American alt-rock outfit Paramore, amidst a whirlwind of a world tour supporting their latest release, After Laughter, selected an Adamson Systems Engineering E-Series and S-Series audio system supplied by Eighth Day Sound Systems.
The lengthy run began in Dublin, Ireland in June 2017, hitting a wide range of venues across multiple continents. Regardless of where they’re playing, though, Paramore aims to deliver a high-energy, high-impact show for a ravenous fan base every time they hit the stage, and precise, pristine, and powerful sound is critical to that mission.
“Paramore is very much a vocal- and guitar-driven band, and the Adamson system’s low-mid performance and intelligibility made it easy to bring those elements forward in the mix while also reproducing some of the best drums I’ve ever heard live,” commented Ben Smith of Eighth Day, the tour’s FOH systems tech, on why Adamson was the optimal solution.
The typical configuration included main left-right hangs comprised of 15 E15 three-way, true line source enclosures and 3 E12 3-way, full range cabinets per side. The side hangs were just slightly smaller, with 12 E15s atop 3 E12s per side. A complement of Adamson System Engineering’s compact S10 2-way, full-range boxes handled front fill.
“The E-Series was exactly what we needed for this run,” said Will Markwell, the band’s FOH engineer. “Having this kind of power available is critical for a band like Paramore. The sound of the E15s is very controlled and very smooth on the top end, but packs a significant punch. In fact, the E15 throws so far that even in the bigger venues like Manchester Arena, we didn’t need any additional reinforcement.”
As for low end, the tour relied on Adamson System Engineering E119 subwoofers, with 8 in the air per side and an additional 16 on the ground.
“The E119s are incredible and can handle anything you throw at them, from the ultra-low droning of the synths to the chest-pounding kick drum,” added Markwell. “The 60 Hz and 80 Hz presets for the E119s are very accurate coupled with a little filtering depending on the building. It was always easy to get an even coverage pattern with a very high SPL.”
Smith says he wouldn’t think of starting his day without Adamson’s Blueprint AV predictive simulation modelling suite. “The software is so intuitive and provides a ton of information. I like being able to show the FOH engineer an accurate representation of what’s happening in the rest of the venue so that they’re confident and can focus on just mixing the show.”
The band and crew are currently taking some much-deserved downtime before kicking off the next leg of the tour in June 2018, with a string of U.S. and Canadian amphitheatre dates and some massive shows in Southeast Asia.
“This tour has been a great experience, and Adamson has been a big part of that,” Smith concluded. “It’s no secret how easy it is to rig and de-rig the Adamson system. Plus, scaling is as easy as physically adding or removing boxes to fit the system design that Blueprint AV puts out for the specific venue. And to top it off, support from Adamson while on the road is second to none. If I ever have a question, they’re always available to help out.”
