Adlib continues working with one of the hottest, most popular and talented chart-
topping bands of the moment – Australian rockers 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) –
having supplied an L-Acoustics K1 sound system and crew for the recent UK arena
tour … they are now playing European arenas!

Adlib first supported the 5SOS sound team of John Delf (FOH) and Ben Booker
(monitors) on the road during 2015’s hugely successful arena tour and this current
collaboration started in January with Adlib delivering a control package including a
Soundcraft Vi7000 at FOH, a DiGiCo SD10 monitor console and an RF package which
is travelling around the world with them.

A bespoke 24U monitor ‘wardrobe’ unit was built for Booker to ensure that monitor
world is a clean, neat and efficient workspace with emphasis on quick set-up.

Touring extensively in Asia for the first few months of the year, band and crew
headed back to the UK and Europe with Adlib adding stacks-and-racks.

Adlib’s L-Acoustics’ aficionado Tony Szabo (KSE) takes care of the system. He is
joined by PA tech Jay Petch plus Dan Ungaretti and Mark Johnson, who split monitor
“baby-sitting’ duties between them.

The L-Acoustics sound system was specified by Delf for arena venues and is
comprised of 14 K1 a side with four Kara downs for the main hangs, and 12 deep K2
side hangs … a tried and tested system configuration that Adlib has fine-tuned and
optimised for arenas.

The subs are 18 SB28 arranged in six stacks of three along the front of the stage,
with Arcs2 and Kara speakers for front fills.

All of these are powered by LA8 amplifiers and controlled / processed by an ADLIB
Lake system. This tour was the first use of the updated Lake and LA8 firmware,
which has impressed Szabo who’s been fine tuning the system each day using a
combination of his trusty Meyer SIM 3 and the new SMAART 8 running
simultaneously. Szabo comments that the SMAART 8 upgrade features have
seriously increased functionality.

Delf, with a background in studio recording, runs a Realtime UAD processing rack in
conjunction with his Soundcraft Vi7000 to integrate a series of their own plugs-ins.
He runs virtual sound checks from a Mac mini linked into the Soundcraft via Dante.

Booker runs both Sennheiser 5000 and 2000 series mics combined with 2000 series
IEMs, and has a total of 60 inputs into the SD10. The band are all on in-ear
monitors and a drum sub is the only speaker onstage, in this case one of Adlib’s
own MP4 products.

As well as all the talent and good looks onstage and on the audio side, there’s a lot
more … with lighting and visuals designed by Paul Normandale and directed on the
road by Dave ‘Bickie’ Lee, and production manager Karen Ringland for Production
North, who ensures that everything keeps flowing smoothly.