Entec Sound & Light backs the Bootleg Beatles

With a relationship spanning 17 years, West London rental company Entec Sound & Light recently renewed its acquaintance with the Bootleg Beatles on their latest UK tour, supplying lighting and audio equipment plus crew for the famous Beatles tribute act.

Entec project manager Noreen O’Riordan, commented, "Entec has been associated with the Bootleg Beatles since 1994. The band and crew take great pride in producing authentic sound and visuals based on the original Beatles shows of the 1960s, creating a stunning atmospheric evening that appeals to all generations.”

Taking care of sound for Entec was systems tech Chunk Charters, who is now in his fourth year of working with the Bootleg Beatles.

The sound system is a d&b Q Series line array, which is flown or ground stacked in multiple configurations depending on the venue, with a typical flown set up being eight Q1, four Q-sub, two B2-sub per side with E3, Q7 and Q10 for infills, outfills and front fills. The show is mixed using a Yamaha PM5D-RH.

Monitor engineer Simon Lutkin is using a Yamaha M7 CL console, and in keeping with the period feel of the performance, they are all on wedges and wired mics, utilising eight d&b M2 wedges, plus eight E3s for the orchestra and brass fills. There is a full complement of mics, with a heavy emphasis on Shure SM57s and 58s.

One of the main challenges for the sound department has been dealing with the wide range of venues, explained Charters. In some cases, if the house flying system would have to have been removed to accommodate them, they will leave it in and patch their stacks into the touring desks and the stage/monitor/floor package, which also works well. "One of the beauties of d&b is that it’s a very easy and flexible system when it comes to either adding or subtracting,” said Charters.

Another crucial consideration is sightlines, which have to be clear and clean in all directions; a process aided by the Entec crew’s experience and knowledge of the venues on the itinerary.

For the larger arena shows, including the NIA Birmingham, extra gear in the form of additional Q1s, Q-subs and B2s were delivered by Entec.