For those who can appreciate such things, the logistics of sound reinforcement for the RNSIT would be an act in itself, analogous to watching a fire-eating contortionist spin plates while singing O Canada on the back of a dune buggy. To make that task slightly less convoluted, the RNSIT recently purchased a phalanx of Kling & Freitag self-powered loudspeakers and subwoofers, a high fidelity output to complement the huge collection of Sennheiser and Neumann microphones on the other side of the console.
RNSIT sound director Al Strickland records every act in rehearsal for a CD that's mixed, mastered, and manufactured by opening night, in addition to mixing the live show itself. "The Tattoo demands a huge audio setup," he said. "It's not for the faint of heart and requires weeks of long days in preparation to ensure that the show ends up looking effortless. Of course, having gear that functions well and reliably makes it easier to keep smiling."
For years, RNSIT used arrays of passive, large-frame, heavy speakers. Rigging the speakers, laying the bulky speaker wire, and negotiating 800 lb amp racks into place took three days, heaping burden onto an already overburdened Strickland. "By moving to the self-powered German made Kling & Freitag loudspeakers, we've cut that time in half," he said. "They are efficient boxes and have a small footprint. They provide even coverage from the first row to the upper bowl without obscuring sight-lines to either the floor or the screens."
Minus the upper bowl, which still relies on the house sound system for logistical reasons, Strickland covers the remaining 10,000 seats with just eight clusters of two Kling & Freitag Line 212-9 - SP full-range loudspeakers and one Kling & Freitag SW 215E - SP subwoofer each. Six of the clusters form the bulk of the system on the east and west sides of the arena, and the remaining two cover seats at the south end. Together, the two full-range speakers have a dispersion pattern of 90- by 100-degrees so that each cluster knits together perfectly with each of those adjacent to it.
Many of the acts rely on wireless microphones. "We use Sennheiser MKE 1 lavs because they are sweat resistant and their Kevlar cable is bullet proof. They're tiny and yet sound wonderfully transparent," says Strickland. "For hands-free vocals, we have a collection of Sennheiser HSP 4 headset mics. We have four Sennheiser SKM 945 wireless vocal mics for singers and a bank of Sennheiser SR 350 IEM wireless personal monitors for performers who stray from the area covered by the Kling & Freitag monitors."
(Jim Evans)
