CX Media Kit
| AC/DC reject line arrays |
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| Written by Julius Grafton | |
| Saturday, 20 June 2009 | |
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500,000 tickets sold in 24 hours make AC/DC the most successful touring
act in Australian history. Along with Pink’s current 500,000 ticket
national tour, the touring business is defying the downturn and
supplying work for lots of crew. When AC/DC do the largest venues in
Australia next summer, they’ll go back to the future by rejecting a
line array PA, since it isn’t loud enough.
They will tour with a 1990’s designed EV X-Array PA, same as they used for their last outing in Australia back in 2001. In Europe the shows have been mixed on analogue Midas consoles, continuing the approach from the previous tour. “When something works as well as an AC/DC show, there’s resistance to change”, says an insider. The FOH console is a vintage Pro 4 Midas console, built in 1986. According to Live Sound International, AC/DC’s Young brothers are valve aficionado’s and have developed a dislike for digital audio. Notwithstanding, the X-Array PA is now driven through Lake Contour processors – although one pass through analogue to digital processing is gentler than a whole mixing console full of converters. CX remembers an AC/DC tour in the mid 1990’s where the band hired Robbie McGraph, who was then the sound engineer for Simply Red. (He went on from AC/DC to the Rolling Stones). “Have you got the right Robbie?” he asked them. At rehearsals he made a big mistake by suggesting some triggered drum samples. “There was a horrible silence”, he said, “during which I realized I might be seated on the wing of the plane”. AC/DC are probably the only mega stadium band where all the Marshalls on stage actually work. They are not there for show. The guitar riffs can hit the front of house mixing riser at around 110db – before the PA is turned on. There’s no prohibition on lighting – the usual AC/DC tour approach is massive visuals, and this tour couples a giant inflatable Rosy (she is getting on a little these days) with a locomotive. Best left to the imagination. Roll on February! CX has family tickets and earplugs arranged. * From CX Magazine, July 15 issue. |
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