Expanded PA system
w/ additional enclosures
for sold-out date at
Toronto’s
Scotiabank
Arena
this tour of course featured its share of new mate-
rial, with about a third of the typical set list coming
from Rally Cry. What’s more, the album is arguably
the band’s most sonically diverse and ambitious
offering to date, so Gardner did his due diligence
ahead of the run to get a hold on the material.
“With any band, I start with their records and
really focus for a few months on where different
sounds are coming from and sitting in the mix,” he
says about his general approach his work. “Once
we get into a rehearsal space and sound check, I
will start to compare what the record sounds like
and how the band is performing it live so I can find
where I want something to sit within the song.”
Another way the S6L-32D has enhanced Gard-
ner’s workflow is its simple-but-robust multi-track
recording capabilities and seamless integration
with Pro Tools. “The console just works so well with
it over AVB,” he says, “so I can sit and mix a show or
a rehearsal even after the band has left, or they can
sit out front with me and make notes about things
they might want to stick out in the mix.”
On the Rally Cry run specifically, which finds a
three- or four-piece horn section and three backup
vocalists joining the five band members onstage at
certain points, they’re running 64 inputs – “so there
can be a lot of information to juggle,” Gardner notes,
“and I really like to make sure everything has its own
place in the mix and nothing is being ignored.”
PRG also had systems technician Meaghan
McEachren on the tour to handle patching and
oversee the monitor system in the hands of engi-
neer Ryan Haines, who, like Gardner, is a (nearly)
six-year veteran of the Arkells camp.
That system is a hybrid of wedges and
in-ears, with PRG supplying a complement of
L-Acoustics 115XT HiQ active stage monitors and
a single SB18 as a drum sub to supplement the
band’s Shure PSM900 wireless IEM package.
Following the Canadian run, the crew split as
Gardner and Haines ventured south of the
border with the band for the USA Rally Cry Tour
while Halliwell and McEachren took on new
projects of their own. But like the tens of thou-
sands of fans that enjoyed their work, Gardner
and Halliwell have some fond memories from
the Canadian trek.
“It was good working with Dave and Ryan on
this tour,” Halliwell shares. “Both are very indepen-
dent in their needs since they’re used to working
at a variety of venues with many different audio
situations with Arkells. Meaghan and I would make
sure that the PA system was optimized and ready
each day and that the stage looms were run and
then Ryan and Dave would take it from there.” He
adds that they really didn’t face any significant
issues, “other than the really cold weather in the
Prairies in February!”
“Working with PRG has been great,” Gardner
puts in. “I’ve known Meaghan and Jon for years,
and touring and getting to know them on a per-
sonal level was really a bonus on this run. Hopeful-
ly it won’t be the last time we tour together.”
Considering the work Arkells have been
putting in to grow their fanbase with each new
record and take over increasingly larger venues on
their subsequent tours, there’s a very good chance
Gardner will get his wish.
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief of
Professional Sound.
GEAR AT A GLANCE
FOH
1 x Avid Venue S6L-32D Console
1 x Waves Extreme Server
1 x Recording Computer
Running Avid Pro Tools
Main Arrays
24 x d&b audiotechnik J8 Line
Array Enclosures (12 per side)
8 x d&b audiotechnik J12 Line
Array Enclosures (4 per side below
J8s)
Outfills
24 x d&b audiotechnik V8 Line
Array Enclosures (12 per side)
Subwoofers
12 x d&b audiotechnik B2
Subwoofers (groundstacked)
Front Fills
12 x d&b audiotechnik Q7 Loud-
speakers
Amplification & Processing
Meyer Sound Galileo Galaxy
Networked Audio Processor
d&b audiotechnik D80 Amplifiers
d&b audiotechnik R1 Remote
Control Software
Monitors
1 x Avid Venue S6L-32D Console
1 x Waves Extreme Server
1 x Recording Computer Running
Avid Pro Tools
10 x L-Acoustics 115XT HiQ Active
Stage Monitors
1 x L-Acoustics SB18 Drum Sub
6 x Shure PSM900 P92 IEMs
(supplied by Arkells)
PROFESSIONAL SOUND 29