Nashville-based Blackhawk Audio provided the touring rig that helped Skillet reach audiences numbering from 2,000 to 8,000, in venues ranging from large churches to small arenas. The Meyer Sound system was comprised of 16 Milo and two Milo 120 line array loudspeakers, eight M'elodie line array loudspeakers, four MSL-4 loudspeakers, four UPA-1P loudspeakers, 14 700-HP subwoofers, and a Galileo loudspeaker management system.
"It's their small headlining rig," explains Blackhawk Audio's Jamie Nixon. "They work a lot: they do a lot of secular tours as a support act. When they do headlining tours, they do smaller theatres, college gyms, churches - the churches they're going to are really big."
"The Meyer rig is doing very well on the Awake and Alive tour," comments front-of-house engineer Robert Taylor. "The boxes put out a lot of SPL without distorting, which is great since we are limited to the amount of PA we can carry.
"The top end on the Milo is very clean," Taylor adds, "and it's been great for vocals. The MAPP Online Pro [acoustical prediction] programme has been great for seeing what the PA will do and playing with time alignment without having to physically move cabinets to change coverage patterns. Having the Galileo connected to a router has been very useful as well. I am able to use Compass [control software] on my computer and control the Galileo as I walk the room and make EQ or level adjustment for zones, while I'm in the zone hearing the changes as I'm making them."
Blackhawk Audio is also providing equipment including Sennheiser G3 in-ear monitors, and Avid Venue Profile and SC48 consoles.
"The band loves the Meyer gear," adds Nixon. "It just delivers what Scotty Rock, the production manager, wants to hear. Skillet carries a lot of production, with a PA, lighting, and stage set pieces. The Milo gives him a powered product that doesn't take up a lot of room in his truck pack. He doesn't have to worry about taking amp cases and amp racks around. And it just outperforms the competition."
(Jim Evans)
