PA for the US tour is
provided by Ratsound. Front-of-house engineer Michael Pollock
had used SSE’s NEXO Alpha rig on the 2-month European
leg, and was keen to stay with the system for the US leg.
"We played lots of different venues from small clubs
in Spain to Bercy Arena in Paris, and the system was great
everywhere. It doesn't seem to matter what the acoustics
of a venue are like, the boxes are so directional that you
can point them at the crowd, and that's all they hear. This
is great in arenas where stuff bouncing around is what always
kills me. My band is really sensitive to what goes on in
the house. With this rig, I can point things just where
I want to and cover a room without blowing them away on
stage."
The SSE package for the tour included 24 Alphas, 24 B1s,
16 S2s, amplifiers, NX241 digital processors, and fly-hardware.
Most of the equipment was brand new, arriving out of a container
the day before production rehearsals. "It went together
sooooo easy! That is one of the great things about it, super
fast.
"I have mixed on a lot of rigs, and this one is one
of my favorites. V-DOSC is good, but this thing kicks its
ass for rock and roll, yet still maintains the clarity and
"prettiness" for the quieter songs. The S2s are
awesome...crossed at 63hz, blinding sub-bass! And having
the B1s is what allows this to happen. I can get a good
mix without the subs, and then add them in for effect. The
top end goes so high and is so clean, that I feel that I
have a lot more of the frequency spectrum to work with.
What fun!" |
