A CODA Audio system was deployed for Norwegian singer AURORA’s recent European tour, which included a mixed itinerary of arena and theatre shows ranging in capacity from Brussel’s 8,000-seater arena Forest National to Edinburgh’s 2,200 Usher Hall. The tour, which ended in October, reached more than 60,000 fans across the three-week period. Event production specialist Adlib provided audio and video.
The requirement for a scalable solution was achieved through a combination of CODA’s compact and lightweight VCA ‘family’ of ViRAY, CiRAY and AiRAY line arrays with SCP and SC2 subs, supplemented by units from CODA’s HOPS (high output point source) and APS (arrayable point source) ranges.
Designed to be “the rental company’s best friend”, units from across the VCA range, whose units share the same sonic signature, can be flown together in different combinations to allow for optimum flexibility.
As the systems engineer, Billy Bryson was responsible for system design and calibration. He said: “In its largest configuration, the system comprised 12 x AiRAY and 4 x ViRAY in the main hang, with 6 x SC2 sensor-controlled bass extensions flown behind, to allow us to steer the low-frequency pattern to suit the geometry of each venue.”
He added: “Additionally, side hangs of up to 12 x CiRAY per side were deployed, and a centre hang of 3 x APS flown from the front lighting truss ensured excellent coverage. Subs were on four touring carts of 3 x SCP each, with one on either side also including 2 x APS as outfill. The subs were deployed left and right in an end-fired configuration to retain the best possible tonality and impact, with four single SCPs in the centre to fill in for the nearfield. HOPS8 were utilised across the downstage edge to complement the centre hang and keep the image feeling natural.”
He concluded: “Carrying a mix of AiRAY and CiRAY allowed for true scalability between the arenas in mainland Europe and the theatre shows in the UK. The lightweight nature of the CiRAY made it perfect for split systems in theatres such as Edinburgh’s Usher Hall where three hangs were flown from the house advance truss to cover the hard-to-hit upper balcony.”
The quality of the audio on the AURORA tour did not go unnoticed by music writer MK Bennet, who, reviewing the Manchester Apollo show in online magazine Louder than War, reflected that: “O2 Apollo, with its dauntingly high ceilings and beautiful old-school design, has always been difficult to fill with sound, something stops the waves from reaching the corners, but not tonight because along with several technical victories, the sound is sinuous – mercurial as it climbs and slivers into every quiet space.”
In addition to front of house engineer Paul Inge Vikingstad, the touring Audio team also included Adlib’s Billy Bryson, and freelancer Keiran Lowrie, who served as an audio technician for the tour.
