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DiGiCo D5 Live Relights Take That’s Fire
In the ten years since Gary Bradshaw last engineered Take That technology has moved on in leaps and bounds. The analogue desk he used on their last tour no longer fits the bill and has been replaced by a DiGiCo D5 Live, now Bradshaw’s desk of choice for many reasons.
“First and foremost, it’s the nicest sounding desk,” he explains. “That has to be the number one priority before you do anything else with it. It’s the easiest to use - I’d say it’s a bit like a Mac and a PC, between the D5 and other desks - it’s very straight forward and if you’re not quite sure how to do something, you just think about the way the stuff’s laid out, and think ‘it’s probably there’ – and there it is!
“Everything is built in: all the onboard processing functions perfectly; the EQ sounds good; gates and compressors work very well. I’m not using any external compressors; it’s all stuff within the board. They all work, they all sound good. I’m using all the effects. The overall EQ for the system is in there; it’s just a grab EQ for me, which is a great facility. And it’s nice and small.”
There is certainly no compromise on any part of the production for the Ultimate Tour 2006, which is filling arenas the length of the UK. It is a visual spectacular that needs a sound system that can do it justice. And that’s just what Capital Sound Hire has delivered including a Martin line array, XTA digital signal processing and a total of three DiGiCo D5 Lives.
Bradshaw’s D5 sits at front of house and is shared by him and Denny Vidal, support act Beverly Knight’s FOH engineer. “Last time I engineered Take That there would have been my desk, a support band desk, racks and racks of insert stuff and outboard gear,” smiles Bradshaw. But the D5 has replaced pretty much all of that equipment. A further two D5s are at the monitor position. “Just so Beverly’s guy doesn’t have to re-patch,” says Take That monitor engineer Steve Lutley.
Bradshaw has eight matrix outputs and 54 inputs, which, he says, keeps him busy. “Every time I use the D5, I learn a little bit more,” he says. “I hadn’t used processing channels before this and it’s a great way of doing things. I’ve got them on outputs and I’ve put them over a vocal group. Everything I’m using is internal apart from one external reverb.”
Bradshaw also uses a DiGiTracks recording unit for band and production rehearsals. “I think that’s the best invention of the last 10 years for FOH people,” he continues. “To be able to rehearse with the band or without the band at the flick of one switch is just fantastic.”
Steve Lutley had not used a D5 before. “I haven’t been on tour for the last four years,” he explains. “I took a full time job with Delta Sound, but Chris [Vaughan, production manager] asked me to come and do this tour.
“I said yes because Chris is a very good friend, but I also wanted to have a go at using the D5 as a monitor board. And I love it! It’s very user friendly, it sounds fantastic and I’m really happy. I have 56 inputs, all used bar one. On outputs I have seven stereo mixes for the band, four stereo mixes for the boys, a stereo mix for the guest and then a further three stereo mixes around the stage for hotspots. So it’s a very busy desk.”
Finally, Denny Vidal sums up his thoughts on the console: “The D5 is very easy to use. It has everything I want and I do absolutely everything from the console. And that’s the way it should be. It’s all you really need.”
30th May 2006
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