d&b SL-Series Meets a Mix of Demands for Tate McRae

	The main PA uses eight hangs of d&b SL-Series.

Front-of-house sound engineer Curtis McKenna has worked with the Canadian singer/songwriter Tate McRae since 2022, supporting her rise from playing clubs to her current Miss Possessive arena tour across South America, Europe, and North America. Having experienced a wide range of sound systems in that time, he has developed a clear preference for the system which he feels best serves the needs of this artist -- the d&b audiotechnik SL-Series.

"Every time we used d&b -- whether KSL, GSL, or even J-Series -- her voice always sat really well in the mix," says McKenna. "Because of the cardioid system, I could mix a little louder without spill coming back onto stage. She was more comfortable and always enjoyed the gig more."

Sound rental provider for the tour is UK-based 22live. A relatively new name, but with Paul Timmins (ex-Capital Sound), Spencer Beard, Alex Penn, Stefan Phillips and Simon Gladstone (all ex-SSE Audio) behind it, it boasts years of experience.

From the outset, it was clear that the staging would be anything but conventional. The design, provided by McRae's production manager AJ Sutherland, included a main stage with a central catwalk "thrust" topped by a "T" stage, plus a B-stage with scissor-lift (at the other end of the arena, behind the front-of-house mix position).

"Tate, like most singers, doesn't like singing in front of a PA," says McKenna. The challenge facing 22live's technical director Simon Gladstone, therefore, was to define a system that kept the sound off of the performance areas -- especially the "T" of the thrust -- while allowing the surrounding audience members to hear it. Precise directivity control was key -- and here, d&b's SL-Series proved its worth.

The main PA uses eight hangs of d&b SL-Series. Arrays of GSL either side of the thrust are backed by flown SL-SUBs and complemented by KSL side-hangs and 270-degree hangs of XSL. In the KSL arrays, 80-degree KSL8 modules are used instead of the 120-degree KSL12s which would be commonly used here, giving tighter control over the spill onto the thrust.

"Everything is ArrayProcessed," says Gladstone. "The predictability of the main sound system and its cardioid behaviour are key, that we can see where it's going to hit the thrust. There are people stood next to the sides of the thrust with a PA hang behind them, so controlled directivity really helps."

While avoiding direct sound on the main stage and thrust, the GSL hangs faced the B-stage, causing another problem. This challenge was overcome by system tech Joseph Pearce using d&b R1 Remote control software to mute one box at a time as McRae rose on the B-stage scissor lift.

To ensure the full sound experience for the audience surrounding the stage and thrust, d&b E8 fills were placed along each side, with Y10P point sources positioned along the top of the "T." Additional (flown) Y10P cabinets complete the coverage for the areas adjacent to the thrust.

An interesting footnote to McKenna's mixing challenge is the influence of social media. With smartphone recordings of each show going viral on the Internet, he has to ensure that this replay sounds as good as he can make it. "Obviously, I'll make sure the room's okay," he says, "but I also want people's phones to pick up that vocal clarity, in the way that I -- and Tate -- want it to be heard."

With the audience being typically loud, this can be another challenge. McKenna finds that a touch of outboard saturation on the vocal channel works well to brighten it slightly, while the inherent clarity and headroom of the SL-Series provides the right tonality to this 21st century challenge.