Working for The Boss
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are currently
touring, and the Audio Analysts-supplied system places a premium on consistency
and control.
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Thirty years ago, an upstart reviewer for Rolling Stone wrote "I have seen the future of rock and roll, and his name is Bruce Springsteen." Jon Landau then went on to become the manager and record producer for one of the most successful and critically acclaimed performers in our industry. Well, in today's world of performance audio, we're experiencing a similar epiphany: the future of live sound is all about control. Audio Analysts (AA) of Colorado Springs has served as Springsteen's audio service company for over 10 years and five successful tours and has a unique understanding of The Boss' onstage requirements. |
And after spending an afternoon and evening with this professionally staffed and well-packaged tour, an appreciation can also be reached for the careful blending of tried and true analog treatments to produce familiar audio textures, with the almost unlimited level of digital control needed to maintain consistency and maximize system performance.
Overseen by Audio Analyst partner and Vice President of Engineering Albert Leccese, "The Rising" tour is leveraging his over 30 years of audio system design and operation experience, and bringing a considerably greater skill set to the position of systems engineer than might be typically found with most touring attractions.
SIGNATURE SOUND
Provided only a month's notice to prepare for this outing by tour manager George Travis, Leccese carefully selected a combination of components that would faithfully reproduce Springsteen's signature sound while offering maximum show to show consistency and control. He selected three Yamaha PM1D digital consoles to form the foundation for control of audio on this tour.
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"For me, it's all about parts, procedures, and personnel. In order for good personnel to succeed, I must provide them parts that make their procedures effective and consistent. The level of control currently afforded by digital consoles, amplifier control systems, real-time measurement, and improved loudspeaker technology make this much easier than ever before." But Leccese is not completely satisfied, "There is room for improvement everywhere. Now that we have digital consoles, we need to improve on everything else. Infrastructure, amplifiers, microphones, and wireless are all areas where we can improve."
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AA selected a large JBL VERTEC line array loudspeaker system for the tour, which is configured to support the typical end-stage arena configuration with seating sold on the sides and rear. The seven-cluster system provides 360 degrees of alternating left/right coverage to all patrons. "We are 10,000 pounds lighter than on previous tours, which can make a huge difference when hanging in arenas during winter months with snow on the roof, and I find JBL's VERTEC Line array Calculator software helps me to consistently array the system night to night." Leccese starts each day by determining the proper hang using the JBL software, and then shares in the setup responsibilities by flying the stage right arrays.
Some 24 amp racks loaded with four Crown MA5002VZ amps each power the main PA. Leccese designed an intuitive user interface for the fully configured Crown IQ system specifically for the tour, providing complete control of the rig from a laptop FOH. He made a number of adjustments during the show that improved the overall quality of the sound. The Bradley Center in Milwaukee is an unforgiving acoustic environment, and the adjustments appeared to make the house mixers' job a little easier.
CRITICAL TREATMENT
John Cooper serves as house engineer for the tour, and brings 26 years of experience to the job. This is his first full-length assignment working for Springsteen, after having mixed a short Christmas tour with Bruce last December. Cooper depends on the sophisticated features of the PM1D to do the brunt of his processing, with only a few outboard devices at the mix position.
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One critical treatment is the handling of Bruce's vocal. Cooper has developed a specific processing chain that is used pre-console; a Midas XL-42 preamp in conjunction with a BSS DPR-901 dynamic equalizer and Summit DCL-200 tube limiter. "The DPR-901 is tricky to get set up, but once you get it set, it becomes part of the tone shaping of the given input you are using. I have not touched it in some weeks. It goes back to my philosophy of system tuning and inputs." |
Cooper has developed a very powerful philosophy about live sound mixing, and how to use the system control afforded today's engineers to maximize a show's audio performance. "System tuning is a global issue, it must be done day to day to nominalize your system to the environment you put it in, says Cooper. "At the same time I don't believe that inputs on the console, or the mix structure, should change dramatically on a day-to-day basis. When you start rehearsals, the mix is the variable, and the system is static. You get the system as nominal as you can, and then work the mix.
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A good mix should translate the same regardless of if you are sending it to the PA, a CD burner, or the dressing room speakers. Once that balance is established, you leave rehearsals, the mix becomes static, and the system and the room become the variables. So the job then is to make the system respond the same day to day." Cooper's mix position finds him surrounded by four laptops. On his immediate left are screens displaying the output of his Smaart analyzer operating in transfer function mode, and the Crown IQ amplifier control. To the right of the PM1D are a PC controlling four Shure DFR11 digital EQs, which are inserted on specific vocal and sax channels, and a PowerBook where Cooper stores a wealth of handy samples and loops to help facilitate system setup and tuning, and performance archiving. |
TONAL REQUIREMENTS
In order to accommodate the full musical compliment onstage, "The Rising" tour uses two monitor mix positions, both using a PM1D digital console. The stage right position is manned by Troy Milner, who mixes for drummer Max Weinberg, saxophonist Clarence Clemons, guitarist Nils Lofgren, and bassist Garry Tallent. One interesting aspect of Milner's rig is the considerable amount of outboard processing used to satisfy the tonal requirements for drummer Max Weinberg's hard-wired in-ear setup. Devices used include two Midas XL-42 preamps, 2 TC M2000 (kick and snare) and 1 Lexicon 480 (toms) digital reverbs, a Cranesong STC-8 compressor, and a Empirical Labs Fatso Jr., all driven by Rane HC6 headphone amps.
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Stage left monitors are mixed by Monty Carlo, who serves Bruce, guitarist Steven Van Zandt, singer Patti Sciafla, pianist Roy Bittan, and violinist Soozie Tyrell. Danny Federici, who has played Hammond organ, accordion, and keyboards for the E Street Band for three decades, chooses to self-mix using feeds provided by the SL monitor console. Carlo provided some insight as to the particular challenges of the job. " The show runs two hours, forty-five, and I am standing up all the time. There is nothing fancy going on here, but it is a bar band doing 25000 seat venues. Onstage it's loud, but it is supposed to be loud." |
Carlo appreciates the flexibility provided by the digital mixing environment. "We run 72 inputs out of the 96 available, and operate our consoles in mirror mode. As there are two DSP engines on each desk, we run one for sound check and the other for the actual show. That way we know we have a backup that works, which was always everyone's concern going to digital. But the desks have been reliable. I had a beer thrown on the console at the last show of our last leg. The console required two days of cleaning back at the shop, but it never stopped working."
Most of the band's wedges are under grates, which are all of AA proprietary design. A combination of the AA 12FR (12", 2") and 15VFX (15", 2") operate below deck. AA NDF (2 x 12", 2") wedges are hung from the lighting truss, as are four JBL 3218 "Brawley Box" enclosures for side fills. All monitors are JBL loaded with neodymium drivers. Crown MA-3600 and MA-36x12 amplifiers fitted with AMCD PIP cards drive the monitor system.
COMPLIMENTARY ASPECTS
There is a reasonable compliment of wireless in use for "The Rising". Bruce Springsteen's vocal mic is a Sony WRT867 fitted with an Audix OM3xb capsule, chosen for its high off-axis rejection properties as ambient stage levels are quite high. In-ear monitoring is provided by 14 Shure PSM-700.
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Two AA custom 40pr ISO splitter systems distribute mic level signals to the three PM1D consoles, in addition to providing visiting recording and broadcast engineers with isolated feeds. Audio staff was complimented by two additional AA techs. TJ Rodreguez hung the stage left Vertec systems and mic'd the stage. Jubal Reeves flew the rear fill enclosures while sharing in stage duties.
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After hearing the high energy show, and observing the AA crew at work, it became apparent that the technology in use offered the crew new levels of control previously unavailable. Although hardware has improved, particularly with regards to loudspeaker systems, the seminal advances can be found in the application of system-specific software.
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Digital audio mixing consoles offer almost limitless flexibility thanks to on-board software. Loudspeaker arraying programs maximize system performance. Acoustical analysis applications compare system output to measured performance real-time. Finally, PC-based amplifier control systems allow systems engineers to conveniently adjust system parameters from the mixing desk. |
Live engineers are living, and mixing, in a very exciting time thanks to new technology that is finally beginning to meet the promises made almost 20 years ago. Everyone in our industry should use these powerful tools to successfully control and improve the overall quality of the audio presentation for the audience, as was so professionally demonstrated by Albert Leccese, John Cooper, and the entire Springsteen crew.
Danny Abelson, who long ago lost count of how many live shows he has worked or attended, still believes you can’t have a great show without a great crew.
November/December 2002 Live Sound International