Pumping bass, infectious synth hooks, and lead singer Lauren Mayberry’s voice and stage presence have made Scottish synth-pop band Chvrches a live attraction worldwide. Given the massive stage volumes often at play, FOH engineer Paul Gallagher has adopted a Rupert Neve Designs 5045 Primary Source Enhancer on Mayberry’s lead vocal mics.
Gallagher has worked with the group since their beginnings: ‘Glasgow is a small town with a great music scene,’ he says. ‘I worked with Iain [Cook] and Martin [Doherty] in different bands before Chvrches. I think the first gig I worked for them was a small show in Edinburgh in front of 100 people. It’s been a journey watching them progress to the venues they are now playing.
‘I had been using the [Rupert Neve Designs] Master Buss Processor in the studio and then used it live. Then a band called Shura were on tour with Chvrches, and their engineer highly recommended [the 5045]. He gave me a shot and I was very impressed.
‘Lauren, who handles the majority of lead vocals, swaps between a wired microphone and an RF microphone. I’m using both channels [of the 5045] on these. It’s great for shutting the mic down when it’s not in use, while leaving the envelope of the source sounding natural. We are using [Sennheiser] 965 capsules – they can be sensitive, so it’s great for getting more gain without building up feedback. I’ve found since using the 5045, reverbs and delays sound tighter.’
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