Embarking on a tour of UK arenas in support of a new album, For That Beautiful Feeling – their tenth studio release – the Chemical Brothers marked 18 working with Skan on their live sound.
‘Using Skan is a choice based on their understanding of us as a client, and delivering the service that we require whilst remaining flexible with our needs,’ says Tour Manager James Baseley who, with Production Manager Toby Dennis, is responsible for the choice. ‘Their quality of service, staff and equipment makes them a stand-out company among many remarkable audio suppliers. Our use of legacy equipment that is not prevalent in other suppliers, and the level at which Skan maintains and backs it up, is second to none.’
As has been requested since their collaboration began, audio engineers Shan Hira (FOH) and Ian Barton (monitors) are both using their favoured analogue mixing desk, the Midas XL4. For Hira, it’s a console he’s grown to know intuitively over the 24 years he’s been bringing the Chems’ big beat sounds to live audiences.
‘It’s an absolute pleasure to mix FOH for The Chemical Brothers,’ he says. ‘They have written so many great songs and their live interpretation of these songs turns the show into an amazing audiovisual experience, which is always a privilege to be involved in. We’ve been working with Skan since 2005 and it’s been great ever since.
‘My objective with their shows is to present their songs in the best possible light,’ he continues. ‘The mix from the stage is different for every show, so the same thing does not necessarily happen at the same time each night. I track what the band is doing and use the options in my FX racks to enhance what I am getting from the stage. After all these years, there is a lot of trust within that, so they leave me to do what I think is the right thing.’
Hira’s selection of outboard fills three racks and includes both classic and legacy units, the dynamic rack includes XTA C2 compressors, XTA D2 compressors, XTAS graphic EQ and a Waves Maxx BCL limiter/compressor.
‘For the two effects racks, there are some units from Skan, the band owns some, and I’ve brought some of my own too,’ he says. ‘I have an Eventide H7600 Ultra Harmonizer, Deltalab Timeline 2048, Lexicon PCM 70 Digital Effects Processor, vintage Korg SDE-3000 Digital Delay, Electrospace Spanner surround panner, Line 6 Filter Modeller, Lexicon 480 for digital reverb, Roland SRE-555 Chorus Echo, MXR Digital Delay System 2, MXR Pitch Transposer, MXR Flanger, Bel Flanger, Boss Re 20 and a Boss RE-202.’
Skan’s Scott Essen, Audio Crew Chief and System Designer, has been working with this team for years and knows the key to harnessing their renowned live output.
‘The Chemical Brothers’ sound is all about making it loud yet comfortable, being impactful in a way that moves people. For the crowd, it’s all about feeling the sound and moving them in the right way. For me, that means getting the sub and fill choices right. We do quite consciously ensure the people in the pit get a full experience while ensuring those out on the edges still feel that low end and get a nice presence of the top end. Essentially, we design the sound system to be as seamless and effective as possible.’
The PA system comprises d&b audiotechnik GSL for main hangs, KSL for side and rear hangs, flown J Subs, stacked SL-Subs and V10p for front fill. On stage, side fill comprises KSL with SL-Subs, rave fills of V12 tops and V-SubS used by the production team. There is also a scattering of M2 wedges and B6 Subs on stage.
Essen says the flown subs and the way they’ve been meticulously tuned is for chest impact rather than floor wallow: ‘We’re moving air, and it’s very visceral. Arenas are notoriously bad for controlling low end, so once that’s tight, we’re laughing,’ he explains.
‘The PA preference for Shan and myself is always d&b, and that works with this band because it gives a controlled, tighter, punchier thump than some systems offer. The Midas analogue choices are all about being hands-on and making it ergonomic with the mix while sounding brilliant. Throughout our time together, I’ve stripped Shan’s desk at least three times – taken every channel strip out and had it down to the bare bones, serviced and rebuilt it. That kind of sums up the two halves of what this production represents, there’s a comfort zone of old, analogue gear mixed with elements of the latest audio technology. This show is exceptional because it’s the perfect mould of those two things, and it works beautifully for everyone.’
‘The XL4 is just the best thing in the world,’ monitor engineer and fellow Midas XL4 fan Barton agrees. ‘It weighs half a tonne, but I’m so lucky to be able to take it everywhere.’
Barton says that a lot of fine-tuning goes into his monitor mixes in a ‘triangle of trust’ between himself, Hira and Chemical Brothers’ Tom Rowlands. ‘I’ve got Ed [Simons] who plays different synths, and some satellite speakers dotted around the stage, so I overlay whatever the sound is. There are 24 analogue keyboards running at any one time, but mixing it is completely second nature at this point.’
Barton also has Lab.gruppen amplification on his own L-Acoustics speakers – two ARCs, two dVSubs, two 108 and four 108P.
When it comes to their audio supplier, Barton advocates that ‘Skan is the one’, for expertly maintaining their desks and bespoke requests over the years: ‘They’re a stand-alone company,’ he confirms. ‘The cleanliness of the gear and the way it’s all put together for us, well it’s more than just nice – it’s an important part of how the show works.’
More: www.skanpa.co.uk
