"I find that Leo is so transparent that I can mix without worrying about problematic interactions within the system," says Jeff Thomas, veteran FOH engineer for DMB. "Rather than mixing in a defensive manner, I can focus on artistically creating the ideal tonal balance. The low-mid directional characteristics of Leo and Lyon also allow more gain before feedback and less interaction with Dave's mic."
Although the European shows were all indoors, Thomas also appreciated Leo's power and control when playing outdoor amphitheatres in the US this summer. "At places like Blossom Music Centre and Saratoga Performing Arts Centre, we've had considerable success with Leo because of the system's superior coverage, coherence and rear rejection," he reports. "These venues are designed for orchestras, not amplified music, yet we've had fantastic shows thanks to Leo."
DMB's touring audio production for the indoor European tour was anchored by dual main arrays of 12 LEO-M and four Lyon line array loudspeakers each. Twin side hangs were 10 Lyon loudspeakers each, supplemented by eight M'elodie line array and six JM-1P arrayable loudspeakers as front and out-fills, respectively. A Galileo Callisto loudspeaker management system with one Galileo Callisto 616 AES and two Galileo Callisto 616 array processors facilitated system drive and optimization. The tour's front-end and monitoring systems were brought to Europe by Martinez, Calif.-based Pro Media/UltraSound, with main system support by Victory Tour Production of Denmark.
"The system we're carrying now is incredibly easy to rig and tune," reports Tom Lyon, systems tech for the tour. "The ability to preset angles before flying is a major plus, and tuning can usually be accomplished with only a few U-Shaping adjustments."
Thomas mixed DMB on an Avid Venue Profile console, with another Profile and an Avid Venue SC48 used for monitors. The band used Shure UHF-R wireless microphones with Shure PSM 900 and PSM 1000 in-ear monitoring systems.
(Jim Evans)
