IN THE SPOTLIGHT: K-ARRAY KH8 • BAD UNCLES • EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL • CREAMFIELDS LEROY BENNETT • V FESTIVAL • ROCK EN SEINE • ROBE TURNS 20 • RIGGING AND TRUSSING MARKET FOCUS

HYPNOTIC EYE, TRANSFIXING SOUNDTOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS REVEAL A NEW LIVE SOUNDSCAPE

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TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL

ISSUE 182OCTOBER 2014

www.tpiawards.com

LIVE EVENT DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY • OCTOBER 2014 • ISSUE 182

TOTAL PROD

UCTION INTERN

ATIONAL

THE WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART....

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Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Hypnotic Eye arena tour - which features special guest, Steve Winwood - began in San Diego in early August. Along the way it maDe stops at the scenic Gorge and Red Rocks amphitheatres, as well as a special night at Boston’s historic Fenway Park. EAW’s Resolution software is set to become an invaluable tool, which will be used to adapt the coverage of the 54 module Anya system to perfectly match the diverse requirements of each venue on the tour. “ThisisaverybigdayforEAW,”statedJeffRocha,PresidentofEAWwhenitwasannouncedthatEAWhadbeenchosentorepresentPetty’slivesound.“Thecollaborationbetweenthisspecificartist,engineerandsoundcompanyisasgoodasitgets.Robert’s[Scovill]selectionofAnyafurtherreinforcestheindustryshiftawayfromconventionallinearraysinfavourofthepioneeringtechnologiesofadaptiveperformance.AndthelevelofexcellencethatSoundImageconsistently

deliverswillmakethosetechnologiesavailabletoaverywiderangeofartists.” DaveShadoan,PresidentofSoundImageadded:“Weanalyse,watchanddevelopevolvingtechnologycloselyandwestrivetoremainatthetechnologicalforefrontinthetouringindustry.Whenweseeaproductthathasthepotentialtocutanewpath,wewillcertainlygetinvolved.WhenRobertcametouswiththeconceptofusingAnyaforTomPetty,weknewthatitwastimetopayattentionaswehadbeenmonitoringtheAnyasystemaswell. “Robertisaverytalentedengineerandwehavehadastrongrelationshipformanyyears.Aswerollthissystemoutforitsfirstmajortour,we’reconfidentthatit’sinverycapablehands.ItwillbeagreatopportunityforSoundImagetoshowthesystemtootherengineersthatarecuriousaboutAdaptivePerformancetechnology,allowingthemtoseehowitcanbeusedwiththeirclientsmovingforward.JeffRochaandtheEAWteamhaveworkedveryhardtoprovidesomethingnewanddifferent.It

isanexcitingprojecttosaytheleast.” ProductionManageronthetourisChrisAdamson,aveteranintheindustrybyallaccounts,havingbeenontheroadforthelast50years.OneofhisfirstgigswasworkingasanengineerwithTheRats-aBritishRockband-duringtheyearsof’66and‘67.Adamsoniswarmandmostenthusiasticabouthisday,hispassionfortourlife-andPetty’smusic-clearlyseepingoutofhishuskyNorthernEnglishvoice.Post67,hewentontoworkwithFleetwoodMac,touringwiththemfor40years,andPinkFloydduringtoursforThe WallandDark Side of the Moon.Adamsonsaid:“MyclaimisfameisthatI’mthevoiceontheDarkSideoftheMoontrack…youknowtheline,‘I’vebeenmadforfuckingyears’.” AdamsonhasbeenworkingwithPettyforthelast15yearsandmadethemoveStatesidetoVirginiaeightyearsago,ashisworkismainlywithUSactsthesedays.HesaidofPettyandthetouringcrew:“Greatband,greatpeople.I’mactuallystillthenewboy;mostofthe

NORTH AMERICAN RENTAL COMPANY, SOUND IMAGE, JOINED EAW’S EXPANDING GLOBAL NETWORK OF ADAPTIVE PERFORMANCE PARTNERS THROUGH THE PURCHASE OF AN ANYA SYSTEM. AFTER PUTTING THE SYSTEM THROUGH AN EXTENSIVE EVALUATION PROCESS, AWARD WINNING FOH ENGINEER, ROBERT SCOVILL, SPECIFIED ANYA FOR TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS LATEST ARENA TOUR, HYPNOTIC EYE. TPi SPOKE TO THE AUDIO CREW FOR A TOUR EXCLUSIVE.

HYPNOTIC EYE

EVENT FOCUS: Tom Petty

others have been on tour with Tom for 30 years.” Working alongside Sound Image for this latest tour has been a highlight for Adamson. “I’ve known Dave Shadoan for many years and Sound Image is a great company, it has great crew and personnel, and great service with plenty of back-up and support. It’s an entirely professionally run company.” Prior to the tour, FOH Engineer Scovill was testing out a few systems and in the end he chose EAW’s Anya. “It’s a true line array, I’m very impressed with it. The coverage and the headroom on the system is so efficient,” said Adamson. The kit is also efficient size wise, the entire system fits into just one 45ft truck - instead of the two sound trucks Adamson is used to for Petty tours - and requires less PA crew. It’s flexible too. “We’ve been using the same system for 8,000 - 36,000 people. It shows just how technology is moving on, it’s great and I’m embracing it; it’s going to transform the sound industry.” The main PA for the tour is configured in a L-C-R formation. The left and right clusters are a singular arrays, which replaces the traditional line array methods of flying a main and side hang. If more than one column is used the

array works in 60-degree columns. The left and right hangs each comprise 24 EAW Anya boxes but the amount of boxes per column can change each day depending on the location. The most common array set-up so far has been 12 on the main, six on the middle and six on the side column. The C array cluster is optional and comprises a single column of six EAW Anya boxes. “I haven’t been this excited about a new approach to PA technology in a couple of decades now,” said Scovill. “The approach that EAW has taken with Anya is a leap forward in the quality and the way in which audio can be presented to a large audience. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to be an early adopter of Anya.” Scovill first got into the audio industry more than 30 years ago and in that time has built up a sizeable reputation, but where did it all begin? “I was a budding musician, but that all changed when I got a good glimpse at what was going on at the other end of the snake, so to speak,” he said. After leaving high school in 1978, he moved to Kansas City and was lucky enough to get a job at Superior Sound. It was a company that employed some very knowledgeable

people, and so he was able to glean a lot of information from them at a very young age. “At that time there was a very active club scene in the area with a great deal of activity in live sound systems and mixing. In retrospect it was a very rich environment for learning and growth. There was an entire community of live sound engineers that grew out of that era in Kansas City.” Scovill went on to work with Kansas City band, Shooting Star, which headlined many gigs in its own right, as well as opened gigs for major touring acts such as Jefferson Starship and ZZ Top. Through touring with Shooting Star, he built his connections, contacts and reputation and as a result has been working with Petty for 20 years now. As a recognisable industry figure, it came as no surprise that EAW gave Scovill the opportunity to do some evaluation of the Anya system earlier this year at a big sound stage in Hollywood. “I brought in some multi-track material, my console and my FFT analyser and spent a very long day with it. It was apparent from the get-go that Anya is something very special in that it first and foremost sounded incredible, but was also going to be a game-

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EVENT FOCUS: Tom Petty

Opposite: Sound Image has created just that for this tour, thanks to the purchase of the Anya system. Below: Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers have been performing for over four decades; The front man himself, Tom Petty.

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EVENT FOCUS: Tom Petty

Below: The monitor rack; The Crown amp rack; The visual design came via LD and Set Designer, Michael Brown.

changer for our industry with regard to audio coverage for a given seating geometry,” he said. Taking a new system on the road was always going to be risky, and Scovill knew that there would be challenges along the way. “I knew I was going to be hanging my tail out over the cliff with it a bit because it hadn’t been tested in the real world as far as day-to-day touring goes. “And we all know the old saying, ‘when you choose to push the envelope, sometimes the envelope pushes back’. We just have to be dedicated and skilled enough to be able to address challenges as they arise,” he continued. Scovill is working through the obstacles with the full support of a hands-on team from Sound Image, which looks after the system on a day-to-day basis and Systems Engineer, Andrew Dowling, who he says is doing a magnificent job. Dowling is one of the newest members of the crew, having only started on the tour in July this year. It is also the first time he has worked with Scovill. “The PA has a redundant Dante scheme as the primary audio input and distribution. Currently Dante allows us to put multiple audio feeds up to the PA and choose which sources to use. Redundant Dante allows us to have a digital fail safe,” said Dowling, who is supported by SL PA Tech, Chris Houston. “The Anya system has 22 drivers all equipped with amplifiers and DSP. It solves the problem of what to do if an amplifier fails while the array is flown. The Anya will adaptively heal by reconfiguring its coverage so the surrounding drivers cover for it. The Anya doesn’t use its DSP to point boxes at areas but rather individual drivers. The EAW Resolution software and the 22 drivers allow us to avoid seams from gain shading. The gain gradient is smooth because it has 22 drivers spread over the seated area. Gone are the days where gain shading between two and three box circuits are audible.” Dowling is impressed with a number of features of the system including the software, which does a consistent job of tuning and aligning the system without

multiple measurements. He also likes the fact that the PA will automatically roll off top end that it can’t reproduce. For example the PA can’t throw 16KHz 350ft so it will low-pass all the high drivers that are being thrown that far. He also praises EAW for being extremely responsive when it comes to adding new features to the software. The US manufacturer has also provided thorough back-up support for the tour. “EAW has been very keen to send engineers out to evaluate the daily workflows and performance of the technology as we run it through it’s paces and conversely we have been very dedicated in sending them, not only reports on how it’s doing, but actual data in the form of measured FFT magnitude plots mapped against a seating chart mic and positions so that they can evaluate the performance. They’ve reported that we’re actually surpassing the lab predictions in many cases,” continued Scovill. On the tour so far, the system has been providing consistent, high quality audio to the farthest seats in the house, there are no cheap seats any longer with this PA system. “On a personal note, I think it’s fantastic to have a company with the legacy of EAW back in the concert sound game again. This approach to a PA system design is going to make some serious waves - pun absolutely intended,” said Scovill. For FOH mixing Scovill turned to a platform that he is very familiar and very comfortable with, the Avid MediaCentral Platform. “I’ve been involved with the Venue live sound environment project since the very first days of conception, so that is where my heart lies and it is the technology with which I want to work. I’ve been deeply involved in the development of it and I think it sounds fantastic along with offering one of the easiest and more intuitive workflows for digital consoles that is available today.” The Venue line of consoles have the ability to use plug-in processing and are able to incorporate digital recording. Another huge advantage of the Avid system, according to Scovill is the virtual sound check tool. Since it’s inception - in the Avid D-Show system - in 2005, it has

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EVENT FOCUS: Tom Petty

Below: Systems Engineer Andrew Dowling, SL PA Tech, Chris Houston and Crew Chief Marcus Douglas; Greg Looper on monitors.

revolutionised the way the band set up. Since that first week of touring with the D-Show in 2005, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers haven’t had to perform a traditional sound check as the tool takes away the need for it, which in turn provides longevity and energy for a band of this stature on the road. “Above and beyond that, virtual sound check is the tool for preparing your PA system for the venue you are about to attack along with evaluating what you are doing at the mix level of the console. Because we are always using the previous nights material, it’s dynamically accurate and the most relevant source we could possibly use short of the real band to set up the tonality of the PA system or monitors and evaluate their performance,” said Scovill. “And if that was not enough, add to that the fact that, for the Petty camp the virtual sound check workflow actually morphed into the method with which they record their records now and you can see why it is so powerful and why we think so highly of it in the context of the Avid MediaCentral Platform.” Scovill and the team also deployed an extensive Madi distribution system on this tour. He took a pair of Venue stage racks - that capture all mic level signals from the stage - and connected them to a standalone Venue FOH rack outfitted with Madi cards, where the mic

level signals are pre-amped, converted to Madi and then sent to an RME Madi router. Once there they create multiple output streams to the different console locations. A total of 128 channels of fibre go to the FOH position where it meets up with another RME Madi router, and signals are then distributed to the local Venue FOH rack and two 128-track Pro Tools systems. A further set of 128 Madi channels are distributed to another RME Madi router located at the monitor position, these are distributed to the Venue FOH rack and Pro Tools system used for monitors. A third set of both fibre and BNC outputs are generated from the stage RME Madi router to accommodate television and broadcast truck interfaces. “The streams that are delivered to the truck offer all inputs, FOH group stems, two track wet and dry mixes and all ambience allowing them to use any combination to quickly assemble mixes for the task at hand. Anyone on the network can take remote control of the main entry point pre-amp in order to make adjustments that will affect all streams, but the Venue consoles offer another +/- 20dB of fully independent gain adjustment for mix levels,” explained Scovill. “All main pre-amp settings use a Venue feature called ‘gain guess’ to facilitate making gain setting repeatable in the

event that input source levels would change. This also provides identical recording levels for all attached Pro Tools machines including any in production trucks and ensures that all tracks are completely interchangeable, securing complete redundancy in post.” In monitor world, Engineer Greg Looper (who works closely with Monitor Tech Chuck Smith) is in charge and has been working alongside Petty and Scovill since 2005, although he came across the band under different circumstances many years before. Aged nine, Looper bought his first record, Damn the Torpedoes, but little did he know he’d be working for that very artist all those years later. Monitors are taken care of by an Avid Venue D-Show, Looper described his admiration for the console: “The interface into Pro Tools is so seamless. We track everything. Every time they pick up a guitar we are recording. Robert and I did Tom’s first tour on Venue together. During my time supporting Robert I had a great opportunity to learn the console in depth. There’s no better way to learn something new than from one of the main guys who helped design it. I still learn new tricks and tips from Robert and other users, even now.” Looper gets more than enough time to practice with the desk, as the same system has been installed in the rehearsal studio. Two

studio albums and countless live releases that have been recorded through the Venue system in the studio. “When you come and see Tom and The Heartbreakers live you are seeing them in the studio. We record in the studio in exactly the same way as the band plays live. Same set up, same gear. There just isn’t 10,000 plus people in the room, maybe 10, including the band,” continued Looper. Electrotec PD-12 wedges are the stage monitors of choice. Looper controls a wedge mix for every band member, as well as three IEMs for Petty, Scott Thurston and Benmont Tench. “Scott and Benmont’s IEM mixes are just for vocals and a few other instruments. Not a full mix, as most of the mix is built in the wedge. Benmont and Scott only use the IEMs when needed, most of the time they rely on the wedge mix,” explained Looper. “For Tom, the wedge has just vocals and his acoustic guitars, but his IEMs have the rest band in the

mix too, it’s vocal heavy with a full band mix behind. Tom’s wedge mix balances out his IEMs so he is centred when he sings. And he still has a full mix in his ear when he steps away from centre stage.” The tour inventory features an eight mix Shure 900 IEM system and in total Looper is in charge of coordinating 10 wedge mixes and seven IEM mixes, which cover the band, his cue and a possible guest. Looking after all the touring crew is Crew Chief, Marcus Douglas, he has a number of connections to this tour. Not only has he been an employee for Sound Image for many years, he also has family history with many crew members. “My day-to-day routine involves making sure all our audio crew have what they need at load in and throughout the day. I also fly the SR side of the PA and help make sure that we have the system 100% working for when Robert is ready to start doing his time aligning and tuning. Throughout

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EVENT FOCUS: Tom Petty

Below: James Towler, Steve Winwood’s FOH Engineer; Bernie Broderick from EAW checking in on the system; Avid desks were chosen for FOH.

the day I help the guys on stage and FOH if they need anything,” he said. So far the run has been great. The biggest challenge was in the beginning, when none of the crew had even seen the system before. The team soon realised it was different and it needed to be treated as such. Douglas continued: “It was a fun challenge, but now we feel very confident. We have been blown away at how good it sounds and the consistency of the coverage night after night in each of the different venues. It’s an honour to work with a legend like Tom and the great crew who have represented him for many years.” He concluded: “The reaction to the Anya PA has been nothing but positive news. Robert gets it sounding amazing every night and that helps. The comment I have heard the most from people is how great the consistency is throughout the venue. People also can’t believe we don’t have any subs with the system. We don’t require

them for our show as the system’s low-end response is great for what we need. I think as word gets out and engineers start coming out to listen to this rig we will be seeing more and more Anya on many engineer spec sheets.” By the time TPi went to print, the tour was deemed a success, and Petty’s audio crew certainly thought EAW’s new product had done this respected artist justice on the road. Scovill’s seamless audio design was in turn complemented by Hypnotic Eye’s stunning visual entity, created by Lighting and Set Designer, Michael Brown. TPi

Photos: Mirza Noormohamed(Wandering Eye) & Jesse Adamson

www.tompetty.comwww.sound-image.com

www.eaw.com www.avid.comwww.shure.com

www.rme-audio.de

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EVENT FOCUS: Tom Petty

Below: EAW’s Anya in all its flown glory.