c2meworld.com: Pink is currently embarked on the final 2013 leg of her marathon sold-out “The Truth About Love Tour,” which this year alone has taken her all over the U.S. (hitting some cities twice), Europe and Australia. The extravaganza, some of which has a hip circus vibe, features a five-piece band, two backing singers, seven dancers and very complex production involving multiple screens, glittering sets, wardrobe changes, choreographed dance routines, a small B-stage for acoustic numbers and plenty of aerial excitement which finds Pink somehow—miraculously—singing while hurtling on bungees, turning on a orb cage, somersaulting through space over the crowd and even suspended upside down. Madonna, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry have got nothin’ on Pink!
6 comments:
It's really hard to mix a show to begin with. It's even harder to come in in the middle of a process and learn one. I really appreciated hearing about Mr. Bracey's prep process as he prepared to take over. I plan on implementing some of these strategies on The Wild Party (such as bringing a small console to rehearsal and mixing along, or playing the soundtrack at home and moving faders), because the more you can put into your instinct and your muscle memory, the more that frees you up to actually listen and analyze the performance. You can think critically about how Pink sounds, which mic she is on, how you should duck her or pump her up as she does acrobatics, etc. If you have your head "stuck on the page," as in the theatre analogy, you'll get a complete product but it won't be anything more meaningful. A good mix is a show, a great mix MAKES the show.
I always love reading articles about tours since that is what I am hoping to do with my career, even if this isn't specifically about the department I am interested in. I also don't really know what all of the specific gear that they talk about is but I can appreciate the sheer amount of it involved in the tour. It even more impressive to think that all of that needs to be set up and dialed in for every new venue they go to. It also really interesting to read how Bracey dealt with jumping into a show mid-tour with no time to rehearse. It even more impressive considering having to deal with a performer who is constantly moving, or flying, through the space and switching mics. Kudos to him for picking it all up so seamlessly. I also agree with Becca that a great mix really makes a show.
I think that this is a fascinating article. Some people don't realize just how much goes into a touring show. It is baffling to see how much equipment, time, and man power goes into putting on a show of this magnitude. The fact that Bracey came in mid-tour is phenomenal considering he had no time to rehearse with the band and having to deal with all of the elements that take place during the show. That is a sign of a true professional who absolutely knows what they are doing. Like Philip and Becca, a great mixer can absolutely make a show.
I always find it funny how much these tour profile articles are advertisements for various pieces of gear that the people interviewed have a preference for. The process that the new mixer went through to learn the show is a best case scenario, as it is highly unlikely that if you are not a respected touring engineer DiGiCo would send a multi-hundred-thousand dollar console to your house. Practicing the show in any way you can, as Becca said, is essential in any mixing context. At CMU we do have the capability to do multitrack recordings of our shows using D-MITRI, so perhaps this could be used to allow Becca to practice her mix. My eyebrows were raised when the new mixer said that he has a habit of not watching the stage during a performance. From a rock 'n' roll perspective, it is somewhat important, and Dave Rat, the mixer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers does not even look at his console while mixing. In theatre, it is even more crucial to pay attention to where performers are in relation to each other, in order to accurately balance the mix.
I don't know what all of the gear is that they were talking about, but this was an amazing article to read. Just because of my love for live concerts and tours. It makes me also think of the job of her Tour Manager and Production Manager and I wonder how different their responsibilities are from managers on theatrical tours. Although her show is one big theatrical tour in a way.
I think that this article does a great job at shedding some light on how difficult it is to jump right into a show for the last 10 weeks of the leg. Luckily for Dave Bracey he prepared himself very well and was able to seamlessly enter the team and mix a great show. As someone who plans on entering the world of touring sound I could see how daunting this experience can be. Similarly to Dan I thought it was astonishing that he said that he rarely even looks at the show when he was mixing. In every article I have read and every engineer that I have spoken to says that it is important to know your console layout in order to be able to constantly watch the show to see where people are, for me I have always thought of my vision as a tool almost equally important to my ears. After reading what equipment that he was walking into using I think that he had a good system to mix with as well. Over the summer I worked in a shop that was entirely L-Acoustics based (as far as their loudspeakers) and I can say from experience that they are some of the best sounding speakers I have ever listened to.
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