Orbital Sound has provided an equally impressive complement of sound equipment, with Mick Potter adapting his original design for the 2006 West End production to cope with the venue variations and the tight schedule on the extensive national tour.
Overall, the touring version of the show matches up closely to the West End production, with the exception of a slightly re-organised orchestra to allow for the logistics of touring a 14-piece band. The sound system revolves around Potter's trademark Yamaha PMI-D console, with the Meyer M'elodie ultra compact line-array system and 600HP Subs in conjunction with Meyer UPJ-1P, d&b audiotecnik EO and E3 cabinets. His focus was on maintaining the naturalistic quality of the original show, while reflecting the essentially cinematic nature of the current production.
"All of the scene changes and action take place directly in front of the audience, presenting the musical in a similar way to the original movie," says Potter. "From a sound design point of view, it's a very dynamic show, involving getting the right balance between retaining the naturalistic sound of a stage musical while conveying the cinematic feel, with all its incredible automation and effects. The M'elodie line array is a great-sounding system, giving the completely naturalistic sound I was looking for, while still handling rock levels with equal ease. I have used the M'elodie and d&b audiotechnik combination for the main system for some time now, and love the partnership."
(Jim Evans)
