Launching their 2011 Hit The Road tour, Mike & The Mechanics, the multi-million selling side-project formed in 1984 by Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford, recently hit London’s Royal Albert Hall.
The main system comprised LR hangs of 12 GTO elements, with three Outline Mantas underhung from each array, plus three along the stage lip to cover the close field. Side-hangs of 13 Outline Butterfly elements covered the bleachers while an under-stage array of Outline Subtech 218 subwoofers provided LF reinforcement.
‘This venue is not the easiest in which to create a system design that provides even coverage,’ says Britannia Row’s Bryan Grant. ‘Especially when full, it is necessary to deliver full-range coverage of more than 270° in the horizontal plus around 50-60-ft in the vertical. The GTO system providing the bulk of the LR mix sounded just as good as we’ve come to expect, and the fact that we could easily integrate other products from the Outline range to create a commonly-voiced system to cover the whole room made it relatively easy to get this right’.
‘I have used Outline Butterfly on numerous occasions, always with great results and so it is always my first PA choice when I’m on tour, but this was my first show with GTO,’ offers FOH engineer and producer Matteo Cifelli. ‘Its development from Butterfly was immediately evident as it has the same punch, intelligibility and tight coverage pattern, but GTO provides noticeably more energy: almost a Butterfly system on steroids, yet its “detail” gives me the sensation of mixing in a studio environment. Mike & The Mechanics is not a loud band, but GTO’s headroom and effortless power enabled me to create a very dynamic and well controlled mix with plenty of space for everything. A ‘top of the class’ speaker, I’m very impressed’.
Featuring a new line-up that includes UK R&B star Andrew Roachford, the tour coincides with the release of the band’s first studio album in six years, entitled The Road.
More: www.outline.it
