Giving its full MLA system its first outing, Capital Sound provided production services for a one-off performance by Paul Rodgers and his authentic Memphis R&B band the Royal Albert Hall.
In order to get the best possible performance from the 14 MLA enclosures (plus down fill) that formed the main front facing PA, and 14 MLA Compact (out fill) on either flank of the historically difficult venue, Technical Manager Ian Colville conducted a site survey and re-evaluation: ‘As this was our first combined MLA/MLA-C show at the Royal Albert Hall, it seemed a good opportunity to check the architectural data to ensure that we had the most accurate information to enter into the [dedicated Martin Audio] Display 2 software,’ he explains. This process was assisted by drawings of the venue that he had not seen previously, and enabled him to deal with issues such as trim height, interbox angles and uptilt.
There was a lot riding on this show, which featured the same musicians that had worked on his album The Royal Sessions, at the start of 2014. Producer (and Rodgers’ MD) Perry Margouleff, had contacted long-serving sound engineer and tour manager Robert ‘Nitebob’ Czaykowski to handle the FOH mix. The sound man had just come off a 56-date Steely Dan tour – which also used Martin Audio’s flagship multi-cellular system, courtesy of Jim Risgin at On Stage Audio (OSA). Nitebob had requisitioned this after he attended a demonstration at the Hammerstein Ballroom, Manhattan Center Studios (during the 2012 AES Show), which had also been attended by Steely Dan’s legendary co-founder, Walter Becker. The shows on that occasion were mixed by Mark Dowdle.
At the Royal Albert Hall, Nitebob, was accompanied by a crack sound reinforcement team headed by crew chief Harm Schopman. Babysitting at front of house (and mixing support artist Deborah Bonham) was Giles Woodhead, while Toby Donovan was system engineer, Marty Beath mixed monitors and Sam Cunningham was PA and stage tech.
‘I have a long history of using Martin Audio systems going back to the legendary 212 bass bins, Philishaves and F2 days, and have been a Martin fan forever,’ Czaykowski says. ‘As a man that goes back to WEM columns and Voice of the Theatre system I was thrilled when I heard Martin Audio had made a quantum leap above everyone else – and really wanted to hear this new MLA system.
‘What I miss most is the moving of air and certain things that happen with the horn-loaded stuff and so I was immediately impressed with it and the level of controllability it offered.’
Margouleff, who he describes as ‘an old friend’, got Nitebob involved in three one-off dates in the US (including a radio show) using the house rigs before the decision needed to be made about the Royal Albert Hall system. ‘It came down to a choice of two and since it was such a special gig, at venue that is traditionally not an easy venue for covert sound, we opted for Martin Audio,’ he says. ‘I had seen the superior coverage it provided and the way you could tailor the PA to the different rooms, particularly where you want to lose bounce off a hard back wall.’
‘I had all the trust in working with the Capital guys, and knew of Toby [Donovan’s] reputation,’ Nitebob adds. After brief production rehearsals at Sensible Music they were ready to go, with Sensible chief Jeff Allen as production manager. Donovan himself said he had largely concentrated on eliminating slapback from the stage, applying hard avoid settings in the Display 2 software accordingly.
But while MLA system had shown its ability to deliver consistent coverage right to the upper tribunes, Ian Colville and Paul Timmins also know precisely how to balance coverage for the audience in the critical stage and close-field areas. ‘The stack and fill package is part of our standard design,’ says Colville.
As production was using the house lighting rig, a central cardioid sub array was eschewed in favour of three front-firing MLX subwoofers, flown behind the MLA rig. The fill package Colville referred to included two MLX subs on stage with Martin Audio W2 fills, while out wide on each flank another potential ‘hole’ in the coverage was provided by a Martin Audio XD15 atop a WS218X sub to draw the image down and compensate for the 10m trim height of the PA.
The band put in a two-hour set, and comprised musicians who had played on many original R&B Stax hits dating back to the 1960s – now classic Wurlitzer and Hammond B3 organs, as well as horn and string sections were being served the MLA system and an analogue Midas XL4 desk.
Nitebob mixed the show loud, bringing out the deep funk and timbre in Paul Rodgers’ soulful voice. ‘I wanted to achieve even coverage, so that no matter where they were in the hall the audience would enjoy the experience,’ he says. ‘And we most certainly achieved that.’
