LIVE SOUND
Erik Paquette works with VER Toronto . Established 35 years ago , VER is a leading provider of audiovisual equipment and services for clients in TV , cinema , live music , sports , and the corporate world . VER operates on six continents and executes more than 50 individual productions daily . www . ver . com .
Behind the Scenes at WayHome and Boots & Hearts
With VER Toronto ’ s Erik Paquette
Following the summer 2017 editions of the multi-genre WayHome Music and Arts Festival and country-focused Boots & Hearts , we connected with Erik Paquette of VER Toronto , the company that supplies the production technologies for the two fests , to find out what goes on behind the scenes to deliver these special events to tens of thousands of fans in Oro-Medonte , ON .
VER offers audiovisual equipment and services for various kinds of organizations and events internationally . VER ’ s team at WayHome and Boots & Hearts , led by Paquette , was responsible for noise monitoring , equipment procurement , and AV services .
CM : Give us an idea of your responsibilities at the two festivals , both leading up to the events and while on the ground .
Erik Paquette : My job starts months before being onsite . We start with designing the best audio system for the festival . A lot is taken into consideration here , starting with ensuring the audience gets the best sound possible in the concert bowl . After we have designed the system , we then start working with the touring acts to be sure all of their touring systems are integrated with our system flawlessly .
While onsite , it ’ s mostly about managing all the last-minute requests and curve balls that inevitably come up during a large-scale outdoor festival . This is the fun part .
CM : Approximately how many people do you have on your team each year , and which tasks take the most time and technicians ?
EP : This year , we had 18 audio technicians onsite to operate and maintain the systems .
CM : Tell us a bit about the gear you ’ ve got onsite , and anything in particular you use to ensure the best possible experience .
EP : This year ’ s [ sound ] systems are all [ from German high-end loudspeaker manufacturer ] d & b audiotechnik . My favourite piece is the ArrayCalc program that is used with the d & b systems . This enables us to virtually [ configure ] the system to ensure all the angles and placements will deliver the best and most consistent sound throughout the venue . This “ homework ” also leads to less troubleshooting onsite .
CM : What is the most challenging part of working on the festivals for you and your team ?
EP : Weather !
CM : You mentioned noise monitoring earlier – how does that work and what does it entail for an event of this scale ?
EP : We have been working very closely with the town [ of Oro-Medonte , ON ] as well as acoustical engineers to generate a sound monitoring plan . We have used information gained from last year ’ s event to design the best system for the audience while also mitigating any unwanted frequencies offsite . We are doing offsite monitoring to lessen the disruption to the town , as well as selfregulating inside the concert bowl .
CM : From start to finish , how much time do you invest to make these events happen ?
EP : The planning stages for the festival generally start during the previous festival . We really start getting into the major logistics of everything starting in January .
CM : Do you have any advice for people who are looking to get into the industry ?
EP : Work ethic is the most important thing to me . Hard work always pays off .
Canadian Musician ‘ s Samantha Everts & Mark Matusoff were on the ground for the 2017 edition of the WayHome Music & Arts festival , and you can check out reviews and great photos of artists like Tegan & Sara , Death from Above , Jazz Cartier , Daniel Caesar , and many more at www . canadianmusician . com / blog .
60 • CANADIAN MUSICIAN