CONCERTS AND TOURING
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Glasgow’s Hampden Park, Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium and Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, ending with two sold-out nights at Wembley Stadium in London. “We knew we would have to cover every possible seat in these huge stadiums,” recalls Demonbreun. “Lana is a delicate singer, but we needed to use speaker hangs that would cover the audience. With help from Sound Image, Britannia Row Productions and L-Acoustics – plus Dani’s mixing skills – we pulled it off. “When choosing what to use for the PA, Dani and I discussed a few options,” Demonbreun continues, “but we felt L-Acoustics was the best choice with the wide variety of speaker elements, the control we were able to have with Panflex technology, the ability to run the whole system with AVB (audio-video bridging) and, with L-Acoustics, you get a true Hi-Fi audio system. Lana’s music deserves the best system available,” he concludes. Munoz echoes this. “A PA’s signature sound is most evident when you have to mix on different systems, especially when it comes to vocals,” he explains. “To me, it was clear that L-Acoustics suited her best. That was the biggest piece of the puzzle.” With every arena being its own acoustical beast, the audio team had to carefully consider how each one might impact Del Rey’s sound. Munoz relied on plug-ins, noise-reduction processors and other techniques to keep her microphone stable “amid so much sonic chaos,” he describes. During each show, Del Rey sang atop a 20-foot platform that happened to sit directly in front of a stadium-sized PA system – “which meant that her mic was getting hit by the longer-throw boxes,” explains Munoz. L-Acoustics’ Soundvision software allowed the audio team to minimise reflections, while the Panflex technology reduced spill and enhanced throw. The crew also used L-Acoustics L2 and L2D speaker arrays to balance delays across the audience; dozens of X8s, Kara IIs, A10s and A15s as fills and, finally, P1 processors for time alignment and precise system tuning.
LIVING LEGEND Munoz and Demonbreun both agree that working with Del Rey was unique – she’s a talented singer, sure, but “she has an incredible ear,” says Munoz. “It’s uncanny how she can hear the slightest changes that I make on my mix while she’s on stage.” “She is attentive to detail and knows exactly what she wants,” Demonbreun adds. “I love that she tells us what she feels, and she is always right about the sound of things.” According to Munoz, “she’s particular about her vocal effects, so I make sure her sound and vision are presented 100% the way she intends. I rely on classic FX units like Bricasti Design and Eventide. Sometimes, she will even send me screenshots from her studio sessions in order to recreate a specific sound with plug-ins,” he reveals. “Dani was able to give her exactly what she wanted,” shares Demonbreun, “and I was glad to be there for support. Every stadium tour is a lot of hard work. The audio team stepped up and made these shows happen,” he concludes. “We were able to deliver her signature sound.” Once again, Munoz concurs. “It was definitely a challenging tour; I am my own worst critic, so I will always be working to improve, but it was a win for everyone.”
L-Acoustics was considered to be the best choice to carry across Lana Del Rey’s unique sound
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