Chicago tours with Flare

Rick Clarke has consistently innovated ....

There is only one sound designer's name that is synonymous with the hit musical Chicago, and that is Rick Clarke. The veteran sound designer has been involved with the show since 1998, embarking on yet another UK tour this spring as the show returned to the regional stage for the first time in 4 years.

Chicago is set for another long and successful run, with venues announced through to the end of October and more scheduled. Starring Eastenders actor John Partridge, and Coronation Street star Hayley Tamaddon, the show kicked off in Oxford on 12th February.

Rick has consistently innovated with regard to the show's sound design over the years, and this new tour is no exception, now featuring Flare Audio's radical X2 Compact Vertical Point Source Array loudspeaker system. Rick first started to experiment with Flare Audio 12 months ago, and remains highly enthusiastic:

"The X2 is a perfect match for a show like Chicago, which features wholly natural acoustic instrumentation – no electronic instruments at all. I find Flare really easy to work with and am very happy with the results. We are using the trademark Flare silver cabinets, which actually look great with the show's set. An added benefit is that with the X2's wide dispersion, the company members on stage are totally happy with their sound. We have had no problems re vocal feedback – a rare and wonderful thing!"

Also new for the tour is the inclusion of the Powersoft X8 8-channel amplifiers, providing 32 channels of amplification in just 8U. Rick comments, "they are working really well and sound very good. Overall, I am very pleased with the sound of the whole show." The X8 allows analogue, AES and twin Dante all to feed into the amplifier's 8x8 matrix, and then provides protection and settings for each Flare loudspeaker combination.

Orbital Sound's track record with Chicago also dates back many years, providing the sound equipment and technical support elements for the West End and touring productions. Always keen to push the boundaries and add an extra dimension, the Orbital Sound team has worked closely with Rick to introduce the Flare Audio systems into the theatre arena, as MD Chris Headlam explains: "You don't get many opportunities to work with something genuinely different. Flare has achieved an exceptional openness and transparency with high definition audio, exceptional vocal clarity, and an extremely accurate sonic footprint. The results are quite literally like nothing else we have ever heard." Since making its debut on the stage with Rick in January 2015, Flare Audio systems have featured extensively on the touring circuit, with Orbital Sound deploying them on projects as diverse as Return To The Forbidden Planet and ex. Westlife lead singer Shane Filan's concert tour.

The full Chicago UK Tour sound system comprises 24 Flare Audio X2s as the main PA system, with X0s as front fills, and the revolutionary and award-winning SB21 Flat Panel Directional Touring Sub Bass units. V12s are used for the band foldback. The mixing console is a Yamaha CL5 with Rio racks, with playback and show control via CSC. Radio microphones on the show are the Shure UR1M/UR4D+ units.

Associate sound designer is Matt Grounds, supported by production engineer Stuart Moffatt. The Chicago set-up was supervised by David Bartholomeusz for Orbital Sound, involving a two-week technical prep period at their London headquarters.

Rick has consistently innovated with regard to the sound show's design over the years, and this new tour is no exception, now featuring Flare Audio's radical X2 Compact Vertical Point Source Array loudspeaker system

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