For tour stops at arenas, an extra half-dozen MICAs are hung per side.
Processing for the entire self-powered affair is supplied by a Meyer Galileo loudspeaker management system.
Beyond McLachlan’s wireless Sennheiser vocal mics, the rest of the show’s input scheme is just as straightforward and no-nonsense.
An assortment of mics ranging from a stereo pair of Royer 121s to beyerdynamic M88s have been put to work on guitar cabinets, while Radial J48 DIs got the nod for acoustic guitar and bass.
Radial JDI DIs can be found on the samplers, loops, keyboards, and electric piano. Leslie low is an EV RE20; left and right Leslie highs are AKG C 535s.
Heil Sound microphones span portions of the drum kit in the form of a PR 35 on snare top, PR 22 on snare bottom, and PR 40s on floor toms.
High-hat and overhead mics are Neumann KM194s, rack tom a Sennheiser 904. Down in the kick, another Heil PR 40 joins a Beta 91 coupled to a KP1 KickPad from Earthworks.
“I use a combination of both mics in the kick drum,” Pallett explains. “But with the Earthworks KickPad, the 91 is essentially useable by itself. Normally the 91 has a kind of ‘papery’ sound, but when you mix it with another mic you get a nice blend of the two. With the KickPad the 91 sounds like a mic with real punch.”
A Favorite Gig
Just as fitting for the times we live in, all it takes is a crew of three to make the show run. In addition to Pallett and either Sarault or Sullivan, there’s been Solotech crew chief Hilario Gonzalez. Together the triumvirate tackles all tasks, picking up stagehand help as needed in each venue. On average, load-in time takes no more than three hours, load-out an hour-and-a-half.
“It’s been almost 20 years for me,” Pallett says, carving another notch on his console, “and this is still a favorite gig. I’ve done other things, but this is the one you can always look forward to, the one you come back to. These are discerning musicians that are a joy to work with.”
Sarault concurs. “It’s always like family around here,” he says on a parting note. “The musicianship never ceases to amaze, and with so many superb vocalists adding to Sarah’s own stunning melodies, you get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to mix some truly transcendent harmonies. n
Gregory A. DeTogne is a free-lance writer and publicist who has served the pro audio industry for the past 30 years.