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NO MOMENTS SILENCE FOR ADLIB WITH HOZIER UK rental and production specialist Adlib continued its excellent working relationship with the Irish singer-songwriter, Hozier, and the equally skilled and accomplished production team led by Sue ‘Duchess’ Iredale.
The Liverpool-based company supplied sound and lighting equipment plus crew for the band’s recent UK and European tour, with a CODA Audio sound system specified by FOH Engineer, Steve “Patto” Pattison, and the realisation of an eye-catching and inventive lighting design created by Steven Douglas. Patto joined the Hozier team mid-way through 2018 shortly after completing the Freedom Child world tour with Irish trio, The Script. Hozier’s Nina Cried Power EP dropped almost immediately and with a new (second) studio album anticipated in the spring, the touring schedule started apace and continues worldwide throughout 2019. Patto chose a CODA Audio AiRAY system for the UK and Europe sections, after having an “amazing” experience with it on The Script tour. As a powerful and highly versatile speaker system for its compact size, which can be flown or ground stacked in different configurations that sound equally good and bringing a continuity to the wide range of venues on the itinerary. “It sounds great in a 1,200-seat theatre and a 15,000-capacity arena,” enthused Patto. “One box covers all applications.” The flexibility of going with CODA Audio meant the crew could use the same box and have the same rich sound with all its luscious detail dealing with the daily variations by using different quantities and rigging set ups. In the largest format the
crew used 16 boxes a-side. For Patto, the “devil is in the detail” of the fill coverage, and to this end, he used one of his signature techniques. A small centre hang of between three and six CODA Audio TiRAYs hung from the front lighting truss to cover the area around three rows back from the front. “Those standing in that area, the little ‘D’ shaped section just back from the front, always get a raw deal. In most venues any PA system will struggle to hit them depending on rigging points, sightlines, etc. While the lip fills will only ever hit the front row. Their ticket cost the same so we should give them the same experience.” He commented that the TiRAY speaker was “so tiny and light that it was completely unobtrusive on the truss but had a huge impact in terms of enhancing the audience experience”. For standard stage fills Patto used CODA Audio APS (arrayable point source) speakers sat above the subs to fill out the corners, and HOPS (high output point source) as the lip fills along the front of the stage. They toured both SC2-Fs (dual 15 inch) and SCP-F subs, with two or three of each per side in the standard set up and several variations according to the shape and size of the room. The SC2-Fs were often used when the AiRAY was ground stacked as they provided a solid and secure platform on which to rig the AiRAY cabinets at the correct height as well 20
