At its core is a combined analogue and digital Cadac system, comprising an 82-input Cadac J-Type Live Production Console, complemented by D16 Digital Mix Matrices and M16 remote controlled microphone amplifiers. The main PA rig is from Opus, representing the company's largest theatre system to date, including eight AT1000 cabinets and eight SB218 subs, plus Sennheiser SK50 and SK5012 radiomics, and XTA 26 processing.
"The show is great entertainment and very well written," says Brooker. "The songs are really well-known, but the dialogue is very funny and the whole story line works brilliantly. Chris Egan's orchestrations are quite brilliant, crafted not only to enhance the pop songs but also beautifully assisting the transition from dialogue to song and back to dialogue again. My challenge has been to give the sound design a theme, enabling the audience to follow the story with crisp, sensible dialogue before moving into the big numbers.
"The Cadac chain for the input stage gives a fantastically clear, defined and beautiful dynamic. I am using the M16 splits into the D16s, routing half into the J-Type - giving me an all-Cadac signal path into the Opus system. I am also thrilled with the separation and definition from the Opus - the whole sound is perfect. We have a seven-piece band that is working really hard all through the show, and the audiences appear to be loving it."
Production sound is by Mike Walker and Mark Cornwell of Loh-Humm Sound. Brooker's sound team comprises Tom Marshall as assistant sound designer, Chris Dunkin as operator, with Robin Conway and Roisinne Mamdani backstage.
(Jim Evans)
