LONDON — Forty years after Jesus Christ Superstar opened at London’s West End, a touring production of the latest revival for the musical headed out in late 2012 to arenas throughout the U.K. Sound engineer Roger Lindsay used a Midas XL8 to mix the musical’s sound at the FOH position.
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After considering all the possible contenders, Sound Engineer Roger Lindsay decided the MIDAS XL8 console was the ideal Front of House mixing console to address and match the complex demands of the recent sell-out arena tour of Jesus Christ Superstar.
With a ten-piece live band and over forty vocalists, all individually miked, Lindsay required a console that not only offered a high channel count but also gave him maximum direct control of parameters at console surface level.
The complex musical direction and dynamic pace presented a real challenge, even for a seasoned live engineer like Lindsay. “From start to finish there’s no time to relax with so much going on. The way a Lloyd-Webber rock musical works in an arena environment is very different to a conventional band with just a few live vocals. We’re running around 50 channels for the band, which is not exceptional for a 10 piece unit, but we also feature over 40 live singers, many of whom, in addition to the nine principals, have multiple solo parts.”
However, Lindsay believes that the XL8 offers the perfect combination of features that has made this unique production more manageable: “POPulation Groups were one of the main reasons why a MIDAS XL8 was the obvious choice. The way that both these, and the VCAs jump to the top surface at the touch of a single button, is crucial. I’ve got to be able to instantly access multiple groups of disparate channels throughout the show and the XL.8 does this with the minimum of fuss.”
“The onboard dynamics provide a huge range of tools to deal with the ever-increasing demands of such a show. The carefully considered use of Vintage and Creative compression has given the band sound more impact, combined with dynamic EQ, which I’ve used extensively on vocals. This has been a huge advantage when dealing with over 40 very different voices within the cast, and by using these features selectively, it’s been possible to make subtle changes to each individual voice without compromising the overall dynamic of the show.”
During sound-checks at each arena Lindsay sets up both the band and vocal mix and then at show time is assisted by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Studio Engineer, Robin Sellars. “The beauty of the XL8 is that you can split the console down the middle to allow for two operators,” explains Lindsay. “Rob primarily concentrates on changes in the band mix during the show while I concentrate on the constantly moving feast that is the vocals. We do cross over occasionally so it sometimes looks like we’re playing a game of Twister, but Rob knows the material inside out and can juggle the band mix on VCA’s without us falling over each other. It’s a system which has worked well for us throughout the tour. The show doesn’t need to be effects-laden because it has its own energy, and because of this I keep it as organic as possible. Of course, the XL8 has been at the core of this: without its channel capacity and warm, analogue sound, the dynamic feel of the show would never have been achieved so successfully.”
Jesus Christ Superstar opened on Sept. 21 in London and toured UK arenas before a spectacular closing night on Oct. 21. The show featured newcomer Ben Forster in the title role, with comedian Tim Minchin as Judas and former Spice Girl Melanie Chisholm as Mary Magdalene.
