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Entec in New Sound Design Concept at Guilfest
Main stage headliners at the three-day festival included The Pogues, Paul Weller and Status Quo, and there was also a full programme of performance spread across 6 stages and arenas. “The key to a successful event is always having a good team,” says Sound Crew Boss Stef Serpagli. Entec’s audio team included Adam Draper (Shabi) doing stage and mics, Dave Guerin (monitors), Gary Hughes (FOH babysitter) and Serpagli who was also system designer.
They utilised a d&b Q1 line array system on the Main stage, and also took the opportunity to beta test d&b’s new software module for delaying the sub bass to provide a ‘virtual bass array’. Along with the ability to run the subs in cardioid mode, this provided a really smooth bass response throughout the site.
The new delayed sub array software allows monitoring of the sub and a new calculation for the lining up of single drops of sub e.g. across the front of stage – even when not equidistantly spaced. This creates a pattern control allowing the energy to be contained in the site.
The additional flexibility proved invaluable in avoiding potential noise pollution issues. Being a residential site, containing sound was crucial. The FOH level had to be maintained at an expedient 95dB, so considerable effort was made to contain the energy coming from the PA.
Entec had first tried the concept the previous weekend on a show at Alton Towers. It worked very well, so they did it again at Guildford, where it proved an invaluable tool in sound containment and minimising complaints from nearby residents.
To help in sound focusing, instead of a single main hang, they went for two – one top hang of eight Q1s per side and a ground stack of two Q1s per side as front fills. They also added delays – to ensure yet more control over the sound – consisting of two Q1’s hung on the back of the FOH tower structure, plus two Q10s for far out-fills. “Once we got the delay times aligned, we were sorted,” explained Serpagli.
At FOH they ran a single Midas XL4 console, and onstage a single Midas H3000 – so the changeovers were extremely busy.
FOH EQ were the new KT DN370’s, virtually untouched due to the main system processor being d&b’s “Rope” software. They added an additional DN370 for the engineer’s instant ‘grabber’ access, again, hardly used!
FOH effects included an Eventide H3000 harmonizer, a TC M2000 reverb and a D2 delay, a Lexicon PCM 91, two Yamaha SPX 990s and a whole variety of inserts including a dual Avalon, dbx 160s, eight dbx 160X’s, three dbx 1066s, five Drawmer gates and two BSS 901s.
Most bands brought their own engineers and had proper riders and specifications, so Entec’s brief was to supply a versatile, top quality system with all the usual high end audio requirements.
Monitors were Entec APW wedges, powered by Lab Gruppen amps and KT DN9848 processors -16 mixes in total. d&b C7’s were used for side fills and drum subs. Monitor outboards were KT DN3600s, 6 channels of dbx compression, Drawmer gates and an SPX 990. Entec also supplied a wide selection of mics.
For the rock-tastic Rock Sound Cave stage, Entec supplied a pokey d&b C4 system plus a Midas XL200 at FOH and an XL3 onstage, plus another Entec APW monitor wedge system, complete with Drawmer, dbx, Lexicon and Yamaha outboards/effects and assorted mics,. This was looked after by Mark Portlock onstage and Jason Barton at FOH.
Main stage lighting was looked after by crew chief Andy Mountain and Urko Arruza, and in the Rock Sound Cave was Niall Hannell and Mikey Ray Harkins – a truly multi-cultural team.
Lighting was flown on sub trusses rigged in the roof of the 15 metre Orbit stage, shaped to fit the arch of the structure.
Main stage lighting was based around Status Quo’s spec for the Sunday night (LD Pat Marks) and included eight Martin MAC 500s and six MAC 600s, plus a miscellany of PARs, ACLs and Moles. There was the choice of two Avolites consoles at FOH – a Diamond 3 or a Sapphire. All the headlining acts brought their own LDs.
Rock Sound Cave lighting consisted of Martin MAC 300s and 250+’s, six DWE 4-lite Moles, six bars of PAR36’s, and six floor cans. Control desk was an Avolites Pearl.
In picture: Alabama 3 in action.
2nd August 2005
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