Adlib supplied audio kit for American singer, songwriter, rapper and actress Janelle Monáe when she was recently back in the UK and Europe for a short, high-impact leg of her “Dirty Computer” world tour.

In fact, Adlib was involved in supplying all the technical production elements – sound, lighting and video – to Monáe’s production team led by tour manager Reneeka Rae and production manager Jeff Cochran.

Adlib account handler Phil Kielty commented, “Janelle is one of the most energised and innovative artists of the moment and it was our pleasure to work with her and her crew again”.

In keeping with the spirit of inclusion, the FOH creative team was all female and included sound engineer Amanda Davies, video director Erica Hayes and lighting designer Lauren Sego. The equipment package was effectively a dry hire, however Adlib sent engineers to ensure that everything was set up and ran smoothly at the first show in Paris and supplied additional tech support for the high-profile UK shows at the Roundhouse and Manchester Academy.

The system comprised DiGiCo SD12 consoles at FOH and monitors, L-Acoustics sidefills and a custom microphone and stage package that made cable management and setup as quick and easy as possible. Everything was spec’d by Amanda Davies (FOH) and monitor engineer Anthony Cavasin, with Adlib audio account manager Leah Coyle worked closely with both.

For the stage mix, Adlib supplied 10-ways of Sennheiser 2000 series IEMs – inclusive of band and technical mixes, together with eight channels of Shure UHF-R for instrument RF (guitars & horns), while Janelle’s RF system comprised a Sennheiser SKM52000 handheld fitted with a 5235 capsule.

Hassane Es Siahi, one of Adlib’s most experienced engineers, was deployed on the first show in Paris to assist Amanda and Anthony in getting the control package up and running. Production manager Jeff Cochran said: “Adlib provided excellent service, quality gear, expert technicians and a friendly, interpersonal touch to the experience of hiring audio, lighting and video systems.”