gives me all the bass control that I need without having to add any EQ - they're actually run completely flat. The B2s are amazing for the size of the box. The system also comes with a pair of SB2s - twin 18" subs - per side, but I've only had to use them in the larger venues such as Sheffield (City Hall) and the 'Armadillo' in Glasgow (Clyde Auditorium)."
Asked for his comments on the system, production manager Andy Keighley said: "We have had absolutely no complaints on this tour. The system has completely solved our problem of distributing the sound without blasting the people at the front and it's got the PA off the ground, solving the sightline problems we used to have. It's a very good sounding system; all in all we're very pleased."
Gary Marks has the final word: "The Ethos system is the ideal cost-effective line array solution that doesn't compromise the audio in any way. I'm really pleased with the way it's performed and we're already looking to put it on more shows in the New Year."
(Lee Baldock)
