The recent UK/Ireland leg of the “Imploding The Mirage” stadium tour by The Killers was supported by London-based Capital Sound (part of the Solotech UK Group) providing support and a main reinforcement system headed by GSL arrays from the d&b audiotechnik SL-Series.
“The first time I used the SL Series was at a festival in Memphis,” says The Killers’ front-of-house sound engineer Kenny Kaiser, who works closely with monitor engineer Marty Beath on all aspects of the band’s touring sound spec. “We just turned up and used it, and I was floored – it was awesome.”
Planning ahead, the pair worked with Solotech to finalize the system design for the tour, with a design utilizing main hangs of 16 GSL8 and four GSL12 cabinets left and right plus 10 flown SL-SUBs per side and 14 GSL8 and two GSL12 left and right for side arrays. On the ground were SL-GSUBs stacked six-wide and two-high, with their arrangement of 21 woofers designed to extend the system’s cardioid pattern control down to 30 Hz. “Low end is always an issue in stadiums,” says Kaiser, “but the control here with the flown subs and the G-SUBs, it’s just great.”
For delays, the smaller KSL8 enclosures were deployed in hangs of 16 per side. All arrays were flown in compression mode, but smaller KSL8 arrays can be rigged from roof structures in tension mode where needed to save weight. “With the SL-Series, d&b seem to have nailed the concept of quick rigging,” says Solotech’s Robin Conway. “Speed of deployment is a huge factor — it’s so safe to fly, especially in compression mode.”
Kaiser and Conway both add that setup and optimization with d&b’s ArrayProcessing software is straightforward. Conway: “It’s a powerful system that does throw a long way. And with ArrayProcessing, that takes care of the frequency response front-to-back. It means the system tech can focus on the finer details and how the arrays interact with each other.”
The system’s performance in these large venues has been enjoyed by the sound team: “I’ve been impressed by the evenness of the coverage,” says Kaiser. “Compared with previous d&b systems I’ve used, [the GSL] sound is smoother, more uniform.”
As with all the SL-Series, the GSL employs a combination of cardioid techniques designed to result in the rejection of energy to the rear to foster a more comfortable working environment onstage as well as to lower off-site sound emissions. Kaiser comments, “The back end is quiet and it’s really clean on stage, which makes life easier for everyone. Marty can get his mix out without fighting, so everyone’s happy. And when everyone else is happy, I’m happy.
“We’ve had comments from guests and promoters on the tour, saying it’s some of the best sound they’ve ever heard at their venue,” he concludes. “And the Solotech guys have been absolutely amazing – great to work with.”
The Killers tour will continue with GSL through the forthcoming European festival season and then for North American and Australasian shows later in the year.
