Solotech and Meyer Sound's MILO Carry Andre Rieu Around the Globe
| |||||||
| IMAGES
|
Andre Rieu has been called everything from the Waltz King to the Kid Rock of Classical. The charismatic 56-year-old Dutch violinist and conductor is an international phenomenon, selling in excess of 20 million albums and filling halls across Europe, North America and Japan with his Johann Strauss Orchestra for nearly a decade. Rieu, whose concerts blend elements of classical and pop, singing and dance, is known for his ability to bring an air of fun and levity to the world of classical performance. He is a playful entertainer who connects with his audience as few orchestral conductors do. Unlike most faceless classical ensembles, Rieu encourages the members of his orchestra to assert their talents and personalities, bringing an air of warmth to the performance. The Maastricht-based Rieu is also known for being a stickler for sonic excellence. Sensitive to the acoustical limitations of the arenas and stadiums in which he often holds court, Rieu has trusted Montreal-based Solotech with his tour sound for nearly a decade. The highly respected company behind the shows of Cirque du Soleil, Celine Dion, and many others provides Rieu with a finely tuned audio system based around Meyer Sound's MILO high-power curvilinear array loudspeaker. The main system is centered on two arrays of 14 MILO cabinets and two MILO 120 high-power expanded coverage curvilinear array loudspeakers. "The MILO array covers (from the rear of the venue) up to about 25 or 30 feet from the stage, where the frontfill takes over," explains David Brazeau, project manager and head systems tech for seven of Rieu's nine-plus years of touring. "The MILO array is quite capable of covering even closer if we wanted to, but near the stage there's quite a bit of sound coming from the orchestra itself, and we get a more natural blend by using smaller frontfills." Four M1D ultracompact curvilinear array loudspeakers across the stage lip and a pair of UPA-1P compact wide coverage loudspeakers on either side handle those frontfill duties. "The M1D was designed as a line array," Brazeau observes, "but we've found it's perfect for frontfill, giving us just the right area of focus." Sidefill is handled by two MSL-5P high-power loudspeakers, a custom self-powered version of the discontinued MSL-5 that was made for Solotech. "They've been touring around the world for years now, but they suit this show and Andre's music very well," says Brazeau. "They're very versatile for side coverage, going from one arena to another as we do." Underneath the MSL-5P cabinets are two MSL-4 horn-loaded long-throw loudspeakers, complemented by two CQ-1 wide coverage main loudspeakers for downfill. "For outdoor shows, we also add four SB-1 (parabolic long-throw) sound beams, as well as some M3D (line array loudspeaker) cabinets," Brazeau adds. For the larger European venues, two additional side arrays of MICA compact high-power curvilinear array loudspeakers are also employed. Under the stage are five 650-P high-power subwoofers per side, while on stage, 10 legacy, unpowered UPM-1 UltraSeries reinforcement loudspeakers cover monitoring duties. "The UPM-1 is very low-profile and not too loud; just right for filling in particular parts of the orchestra," Brazeau explains. "Eventually we'll go to the powered UPM-1P version, but these UPMs have been touring for over nine years and, like with most Meyer stuff, they never break, so there's been no rush to change." It's not like Brazeau could swap out equipment easily, even if he wanted to. With an itinerary averaging 120 dates every year, there's just not a lot of down time for making changes. "I checked the Galileo system out earlier this year, and it's brilliant," says Brazeau. "We've been wanting to implement it for several months now, but the tour runs most of the year and we can only make changes during the breaks." The orchestra's North American dates comprise mainly arenas and sport halls. While Rieu boasts an even larger following in Europe than in America, that leg of the tour tends toward a larger number of performances in smaller, more intimate venues. "We typically keep one set of equipment in North America, and a second set in Europe at a facility in Maastricht," says Brazeau. "This rig left Montreal in August for Japan, then came back to the West Coast." FOH engineer Wim van der Molen mixes the show on a Yamaha PM1D digital console, adding a sidecar to accommodate the choir added for this tour. The only outboard gear is a Lexicon 960 for Rieu's violin. The show is consistent enough to allow van der Molen to mix monitors from FOH as well. Brazeau's setup day begins with measuring the room and plugging the data into MAPP Online Pro. "I must say I was pretty surprised the first time I used MAPP Online," he states. "It's remarkably accurate." He also keeps an eye on his SIM audio analyzer. "Andre typically comes out into the house during sound check to listen," Brazeau explains. "He's a very particular artist, and very consistent. Using SIM, we always know we can give him exactly what he wants to hear." Brazeau uses Meyer Sound's RMS remote monitoring system to observe the status of the loudspeakers in the system. Rieu's vintage 1667 Stradivarius is picked up via two Sennheiser ME102 omnidirectional lavalier mics sewn into his jacket. "We mic him low with one mic, and put the other a bit higher," says Brazeau. "We raise it up a bit when he's talking. That's another great thing about the Meyer rig: it's got a tight enough focus that we can use an omni on Andre and it won't feed back." "MILO is ideal for this music," Brazeau concludes. "It's very powerful, very capable, and easy to manipulate. We play such a wide range of venues, from arenas to theatres, and that versatility is important for us. I've worked with other line arrays, but MILO is really the one I prefer. It sounds sweet without being overly aggressive, and really brings out the richness of the strings." Rieu's 2007 tour schedule is packed, with heavy touring continuing through Europe until April, when he crosses the Atlantic for a two-month North American leg. The tour will take a break in June, at which point Brazeau will finally get a chance to add Galileo to the system before heading back out on the road in July. February, 2007 |
FEATURED PRODUCTS MSL-5P |
