UK - Sam Fender has successfully completed the first leg of his tour with sold-out arena shows across the UK and Ireland, with L-Acoustics certified provider distributor Adlib supplying a custom-designed K Series system.
The Liverpool-based audio specialist deployed the powerful K1/K2 configuration to meet the sonic demands of Fender's anthemic guitar-driven sound while seamlessly integrating with the tour's ambitious production design, featuring a massive 28-metre-wide video wall. Fender is now set to continue his momentum with stadium and festival dates across the UK & Europe this summer.
The tour marks a significant milestone in Fender's relationship with L-Acoustics, building on his experience with the system during headline festival appearances. "K1 has been the preferred choice of PA for Peter Fergie, Sam Fender's long-standing front-of-house engineer, during headline festival slots, so it made sense to move to L-Acoustics when logistically we could make it work," explains James Coghlan, systems engineer for the tour.
The L-Acoustics Soundvision software proved essential in addressing the tour's complex design challenges. "Soundvision checks almost all of my boxes as a system engineer," Coghlan states. "Being able to quickly model our rooms in 3D using the tools within Soundvision and the SketchUp plugin means I can spend more time on the PA design. Using the 3D SPL mapping in broadband and band-limited views and also the probes, we can see how the SPL distribution changes for every seat in the house."
Coghlan particularly praised the latest version's improvements: "The SPL mapping is significantly faster than in previous versions, letting me get to a great PA design even faster. Being able to sync my Soundvision model with my Network Manager file saves me countless hours over the duration of the tour."
The system design had to accommodate extensive production elements while ensuring consistent coverage throughout each venue. "Like most modern productions, the creative elements of the show have got bigger and more expansive. Designers want the entire audience to be able to see their creative visions. That means our job is to get the speakers out of the way while still providing consistent coverage," Coghlan notes.
To address these challenges, Adlib's solution, specified in collaboration with Coghlan, consisted of main hangs of 12 K1 with four K2 down per side, complemented by side-hangs of 16 K2. Eight KS28 flown subs per side, complemented with 20 ground-stacked KS28, provided comprehensive low-end reinforcement.
The setup also included a further 12 Kara per side as upstage-fills, six Kara as centre-fill, eight A10 for lip-fill and three A15 for out-fill per side. For larger venues, a delay system comprising four hangs of eight K2 was deployed to ensure consistent coverage from front to back.
"To work around the large video wall, we had to hang the PA slightly higher than I would have liked, but the K2 we had as down-fill worked seamlessly under the K1" says Coghlan. "The same challenges affected the centre hang, having to trim this higher than the ideal. But because of Kara's great high frequency density compared to the size of the box, we had plenty of headroom, even in such a small hang.
"As with every show, we want the entire audience to hear the same show, from the front row all the way to the back seat," Coghlan explains. "To help both production design and coverage considerations, we carried a delays package for the larger shows, giving us the option to reduce the size of the main hangs slightly to help improve the sightlines while providing better coverage to the high-level sections at the back of the arenas."
The L-Acoustics system received high praise throughout the tour. "As always, the L-Acoustics system performed brilliantly and the only feedback we've had has been great," Coghlan concludes. "Fergie has had a brilliant time on it, and I'm sure K1 will continue to be at the top of his PA spec for his upcoming stadium shows."
