Adlib Glasgow recently supplied audio to pop-rock legends Texas and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra who joined forces for a one off gig at Barrowland in Glasgow. In true BBC Music Day spirit, this unique collaboration saw Texas’ sizeable back catalogue revamped to get the most out of a live orchestral accompaniment offered by the BBC SSO.
Adlib Glasgow’s solid audio team comprised of Stephen Pattison at FOH, Marc Peers at monitors, Andy Russell as system tech and Laurie Binns looking after the huge quantity of mics and patch.
A Coda AiRAY system was chosen due to number of factors; its excellent sound quality and projection, precise horizontal control and its unrivalled weight to name but a few. With the latter being truly appreciated by the crew, since every trip to the iconic Glaswegian venue involves a load-in up the six flights of stairs.
The core PA system consisted of two hangs of 6 x Coda AiRAY that was flown either side of the stage, with 8 x Coda SCP subs filling the bottom end of the spectrum.
Over 130 inputs were handled together by Soundcraft Vi7000, which was on the FOH duty, and a DiGiCo SD10 that took care of orchestra’s processing and control. One of Adlib’s new DiGiCo SD12 consoles provided the monitoring solution for all of the performers.
The Texas band members and the BBC SSO’s conductor used Sennheiser 2000 Series IEMs for their personal monitoring and for the conductor to receive cues.
Whilst Texas used a typical mix of microphones, this unusual collaboration was also captured by the wide range of DPA microphones, with the d:vote™ and d:screet™ being the prolific choice for a wide range of instruments in the Orchestra.
With such a large number of artistes, the BBC SSO filled the usual house stage and Texas played in front of them on a 25ft stage extension. Drum screens were also used to isolate elements of the orchestra from the band.
Even with added challenge of a full symphony orchestra, Adlib’s long standing relationship with the band and the vast knowledge of the venue allowed for a smooth performance that combined elements of two vastly different genres of music.
The BBC Music Day show was broadcast live on BBC Radio Two and BBC Radio Scotland on Friday 9th June, whereas BBC Two Scotland aired highlights of the show on Friday 16th June. For those that missed this unmissable celebration of music, the full BBC broadcast is available on iPlayer to watch online or download here.
