Electro-Voice X-Array delivers the goods

By Nort Johnson
Photos by Roy Timm, Harry Witz and Nort Johnson

I
n 1976, I was hired on the local Ruth and Nelle Fox used to tear the Fast forward 32 years and on
crew to pitch and bail scaffolding hides off of well-greased Spauldings. Saturday, November 1, 2008, I found
and deck for my first stadium show On the day of show, we were not myself standing in the parking lot of
at the historic Comisky Park in concerned about Ruth or Fox but the Allstate Arena outside Chicago at
Chicago. It was a July 8 truck tip and rather the headliner of the day – about 11 a.m. waiting for the sound
the day of the show was July 10. The Aerosmith and support bands Rick crew bus to arrive. This was the third
temperature hovered around 100 Derringer, Jeff Beck with Ian Hammer. sold out show of AC/DC’s Black Ice
degrees for the duration. We erected But first, there would be some band Tour.
the monster in the left center field from Australia. The entire crew had Security was tight. About the tight-
bleachers over the seats where Babe never heard of AC/DC. est tour security I’ve seen in 30-plus

Live Sound International December 2008 www.ProSoundWeb.com

 The Electro-Voice X-Array.

years. Two weeks prior to the show I rigging sound. He worked with basic
was told this article would not be pos- sound for local bands during the
sible. Tour security and production Margaret Thatcher years in clubs and
would not allow it. Then Harry Witz pubs. He has worked with Sir Paul
and Paul “Pab” Boothroyd got McCartney since late 1980’s and
involved and explained that I knew AC/DC since the mid-’90s. He recent-
most of the crew. Production Manager ly did his first country tour with Faith
Dale (Opie) Skjerseth (AC/DC, The Hill last year and it was the first time
Stones etc.) confirmed it. he did sound in the round.
Harry Witz (Clair Global) has Pab and Witz both worked togeth-
designed and built some of the largest er on the design and deployment of
PA systems in history, which include this tour’s system. As we walked to the
Monsters of Rock in Moscow FOH, my head was nomadic as usual.
(1,000,000 people) and several of the I turned around under the stage left fly
Rolling Stones tours among others. He and the PA system was soaring proud-
has been a consultant for Electro- ly. “It’s about 25 percent bigger than
Voice for many years and was part of the Stones No Security Tour,” stated
the design team of for X-Array and Witz. “After deploying those things for
XLC Line Array. Not only has Witz years, we’ve learned new tricks on the
achieved much success as a designer combination of boxes and where they
and engineer, he is also known as an go into the array. This particular con-
industry innovator. He has been a figuration in the array has not been
consultant to JBL, dbx and XTA. done before and it’s working quite
Pab is a mechanical engineer by well. We are using a Clair/Lake DLP
trade. He’s from Birkenhead, England for the front end of the system. The
– the other side of the river from amp racks for the 96-box X-Array sys-
Liverpool. He started out in this busi- tem all have XTA processors in them.
ness when he received a call from girl Clair figured out a way to integrate
in a band to fix a van and ended up both of them together so that they

Paul “Pab” Boothroyd on stage in Toronto.

December 2008 Live Sound International

operate off the same tablet. It’s a real “It’s a great sounding console and to an analog console. One of the
slick system. Clair has used tablets to also has a great surface to work on – things that Malcolm and Angus have
control their Lake systems, the Clair IO just to move around the way it’s laid in their studio facilities where they
and Lake DLP’s. They run as one now out. With this Pro 40, after having spent write is an old Neve 14 channel
– we’re probably the only ones who a few years in the studio with Malcolm broadcast console and everything
know how to do that.” and Angus while they wrote this latest goes through it. They like that old
When we reached the audio bridge album, I’d be sitting in there and I Neve warmer sound. It’s not that
in the large arena, I almost fell over talked to Malcolm as you do about digital isn’t warm, I think what
with excitement. There sat a Midas sound we’d listen to – we’d look at all happens with digital consoles is in the
Pro 40! I had not seen one of these sorts of options of recording stuff. past, some of the earlier stuff had
deployed on a tour this size in years. Taking what I’ve learned from Malcolm smaller sampling rates – it just needed
I got fired up and when Pab walked with his delight with that kind of Neve to grow up a little.
up behind me and we started to talk sound, I thought well how could I “The higher frequencies are super
about it. I needed to know how old it approach this with something that is smooth on the Pro 40. We’re enjoying
was and where it had been. In its day, close to that. Obviously, I’m not going that. This console was shipped out to
it was the staple of touring consoles. to tour with a Neve console. This con- us in rehearsals. It has a number of
“The drawings show that the desk sole is as close as I’m going to get to a functions on this tour. It’s a back up
was hand built in 1985 or 1987… touring Neve. This sounds very, very, console. It’s an opening act console.
somewhere in that period,” recalled good.” We can also record the show because
Pab. “It originates as a concert sound This was a big gear swing from it’s tracking directly to the KT DN
console in the UK which was market- the last McCartney tour Pab mixed 9696 high resolution audio recorder
ed after such acts like Dire Straights, from 2003 to 2005. “I‘ve been using made by Klark Teknik.”
so it might have been one of the the Digidesign Profile on McCartney Pab handles microphone selection,
desks Peter Grainger used to use back and a lot of the bigger projects I’ve stating, “That decision is based upon a
in the late ’80s. It’s a desk I’ve used been doing with him – most recent- number of factors – what I want the
many times in my career and it’s a ly at the show in Tel Aviv. I used the microphones to be doing and then I
beautiful console.” It’s the proverbial Profile console with him because it have to look at how well they are
Rolls Royce of FOH consoles. Is what suits the application as far as one going to work with the monitor engi-
it is! minute we may be doing a theater neer who has a whole different battle.
Pab continued on the highlights of and the next minute we’re rehears- Then I look at that particular micro-
this old road relic and some of his ing in his rehearsal facility, which is phone and the application. With the
favorite desks. “There’s gold connec- a barn where we literally got a vocal microphone, there are a number
tors in there which are high quality cupboard to squeeze into. It’s been of factors there also. It’s what Brian
connectors. It’s been fault free. A great for that job.” wants off the microphone… even
couple of world tours I did with So why employ analog for AC/DC? down to how he can stuff it down his
AC/DC were on a XL4, which is prob- “AC/DC isn’t a big fan of digital,” trousers if he’s running around or
ably my favorite analog console still explained Pab. “They never thought climbing the bell or whatever. There
because it has a wealth of features. the sound of a digital console is equal are a lot of things that go into the
vocal microphone decision process. A
lot of microphones are presented to
you, new models that come out and
you try this and you try that. I’ll only
make a change when I find a great
noticeable difference. I just need a
good reliable mic for Brian so if it’s
dropped or bounced around the
stage, I’ll have something he can pick
up and it’s good to go. The late great
John Roden and I did a lot of work
together and we tried all sorts of mics.
For a monitor engineer and a FOH
engineer, the Shure 58A suited a lot of
acts that Roden and I worked with. It’s
just a great microphone. I also tried
out anything new when it comes out
onto the market like the Telefunken
M80 you brought me today. I’ll put it
through the paces and let you know
The view from FOH. what I think.”

Live Sound International December 2008 www.ProSoundWeb.com

 As time and space would allow,
we walked through some of the
highlights of outboard in deploy-
ment in Pab’s trick bag. “Radial sent
me a JDX Phaser, a tube leveler for
Brian’s vocals, GML-8200 with four
bands of parametric. Because the
console is of an older design, the
EQs are very basic.” He also employs
DMX 160X and Drawmer DS201
gates. “They’re simple, functional,
and that’s it. It’s a very simple setup
– even with mic’ing seven cymbals,
I’m still only pushing 30 inputs. You
could probably do this whole show
with about 18 inputs. It’s not input
heavy. It’s very straight forward,
kick, snare and hat. It’s very loud,
two guitars, slam a vocal in there, a
bass as well – you have AC/DC.”
Flying hardware during setup.
MONITORS LOUD AND PROUD
AC/DC’s Monitor Engineer Mike with a little bit of harmonic distortion puts, it has a single brain control but
Adams started off his career in and a little bit ultra sagging, it adds a it is an analog EQ. The next rack is
Denver, CO, and still lives in the area. certain depth. It’s not that you can’t dynamics. He’s using Avalon 737s to
I asked him how he got into this busi- get it with a digital surface. At this take care of Brian’s ear vocal mic and
ness he pondered for a moment point in time I prefer an analog con- he’s using one as a high-hat. “I’m
smiled and answered with a genuine sole. I have used digitals before and using a couple of H3000s, one main,
excitement in his mild demeanor. “I you can get great results with them. I one spare, just for a little enhance-
started when I was a young teenager will say if there were ever an issue, I ment in the wedges.” Then he has the
and was always fascinated as to what would rather be sitting with an analog usual compliment of Apex Gates. “I
the guys were doing behind the con- desk than a digital desk. Plus output do have some TC and Lexicon pro-
soles so I started sneaking into night wise, I’ve got 40 outputs and I need cessing but it hasn’t been implement-
clubs in the Denver Metro area when someone to show me a digital desk ed yet because we need to set them in
I was about 16 years of age. I traded that will do that – other than a couple a super dry environment. It’s coming,”
my labor out to the guys that were of them. Getting strapped with 16 plus Adam’s went on. Next rack over is the
doing shows in the clubs that I 8 is not really how I want to roll.” RF rack unit. He’s using the new
thought made it sound really good. So “All the mics on stage are definitely Shure LT wireless receivers and trans-
I just offered to hump their PA out the picked by Pab – even though Pab mitters, the new Shure combiners that
door if they would sort of tutor me. I welcomed any input, but all the ones go from 400 to 900. “Ear-wise, I’m
had a couple of really good mentors he selected I’d used before and they’re using Sennheiser G2 with an EK 300
at an early age. The year I started working just fine. We have Shure belt packs and I’m using a Clair
actually making a steady paycheck at products in our vocal line all the way Brothers antenna combiner, And a
it would be approximately 1981. I was across, Brian’s hand-held, 58A, and all four banger for my money shot
paid before that but it was only spot- the background vocals – everything through a Sennheiser vehicle antenna.
ty.” He’s worked with such notables goes on Shure. We have some Audix I’m using a Sennheiser combiner and
as the Stones and John Mayer. “I did products onstage. Everything is sitting get the backline guys off another
the first spring with John Mayer and real well right now.” Sennheiser vehicle.”
then I got the Stones. I did Motley The first rack in Adams’ arsenal is Wailing across the stage was a
Crew, Pantera, Kiss for years, Third a PSU rack. He has a dbx IEM proces- pack of wedges so I asked Adams
Eye Blind, Luther Vandross, it’s been sor. “We put a little tweeze on the who was using what and why? “The
pretty much everything,” he says. Brian’s ear mix with that,” Adam’s singers and the drummer have to have
For the current tour, he’s mixing on said. Above that is some Meyer EQ to ears and also wedges. The in- ears are
a Midas Heritage 4000, about which do a little notching in the drummer’s the new ultimate ears UE-11s. Down
he states, “Because of the way that I ears as well as in Brian Johnson’s. here in monitor world I’m using for
feel about it, even though there are a “That’s just to relieve a little bit of the cueing Sensaphonics Pro Phonic 2X’s
couple of really solid digital surfaces pressure,” he went on. in my ears.” He added, “I do have the
now, especially with a band that I The next rack over was a TC 1128’s new 3-D and they are bad-ass but I
think that is used to hearing things used across all his loudspeaker out- don’t really need it in this environ-

December 2008 Live Sound International 5

 could have used a line array I’m sure
but a small looking PA the band
wouldn’t have. They have a big
sound, both visually and from an
audio standpoint. The X-Array is a
good-looking PA and it doesn’t take a
lot of sight lines out. It’s a great
system to tech.”
When we sat down with Kenny
Check for our last interview of the
day it was minutes before the bell. I
was in his comfort zone in the under
world of the AC/DC stage. This is
where Check lives for the duration of
the tour when he’s not mixing
monitors for the support act The
Answer. He’s tech’ing for Mike
Adams. He’s a vet of many AC/DC
Mike Adams mixing monitors under the stage. tours as well as the Stones, George
Bensen and many others. I opened
up with a question that seemed to
choke Check up. Not what I intend-
ed to do minutes before the bell. I
asked about John Roden. He was
visibly shaken on this subject.
“Wow, the difficultness and the
seriousness of the subject are incred-
ible. Never have I before and per-
haps again worked with someone
that drives such a balance of the art
and the technical. John drove me
everyday, (but never asked) me to
be the best, not only in audio, but in
life. Truly one of my finest honors
and privileges... After our touring
together, I much more enjoyed the
friendship with conversation of
family and life. I miss John Roden
Paul “Pab” Boothroyd mixing on his Midas Pro 40. everyday!” Check had a show to do
and we had a system performance to
ment just because it’s so loud coming of Showco. Hopkins is still his boss. His check out.
off the stage. Brian and Phil are on work ethics as crew chief are hard The amazing X-Array is just that.
UE-11’s because we felt we needed a pressed to surpass. He first worked The tweaking that Witz and Clair have
product that would get over the 118 with Mike Adams on the Kiss Farewell done is yet another testament for this
db off the stage. I am monitoring their Tour and was John Roden’s monitor industries technology leaps.
ears as well as the wedges with a technician 2002-2004 Paul McCartney’s The PA sounded as good as any
Sensaphonics Promax.” Back in the World Tour. Line Array all night. It’s a fast
Jason Vrobel (AC/DC Crew Chief) Dave Dixon (System Tech) is from machine, they keep the motors clean
has a list of credits on his resume that the northwest of England. After work- and AC/DC was one of the best
would make most 30-year vets stand up ing for a long time as a FOH engineer, sounding shows that I’ve ever seen. ■
in awe. Kiss The Eagles, Eminem, U2, Dixon decided to “have a go at system
Alan Jackson, Paul McCartney, Green tech’ing. It was a conscious decision Nort Johnson is an entertainment production and man-
Day and Jackson Browne to just get to go out and start working on agement professional who has been working in the
started. He spent 1993 to 1997 in the systems. Unfortunately it sort of stuck!” music industry for 30+ years. He has supplied tour
navy as an Operations Specialist before he says with a chuckle. Dixon is a vet management, production management, FOH and mon-
going to school at Full Sail in Orlando. of The Stones, AC/DC and many itor duties for some the more prominent entertainers of
A little while later he found himself on others since he stared mixing in 1980. the last three decades. Nort was the Senior Consulting
a Greyhound bus from Pittsburg to “On the last tour the X-Array Editor for Live Sound International, writing hundreds of
Dallas to interview with Leon Hopkins sounded great. So why change it. We features from the first issue in 1992 until March 2003.

Live Sound International December 2008 www.ProSoundWeb.com