The rousing success of John Mayer’s recently concluded Solo Acoustic Tour relied on a connection with his audience, accomplished via a reinforcement system of Meyer Sound PANTHER large-format linear line array loudspeakers provided by UltraSound.
According to Featherstone, mixing one voice accompanied by guitar or piano is not the simple chore it might seem. “With one vocal and one instrument, there is nothing for the artist or engineer to hide behind,” he pointed out. “The mix is either right or wrong. The detail in compression and effects is plainly audible so you have to mix with greater accuracy.” Accordingly, he continued, the touring rig kept him on his toes. “The PANTHER system reacts accurately to subtle mix changes, especially in this stripped-down environment. With just a voice and guitar it’s critical that the PA does not influence tonality. The PANTHER system only puts out what you put into it!”
Although the system configuration varied with particular arenas, a typical deployment would be anchored by front left and right arrays of 18-each PANTHER loudspeakers with side hangs of the same length as well as side hangs for 220-degree coverage consisting of 20 LEOPARD line array loudspeakers per side. In most scenarios, three short delays of LYON line array loudspeakers were added for balance and intimacy in the far upper seats. Dual hangs of six 700-HP subwoofers filled out the deep bass notes.
The front end of the system offered both analogue purity and digital flexibility, with a vintage Gamble EX68 analogue console paired with an Avid S6L digital mixer. “We also made a conscious decision not to use any wireless mics, wireless guitar feeds, or in-ear monitors. That’s part of the reason for the Gamble, as there is something rewarding to having a mic or instrument on a cable going into an analog desk. For vocal inserts, we leaned on the Summit DCL hybrid tube compressors and Empirical Labs Distressors,” Featherstone added.
He also selected the Neumann KMS105 supercardioid condenser for Mayer’s vocals: “With no band behind him, we could use a condenser just like we would do in a studio since we don’t have to sacrifice any sonic reproduction to navigate around background bleed,” he continued. “We are using the Milan AVB network to run digital all the way to each PANTHER cabinet, we feel like the AVB network does add some clarity in the 4kHz and higher regions.”
Eight MJF-210 stage monitors were deployed for foldback, with three each at the two guitar performance positions, and two at the piano position. “The guitar positions are set up so the center wedge is vocal and the side wedges are guitar in stereo,” noted Featherstone. “This keeps the three wedges from fighting each other.”
Rounding out the sound crew for the tour were System Engineer Michal Kacunel, Monitor Engineer Ian Dubois, Monitor Tech Alex Pritchard, and PA Techs Sean McAdam, Riley Gajewski, and Erik Swanson.
