d&b entertains for Robbie Williams’ Britpop tour.
Robbie Williams’ Britpop Tour is taking full advantage of the exceptional directivity control of d&b audiotechnik’s SL-Series, supplied by Britannia Row Productions, a Clair Global brand, and fulfilling a special request from Robbie’s FOH sound engineer, Joe Harling . . .
Setting the Scene
For Joe Harling, Robbie Williams’ man at the live mixing desk since 2022, there was only one choice when it came to specify a touring PA for the star’s Britpop outing, set to visit European arenas and stadiums through 2025.
“I got what I wanted,” says Harling “I love d&b. It’s the best all-in-one solution, including the DSP and the amplifiers. The GSL and KSL boxes sound amazing with ArrayProcessing.”
Harling is supported in his endeavours by system engineer Ville Kauhanen of Clair Global. “He’s been working with Taylor Swift for the last three years – really at the top of his game,” says Harling. “And he normally uses d&b! That’s always my first choice, too.”
Roly Oliver, d&b’s Global Touring Manager, says. “I’ve known Joe for many years, and I know how much he wanted GSL for this tour. Fortunately, Clair Global’s vast inventory enabled Britannia Row to deliver the system – as well as providing Ville, of course. They are a perfect example of today’s ‘double act’ of FOH engineer and systems engineer – completely symbiotic.”
Setting Objectives
This was Robbie’s first tour to play this many stadiums since 2017-18, and Harling was determined to field a sound system which would have the power to provide a full and rich coverage, efficiently and consistently.
But that was not all. As well as visiting major venues across Europe, the tour was to include a special UK show at Bath’s stunning Royal Crescent – a UNESCO World Heritage site, no less.
Managing the off-site noise impact of such a powerful PA system would be a major task. To meet it, audio specialist Marc Aitken – himself a Royal Crescent resident – and consulting for the local promoter liaised closely with the production team and his own neighbours. With residents’ front doors just 20 metres from the back of the stage, the challenge was extreme.
Happily, Aitken had become aware of d&b’s SL-Series line array systems, with their full-bandwidth directivity and extraordinary degree of rear rejection. He was confident in recommending SL-Series as the only system that would enable the show to happen, with neighbours – and potential noise complaints – so close by. Britannia Row’s Nick Boulton worked closely with the environmental noise company to design the system.
The Solution
The tour’s core arena system uses two main hangs of GSL8, plus another two hangs as side-fills, complemented by flown SL-SUBs. Then there are KSL hangs at 180°, plus further delay hangs of KSL and more SL-SUBs down on the ground, completed by Y10P point source front-fills. Using d&b’s ArrayProcessing optimisation ensures even coverage throughout each venue, with full, rich coverage at even the highest tiers. Amplification was all via d&b’s high-power 4-channel D80 units.
And the Bath show was a notable success. “For me,” says Aitken, “the GSL does something in the low-mid that means you don’t have to fight it – it sounds incredibly clean. I went into meetings with my hand on my heart and said this is the best-sounding PA on the planet – and that got the residents on board, because they really felt looked after.”
Even in such a sensitive urban location, the result was remarkably positive – something that will open up new possibilities for shows in settings of this kind. Aitken says. “It’s an amazing space and it would be great to use it more, with the residents in mind.”
That renowned rear-rejection also brings the added benefit of making the stage itself a more comfortable and manageable space for musicians and performers to be – or, in d&b terms, ‘More Art, Less Noise’.
Conclusion
The GSL/KSL combination delivered results and efficiencies that would not have been possible on Robbie’s last stadium tour. Harling comments, “It’s very musical, very linear . . . and, also, because of the ArrayProcessing, we don’t need ring delays in the stadiums. That saves loads of money and loads of time.”
He adds, “The loudspeakers are undeniably the one thing where newer is better, along with the science behind the optimization of the PA in the context of each setting. That’s come a long way.”
