Despite the extensive technical demands of a complex and sometimes unpredictable event, the production proved the capabilities of the design and engineering crew. The audio side was handled exclusively by Britannia Row Productions who deployed a 30-element Outline GTO system flown in three 10-deep columns, each with three Outline Mantas under-hung for near-fills. The two side-hangs comprised 10 Outline Butterfly elements each, and the whole system was driven by Outline T-Series amplifiers run from Dolby Lake system controllers.
The Midas XL8 at FOH was operated by engineer Colin Pink, with Chris Coxhead handling the orchestra mix on a Midas Pro 6, while Dee Miller mixed monitors on a Yamaha PM-5D.
FOH engineer Colin Pink said, "The power of the Outline GTO system provided a very large dynamic range whilst keeping exceptional detail and intelligibility. It managed to retain its warmth and subtlety at all volume levels and never became harsh.
"Although the system looked like a normal left/centre/right arrangement, in fact the three hangs were time-aligned to four separate zones. The orchestra layout was over 15m wide, so I split this into three areas across the width of the stage and timed each area separately to the PA hangs. The fourth zone was the stage itself, for the solo performers and singers. This gave us a much more natural sound with improved detail and imaging, and allowed us to get the most out of the GTO system."
The overall audio design was by special-event veteran Derrick Zieba who commented, "For this event I would normally have specified another system, but a recommendation from my pal Richard Sharratt who has been using GTO for orchestral work made me want to try it. I liked its basic character as soon as I heard it."
Britannia Row's Bryan Grant said, "There's only one way to do complex and challenging shows like this, and that is to combine a highly skilled and creative crew with the professional tools they need. The success of this year's Classic Brits suggests that we and our team did just that."
(Jim Evans)
