Article - Dermot Kennedy: ‘The Sonder Tour’ - issue #275 of TPi

The Sonder Tour was featured in TPi magazine’s 275th edition.

Here are some audio-related quotes. The full article can be read here

‘WORKING WITH YOUR MATE DOESN’T HAPPEN OFTEN’

“Dermot is the hardest working person I’ve ever met, so it’s been a pleasure to play a small part in his evolution as an artist over the past six years, and we have been lucky in that the newer members of the crew fit the ethos and family dynamic of this camp,” FOH Engineer, Will Donbavand commented, reflecting on the journey of going from gainsharing two DiGiCo SD11 consoles on one rack to mixing in soldout arenas.

Audio Crew Chief and System Engineer, Richard Kemp, concurred. “As a third-party supplier, I can echo that,” he said. “It’s a very welcoming camp, there’s a tight-knit nurturing nature about this team.”

The PA of choice was an L-Acoustics K1 and K2 with flown subwoofers and a plethora of fills. A DirectOut Technologies PRODIGY.MP was used for martrixing consoles, which fed an L-Acoustics P1 processor. The O2 marked the tour’s biggest PA rig to date. “Everything scales really well on this tour. In Europe, we took a slightly smaller system built up around K1 and K2; we also had K3 for side hangs – it was the first time I’d used that box and I was pleasantly surprised with its output,” said Kemp.

“Regardless of the size of venue, the tools that L-Acoustics give you with processing means we can scale the system electronically and deliver consistent results,” Kemp added, noting the support of PA Technicians, Jake Gardner and Morgan Beecher.

At FOH, Donbavand mixed on a DiGiCo Quantum 5. “I’ve been a DiGiCo user since 2018, and I prefer the workflow of the Quantum 5 layout, and the added features of the Quantum engine. It sounds better and the low end feels tighter. The workflow of DiGiCo is so ingrained, the ability to customise the layout to anything I want as the show develops is ideal.”

For outboard, he harnessed a Rupert Neve Designs 5045 Primary Source Enhancer to ‘clear up’ vocals on stage as well as a UAD-2 Live Rack for additional processing. “Without Fear is my favourite song to mix night after night. I love its emphatic emotional build and release, while Innocence and Sadness is a gritty 073 and emotionally dynamic song, and of all the songs, that’s the one I ride the most in line with his dynamic vocal range.”

Donbavand was overjoyed to see the show grow to this level. “Kempy makes me sound better every day. The step up can be hard because arenas often don’t sound great, but it’s been a really pleasant experience and Dermot is really owning it,” he enthused.

Like Donbavand, Monitor Engineer, Simon Lawson mixed on a DiGiCo Quantum 5. “The Quantum is a much improved console – the low end is more defined in the in-ears, on first listen I could even hear the quality of the talkback mics had improved.”

Lawson highlighted his use of the multi band compressor, Chilli 6. “It gives me a level of control over the tone and dynamics of his vocal without taking away from the fundamental performance, it’s a great tool for monitors.”

The whole band used Cosmic Ears CE6B in-ear monitors driven by Shure PSM1000s with PR10+ packs. “Mike Bufton at Cosmic has been very kind to us, he even came down to our Manchester show and performed ear health checks for everyone that wanted one.”

Lawson referred to Dermot’s in-ear mix as ‘what you might expect for a vocalist’. “There’s lots of vocal and reverb.” He used two reverbs for Dermot. The first is smaller and stays constant, always adding a little space to his voice. The second is larger, with reverb times snapshotted for each song. “I ride this during the show to compliment his dynamics and lyrical delivery, sometimes the lyrics come quite fast, so you don’t want a large reverb stepping over those words while the chorus might be the perfect spot for a huge reverb,” he explained.

A big part of the in-ear mix is the crowd microphones with at least eight spread across the stage and six capsules at FOH. “The aim is to recreate the natural feeling of being in the room with the audience but through the in-ears. I look for that sense of space that allows an artist to feel connected to the crowd. When it all comes together, it makes for an electric show. Dermot is a top class performer!”

The setlist was shaped by Musical Director, Tim Van Der Kull with Carey Willets producing interstitials and consulting on the sonic palette of the arrangements.

“After Rain is my favourite-sounding song on this tour. Tracks have been added to the second portion of the song and it sounds huge. That’s the one that gets me when the crowd sings along to it, especially in venues like The O2,” Lawson said, going on to praise the support of Monitor Technician, Ben Byford and RF Technician, Will Lucas. 

“Having top-class techs allows me the time I need to really dial in the mixes, and the show has never sounded better.”

Having studied Sound Engineering and Production at Birmingham City University alongside Kennedy’s FOH Engineer, Solotech Account Handler Tom Pickett took delight in preparing the touring package.

“It’s been a great journey,” he reflected. “The audio team I built around Will and Si is made up of mutual friends and people who have worked on the show before. I’ve watched Will mix Dermot many times over the years, but to see him mix a show at The O2 is a proud moment. Working with your mate doesn’t happen often but it’s certainly a perk of the job.”