As a professional who takes a close interest in the way his industry grows and evolves, Alington has chosen PLASA Focus Leeds to support the show's Professional Development Programme by presenting his Live Music Recording seminar entitled Capturing Adele at the Royal Albert Hall. With such a busy schedule, why has he elected to make time for PLASA Focus Leeds? "The Professional Development Programme is a great way of broadening people's understanding of so many aspects of live entertainment. For people in the industry - or, and perhaps especially, for those looking to enter it - they'll leave with a wealth of knowledge about many areas that have either been a mystery or they simply want to know more about."
It is clear from Alington's CV that he is no stranger to the rather unique acoustic properties of the Royal Albert Hall. As he comments, "The room has not been altered since the 'mushrooms' were installed in 1969; still, with the right sound designer, a full on PA can work well in the hall but it's certainly more lively than most rock-and-roll venues! My fun job is simply taking the animated, dynamic performance of the artist - in this case Adele - to an audience listening on little wooden boxes in their living room. It's many miles away from studio technique, largely because you don't have that control and finesse, but you do have the huge advantage of a live artist and her band and a live audience - you can't beat that for musical excitement as long as you don't fight it. There's an old saying, 'Don't push the river'. For me, that's about the most important thing with getting the excitement from a live gig to permeate the final mix."
The balancing act between the performance and the audience is the key to any successful live music recording as Alington makes clear, "Audience reaction is an intrinsic part of the mix. I would never start mixing a live gig without knowing at the back of my mind how the audience is going to affect it, add to it and benefit it. I worked with director David Mallet for many years on huge live shows and he could never have enough audience in the mix. And I kind of agree - as long as it's believable. About ten years ago, in Tina Turner's Wembley Stadium show, which David directed, at the start of 'Simply The Best' the audience reaction eclipses the music for a few bars, and it works brilliantly. The excitement that comes from the live performance and the live audience reaction produces that 'hairs on the back of the neck moment'. One of my pet hates is when I hear a live gig which sounds pretty much like the original album; all the warts and feel scrubbed off, and the whole thing presented as a squeaky-clean 'isn't it amazing; how perfect this all is' soundtrack. The trick is partly to allow the listener to believe they're at the gig; or wish they'd been there when they hear the recording - and audience reaction is a huge part of that process."
The practical logistics of capturing a live performance has evolved over Alington's career: "For most live recordings, we're parked outside in the OB area alongside the vision mobiles. These days of course we run fib
