Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics world tour successfully completed its India leg in February, employing a KSL PA system from d&b audiotechnik’s ground-breaking SL-Series to address the need of a lightweight, flexible system with no compromise in sound quality. The tour also marked a couple of notable firsts for the region’s live touring industry, while keeping the tunes clean and the audiences happy.
The d&b KSL system was supplied for Sheeran by Mumbai-based NJSM ProSound. Signalling the KSL system’s wide acceptance across the sub-continent, the entire tour of India used a d&b KSL system supplied by one vendor. More importantly perhaps, the India shows were preceded on 24 January by the first ever international concert in the small Himalayan country of Bhutan, before playing in five cities in India and then completing in the country’s capital, Delhi.
To ensure a smooth and successful delivery of the system design and supply, with all the logistical challenges inherent in a tour across the vast sub-continent, NJSM ProSound’s team worked closely with d&b India’s EAS (Education & Application Support) representative, Neil Lean.
Shows for this leg were presented in end-on format – a less complex setup than the 360˚ in-the-round productions of previous legs – chosen to minimize deployment challenges to cater to tight setup schedules. d&b’s KSL was chosen because the production needed a top-tier system which would be available in enough cities to allow it to leap-frog a touring PA, while supplementing the inventory with local supplies where required. Thanks to KSL’s cardioid performance and unequalled full bandwidth directivity, it could also be relied upon to deliver consistent, controlled, high quality sound for each venue, from the stage itself all the way to the ends of the audience areas.
The system design featured main hangs of KSL8/KSL12 (16 cabinets per side), accompanied by 10 flown SL-Subs per side, plus 24 ground-stacked SL-GSubs in end-fire configuration. These were complemented by d&b’s V8 and V12 cabinets as front-fills, with delays provided by KSL, XSL and V-Series cabinets, depending on the specific needs of each venue.
The biggest challenge for the team was transportation logistics. India is almost the same size as Europe, excluding Russia, and cargo landing in a city in the early morning would have to be converted to a tuned system by 10am. Another logistical challenge was the need to ensure that the correct amp racks and connectivity was available at each venue.
Thanks to the characteristic ease of deployment of the d&b system, with its dedicated dollies and integrated rigging solutions, plus the expert on-site support provided by d&b India, the system was comfortably flown and tuned at each site.
The exceptional cardioid performance of KSL, a defining characteristic of d&b’s SL-Series, ensured the music was enjoyed without distortion or feedback by the entire audience – a fitting solution for such a globally significant artist. “The SL-Series’ cardioid pattern allowed us to open up the body of the system with no worries about feedback from the small body guitars Ed was using on stage,” says d&b’s Neil Lean.
He adds, “The best way to judge a touring PA is by how consistently it can deliver, show after show, and this system performed flawlessly throughout the tour. The production teams, including the representatives of AEG and its India partner, BookMyShow, were very happy with the quality the system delivered, and we had great comments on social media about how good the audio was in every city we visited.”
Ed Sheeran’s touring sound team—Simon Kemp at FOH and systems engineer Adam Wells—echoed the audience’s positive feedback, expressing their admiration not just for the exceptional audio quality but also for the commitment and professionalism of the local crew. “We delivered outstanding results, and it’s incredibly rewarding to have Simon and Adam share that sentiment,” says Warren D’Souza of NJSM ProSound.
About d&b audiotechnik.
d&b audiotechnik provides professional audio technology and solutions to accurately transfer passions through high-end quality speech and music reproduction. d&b audiotechnik is internationally regarded as a leading company for sound reinforcement systems in installed and mobile applications, with a reputation for quality of construction, standard of service, system integration principles, and pioneering technological development.
Founded in Germany in 1981, d&b audiotechnik headquarters are located in Backnang, near Stuttgart, where research, development and production take place. With sales offices in major cities around the world, the d&b audiotechnik team numbers more than 1000 co-workers. www.dbaudio.com.
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