Meanwhile, to help fulfil a heavy summer touring programme, Wayne Barker’s WE Audio have returned to Marquee Audio to add a 48/32 channel Soundcraft Series 5 Monitor board to the Series 5 FOH desk they also purchased recently from the Shepperton supplier. With a Jane McDonald summer tour - including a date with the 61-piece Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Harewood House, Harrogate - followed by a theatre tour with Ruby Turner, Barker says he needs all the channels he can get. "We wanted the Series 5 Monitor principally because the in-ear requirement has jumped up on the Jane McDonald shows, and the whole production has moved upmarket. Our 48/32 desk will be stuffed to the gills, while at front-of-house we will buss two desks together, giving us 80 channels."
WE Audio have become something of a Soundcraft house, with 100 FOH channels of Series 5 now available and 48 channels for the stage - all purchased from Marquee. At Harewood House, WE Audio will also be fielding some of their Turbosound Floodlight inventory, supplying 16 stacks and hiring the rest in to give them an 80-box rig. Barker will be asking Marquee to supplement his blue stock with the acquisition of Turbosound TQ enclosures - specifically for Ruby Turner’s Hold On regional theatre tour, which starts in August. Barker also confirms the purchase from Marquee of further XTA SIDD digital processors, and Turbosound-badged MC2 T750 and T1250 amplifiers.