Having begun in 2019 and resumed after lockdown for a further eight-week stint, Tim Minchin’s Back … Encore UK tour took him through a number of sold-out UK theatre shows, interspersed with a handful of arena dates. The Australian comedian, actor, writer, musician and songwriter was supported onstage by a seven-piece band comprising bass, guitar, drums, percussion and three brass players. Handling the sound production was Martin Audio rental partner Capital Sound, with the highly experienced Dave Roden mixing – once again to his favoured Wavefront Precision WPS.
Capital drew on its inventory of 32 WPS line array enclosures but purchased six additional multichannel, iKon Dante amplifiers for the tour, enabling the system to be driven in the optimum one-box resolution. Explaining the need for the expanded WPS inventory this time around, Capital Account Manager, Martin Connolly, said that the additional elements had provided Roden with increased horsepower when matching to the main hangs and out fills. Crucially, the restricted loading points at some theatres became another defining factor.
‘The WPS system is perfectly matched for Minchin,’ Connolly says. ‘It was so successful last time and so Dave requested it again.’
The WPS was supplemented at the three larger capacity arenas – Nottingham Motorpoint, Leeds First Direct and Cardiff Motorpoint – where Martin Audio’s larger WPL took over main duties, moving the WPS out wide to function as side hangs. Providing low frequency extension were stacks of Martin Audio SX218 subwoofers – varying between six and 16, depending on venue size – along with a combination of DD6 and XD12, which have become standard fare for near fill support. The XD12s were set as out fills on the lip of the stage at the extreme left and right with six DD6 set across the front.
However, there was always the opportunity for a little experimentation – System tech Nick Boulton, who had occupied the same role for Tim Minchin’s 2019 shows, took the opportunity to test drive Martin Audio’s new Torus constant curvature array on a number of dates. ‘Nick was keen to try this in place of the XD12s and so Martin Audio provided a pair of flightcased T1230s, principally for use at Nottingham and Cardiff Motorpoint Arenas,’ says Martin Audio Product Support Engineer Nigel Meddemmen.
‘Initially we put them side-by-side with our existing XD12 in fill, and straight out of the box were impressed by their fidelity,’ Boulton adds. ‘They required very little EQ to match tonality with our hangs of WPL and WPS. Personally, I was also very impressed with the consistent coverage and pattern control. The rigging and cabinet feel high quality, and there are a bunch of cool features, such as the identifying LED, and NL4 pin swap switch, which make things a lot simpler.
‘Consequently, we ended up putting them into every show between Hammersmith and Cardiff – and had we had access to more, I’d certainly have used them.’
Roden and Boulton were supported by fellow Capital crew members, Adam Wells (monitor tech) and Oz Bagnall (monitor engineer). Production manager was Ashley Newsome, working for promoter, Phil McIntyre Entertainments.
Summing up, Connolly said the tour had been an unqualified success – not only for the warmth with which Tim Minchin’s show had been received, but the quality of the production. ‘He is an excellent showman, and running the PA at a comfortable level, between 98dB-100dB, the sound was extremely clean and the intelligibility high.’
See also:
Capital Sound extends PA inventory for a laugh
