British rock band Smokie has been steadily touring since the Seventies, and their success continues to fill arenas all over Europe. Czech Republic production supplier, RENTAL PRO has just brought home a 3-country tour with the band, deploying a substantial NEXO STM Series modular line array system for its main PA.
Playing 20,000-capacity arenas, the Smokie tour of Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, FOH Engineer Sean Greenaway said it was their busiest year in a decade. Accompanied by a 40-piece symphony orchestra, the 5-piece band continued to deliver sell-out shows with high production values and a massive dose of nostalgia.
Kicking off their 2018 tour in Czech Republic, Smokie chose RENTAL PRO – a big provider of the NEXO PA systems in the region- to work with Greenaway to create a versatile inventory of STM Series line array which could scale up and down to handle the different requirements of the arenas and theatres on their itinerary.
“On this tour, we encountered some quite difficult rooms acoustically.” Said Greenaway: “Yet with the system set up, the RENTAL PRO team managed to ensure the whole of the listening areas of the arenas were suitably covered with full range sound. I also love how the delivery of the sound from the system is very even, from the front to the back of the venue. The sound felt balanced perfectly across the whole room, which makes my job mixing the artist a very pleasurable experience knowing the whole audience is getting the best sound.”
Typically, for an arena show, the Smokie PA was set up with 12 sets of NEXO STM M46 main and B112 bass modules, plus two downfills of the NEXO STM M28 double 8-inch cabinets, and a total of 24 NEXO STM S118 subbass cabinets. The largest venues added sidefill arrays of nine NEXO STM M28s. Front fill came from additional NEXO M28 cabinets, and a full complement of stage monitors included different NEXO PS Series models, 45°N-12 line monitors for the musicians, and the main band members being on in-ears, all mixed on a Yamaha PM5D monitor console.
Mixing the show on a Yamaha PM7 digital console, with orchestral inputs through an Innovason Eclipse, all on a Dante network, Greenaway was no stranger to NEXO STM Series.
“I first used it a few years ago in Germany where I was very impressed with the sound and flexibility of the system. What I love about STM from a mixing point of view is just how great it sounds. It is very directional, and also powerful in its handling. The highs are crisp yet smooth, the mids powerful and the low end is punchy. All together giving a rich sound which can throw evenly through the largest of spaces.”
