Following the 2010 release of Sigh No More and relentless international touring, Mumford & Sons’ rise to fame has been nothing short of meteoric.
Currently supporting its newest album, Babel, the band has once again been back on the road with “The Full English” tour, which marks its second sweep across North America this year.
Montreal, Canada-based Solotech has been providing L-Acoustics concert sound systems and support for “The Full English” as well as the band’s May/June “Summer Stampede” leg. Systems and support for August/September’s “Gentlemen of the Road” (GOTR) two-day stopover shows have been provided by fellow Rental Network company LD Systems of Houston, Texas.
According to Jamie Howieson, Mumford & Sons’ audio system engineer and sound designer, the production crew has been deploying 28 K1 mains and six KARA down-fills, plus 16 K1-SB flown subs with 16 SB28 below for most shed dates. Out-fill hangs are comprised of 24 KUDO, with 10 dV-DOSC for lip-fill.
Arena shows are typically reinforced via 32 K1 and 12 KARA, paired with 16 K1-SB and 16 SB28. Out-fill hangs consist of 24 K1 with 12 KARA down-fills, and lip-fill is accomplished via a dozen dV-DOSC.
GOTR festival dates, which have each boasted sell-out crowds of 40,000 fans, take advantage of 24 K1 for mains, 20 more K1 for out-fill, and 16 K1-SB and 16 SB28 for low end. Three delay towers featuring a combined total of 24 K1 and six KARA provide extended throw, and LA-RAK touring racks each loaded with LA8 amplified controllers have provided system power and processing for all shows.
With Mumford & Sons performing largely on traditional acoustic-style instruments—albeit plugged into Marshall, Orange and other amplifiers—the band is known for its energy and huge dynamic range in concert. From ultra-quiet to roaringly loud, Howieson notes that he and FOH engineer Chris Pollard have been duly impressed with the performance of the L-Acoustics rig.
“Chris is very comfortable mixing on K1 and is achieving some fantastic mixes from night to night,” he says. “This system lends itself very nicely to the band’s sonic requirements and we’ve been hearing many compliments from local promoters at the venues on its musicality and coverage, both of which are remarkable.
“I’ve also been very pleased with how quickly we can fly everything, which frees up more time for system optimization and sound check. In short, the equipment and support from L-Acoustics, Solotech and LD Systems have been excellent.”
