THE BRIT AWARDS 2021
few subtle flying points. Tasked with capturing a series of looks on the night, Luna Remote Systems supplied three Junior Remote Dollies, three Towercams, a four-point Eagle eye wirecam system piloted by Luna Remote Systems Head Technician, Gino Moodley and Luna Remote Systems Owner/ Director, Dean Clish. During the Coldplay opener, where the band performed a unique set floating down London’s Thames on a stage platform, Luna Remote Systems were on-hand with a trio of wireless Junior Dolliers with stabilised remote heads and a Towercam. To ensure the safety of the performing artists and crew, The BRITs and O2 arena employed an accreditation system and comprehensive briefing information. Rapid COVID-19 testing was enforced on entry to the site with results delivered within 10 minutes and a schedule of retesting for staff on site throughout the build and show days. All contractors donned masks and the schedule was planned with more time than usual to allow for additional measures. Diagon Managing Director, Tom Sabin commented: “The events sector is full of incredibly resilient and creative people, problem solvers who work to deadlines and with changing parameters. It’s testament to everyone involved that a complex show on live TV could be done so successfully right now and gives confidence to the industry going forwards.”
and FOH Engineer, Josh Lloyd, who was charged with PA design and FOH artist mixes, while Chris Coxhead handled presenter audio. Lloyd opted for DiGiCo Quantum 7 consoles, while Coxhead used a pair of mirrored SD12s with multiple layers of redundancy. A DiGiCo SD11 was utilised for the comms talk back system. With no second stage required due to the limited capacity, Lloyd formulated an in the round system to suit the ‘horseshoe’ stage design. “We wanted to reduce the amount of spill and deliver a more direct sound for the people watching in the room,” Lloyd explained. “The fact that the floor space was relatively freed up meant that the performers were always placed behind the PA, and this made mixing somewhat easier.” The L-Acoustics rig, which was tuned by Zhytnikov, comprised seven main arrays of K2s with KS28s behind the curve, augmented by three arrays of KARAs and KS21s. Flown LA amp racks were incorporated into the design and the floor deployment saw boxes of K2, KARA and X8 speakers in situ. Lloyd explained: “Because we were positioned at the back of the venue, we mixed off the L-Acoustics X8 speakers rather than the main PA.” The point-source coaxial speakers really impressed Lloyd, who enthused: “size really doesn’t matter when it comes to L-Acoustics products, as the quality and tonality has the same sonic signature, regardless of the size of the box.” As in prior years, an Outline Newton processor was specified to deal with several mission-critical tasks at the core of the audio system. Fradley described the role of the kit. “The Newton was used to handle the matrix mixing from our FOH consoles into the PA and we were able to utilise its optical MADI, AES and analogue inputs to provide a main and redundant path from both the band console and presenter board,” he commented. “The 18 by 16 matrix also gave us additional inputs for playback, system tuning and alignment, with the unit simultaneously outputting back-up mixes for broadcast and additional effects used in the room.” Newton’s ability to patch to the MADI output stream made it possible
LIVE SOUND RETURNS WITH BRIT ROW “Safety was paramount”, began audio Crew Chief, Steve Donovan, working on behalf of audio supplier, Britannia Row Productions (BRP). “The BRITs were very different this year in terms of crew logistics and, in particular, the COVID-19 testing of every individual onsite. Crew were tested every 72 hours minimum throughout the course of the build and show. It was critical to ensure we didn’t have positive tests prior to show day.” The BRP show team included two System Technicians, Laurie Fradley and Adam Smith, System Engineer, Sergiy Zhytnikov and System Designer 11
