Case Studies

The Last Big Gig Of My 1st Year Freelancing (2018)

About The Show

I can’t reveal who the end Client is due to an NDA but the gig is in the main ballroom of a major London hotel.

Kit Used

• 3 lines of PA
• 2 hangs of d&b Y12 (x3)
• 2 Delay lines (6 boxes per line) of d&b Y7P’s and Y10P’s
• Front Fills using d&b T10s
• Foldback using d&b Ci80’s
• 4 x B6 Subs (just in case of epic VT!)
• 5 x 4 Channel d&b D20 Amp’s
• 2 x Yamaha QL5 32 Channel Desks (FOH and Feeds Mixes)
• 24 ways of Shure ULXD4 Radio Mics
• 10 DPA headsets, 2 Lavaliers and 10 Handheld Mics for Q&A
• 2 x Rio Stageboxes
• 2 x Unmanaged Switches for Dante Network sharing between QL5s
• 1 x Wireless Access Point and IPad for Amp Control

The Grid

Two hangs of d&b Y12, 3 per side (no centre cluster), two delay lines of truss with 6 boxes (d&b Y10P and Y7P) per truss with 4 B6 Subs in behind the set (just in case…)

Ceiling plot for the PA on this gig.

That’s a lot of boxes.

I spent a bit of time (after the lads from PMI got them hung and flashed out) setting my delays and levels using good gain structure.

Start at the Top and Work Downhill

Starting at the Mics, setting their Sensitivity and Gains, moving to the Desk and setting the Channel Gains, running the Mic’s through Graphic EQ’s and Expanders (rather than the Duggan Automixer) and finally dialling in the Amp’s.

I Managed to run the whole gig between -16db and -20db on the Amp’s with lots of loud! 😀

Start at the Top and Work Downhill

Starting at the Mics, setting their Sensitivity and Gains, moving to the Desk and setting the Channel Gains, running the Mic’s through Graphic EQ’s and Expanders (rather than the Duggan Automixer) and finally dialling in the Amp’s.

I Managed to run the whole gig between -16db and -20db on the Amp’s with lots of loud! 😀

6 Days & Only One Squeak & A Rustle…

One presenter needed to be double mic’d up using the Lapel Mic’s (great for TV, not great for a live room) and fortunately I had the iPad handy controlling the Amp’s and could target the boxes he was under on the Thrust of the stage. Backed them off a tad and the squeak was gone.

Our main presenter/host had a DPA on and on the 1st day of the show the connection of the cable into the mini-jack at the TX pack developed a fault and started crackling and breaking up so we switched it out and then it was fine for the rest of the show.

All in all, quite a technically complex gig requiring some Dante shenanigans and some head scratching but ultimately it went off without a hitch and as far as I know there was a very happy Client at the end of it.

Trauma Congress: London 2017 At The QEII Centre, Fleming and Whittle Rooms

About The Show

This was a 3 day congress of some of the world’s pre-eminent Psychiatric Practitioners in the field of Post Traumatic Stress and Mindfulness.

Audience size of around 1200.

Spread across Two large rooms with feeds going here, there and everywhere, Dial-ins from across the world and Translations, this was a challenge to set up and to operate.

Kit Used

• Yamaha M7CL 48 (w/Dugan Card & SB-168 ES Stagebox, monitored via AVS Monitor Software)
• 4 Lines of d&b Y10p and Y7p PA with 30D Amps, 2 Lines of B4 Subs and 2 Lines of E6 Front Fill (controlled with R1V2 Software)
• 10 Channels of Sennheiser G2/G3 Radios (6x Beltpacks with Lavalier and DPA Headsets, 4x HH TX for Q&A)
• Lectern Mics (Sennheiser 12″ Gooseneck with ME34 Capsules)
• 4x PC Lines (3 backstage, 1 @ lectern)

     Feeds to:

• Recordings
• Hearing Loop
• Local Monitor for
• Sound & LX
• Backstage monitors
• Onstage Foldback
• Tricaster Video Records
• 2 Cameras with back up records
• Simultaneous Translation Booth
• Skype Unit
• Video Conference Unit

ESRI UK – ArcGIS Anual Conference

About The Show

A One day, full building (6 floors) Conference for the ArcGIS Geographical Information System Group. Total Audience across the day in the region of 3000.

I operated sound in the main room (Fleming & Whittle rooms combined, seating roughly 1200) for the opening and closing Plenaries; for the individual track session a Movawall was closed to split the Fleming & Whittle into two separate spaces. Track audience sizes varied from “intimate” to standing room only.

Audience size of around 1200.

Spread across Two large rooms with feeds going here, there and everywhere, Dial-ins from across the world and Translations, this was a challenge to set up and to operate.

Kit Used

• Yamaha M7CL 48 (w/Dugan Card & SB-168 ES Stagebox, monitored via AVS Monitor Software)
• 4 Lines of d&b Y10p and Y7p PA with 30D Amps, 2 Lines of B4 Subs and 2 Lines of E6 Front Fill (controlled with R1V2 Software)
• 10 Channels of Sennheiser G2/G3 Radios (6x Beltpacks with DPA Headsets, 4x HH Mics for Q&A)
• 5x PC Lines (3 Onstage, 2 Backstage)
• A & B Ring Comms for all techs, including RF Comms (Clear-Com HME DX210) for the Roving Camera & the Floor Manager
• Reference Mic into Spectre App on Mac for EQ tweaking; QLab 3 for Walk-in and Walk-out BGM
• Building wide Announcement Microphone linked using internal copper patches and IPTV
• Assorted Biscuits & lots of Coffee…

     Feeds to:

• Recordings
• Hearing Loop
• Local Monitor for Sound & LX
• Backstage monitors
• Onstage Foldback
• Tricaster Video Records
• 2 Cameras with back up records
• SDI Fibre Encoder for Building-Wide Feed of Plenary Sound
• Feed into a Mixer in the Whittle Room that controls the PA locally (with delays set on the M7) rather than having it be directly controlled by me in the Fleming. Feed gets cut when the rooms go to Stand Alone.