A selection of events:
Where Audio and Agriculture Meet... the Glastonbury Festival.
From wellies to dinner jackets…the RG Jones engineers are true professionals. So how did RG Jones end up involved in the world's most legendary stage at the world's most legendary festival? Simon Honywill and Simon Hodge head up a "dream team" providing FOH control, monitors and line system for Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage.
The good old combination of a fine glass of wine washing down a mouth-watering picnic whilst beautiful music and fireworks burst open the skies - it's a winner whatever age you are. For most, it's a time to relax; but for the people behind the hire department at RG Jones, it means hard work. The company has been involved with providing sound systems to these types of event for over 25 years and the increasing demands over the summer, and a number of those events being repeat business, only goes to show that the company is more than meeting its expectations.
As an integral part of this work, RG Jones has, over the past few years, been involved with two companies to try and contain offsite noise leakage at two of their regular concert series, Kenwood House and Glastonbury Abbey. Experienced and worldly-wise environmental acoustics consultants Capita Symons were brought in by the client to examine the situation at Kenwood, a particularly sensitive site, and they made recommendations that a change of loudspeaker system would go some way to help reducing offsite levels.
On Capita's instruction, loudspeaker manufacturer Funktion One were introduced to the project, Capita suggesting the deployment of point-source systems which afford variable horizontal coverage. Whilst line arrays are undoubtedly highly effective, they can suffer from significant image displacement during windy conditions and have fixed horizontal coverage, an issue that was contributing to the problems at Kenwood.
Of course such decisions could not be made without careful analysis to ensure that performance and environmental criteria would be met. An initial exploration of options was made by Dick Tee, Glastonbury Festival Pyramid Production Manager, and this resulted in Tony Andrews and John Newsham at Funktion One being invited to collaborate with Festival Sound Coordinator Chris Beale of Chris Beale Agencies and Environmental Sound Consultant David Leversedge of Capita Symons to present a design using their Resolution Series loudspeakers.
Following the success of the partnership already established at Kenwood and Glastonbury Abbey meant that RG Jones was the natural choice to continue to provide the control and monitors.
Simon Honywill headed up FOH, with his wing man Diarmuid McLennan. Simon Hodge took charge of the stage backed up by George Hogan, Mark Isbister, Billy Birks, Steve Carr and Mark Edwards. The success of the team was reflected by the feedback from Chris Beale following the festival - 'The crew that worked on the Pyramid Stage sound system were second to none - in fact one of the fastest, most organised and professional teams that I have ever had the privilege to work with.'
RG Jones' involvement resolved another issue running alongside the noise restrictions, that of the traditional 'roadie image' of rock festival sound crews. The Pyramid crew resolved to be the cleanest ever crew to grace the famous stage, generating an atmosphere of professionalism and efficiency unprecedented at the festival. Miti Adikhari, the BBC Sound Supervisor and Senior Mix Engineer for the festival proffered this - 'the set up on the main stage was truly of the highest grade. Simon Hodge, Mark Isbister and the rest of the stage team were the BEST I have experienced. It is wonderful when so many elements of the audio delivery system work's as one.'
Front of House
Another real coup for RG Jones this year was to establish 100% digital signal solution - with the aid of a pair of Digidesign VENUES at FOH in an A/B 'piggyback', and the smaller D-Show PROFILE becoming the matrix for the show. Marquee Audio's Andy Huffer recommended to Simon Honywill that he try the Opotcore DD32E digital fibre-based network system to carry AES signals to the stage. While one was based at the FOH console, the other two were stage left and right.
Supporting Simon Honywill and Diarmuid McLennan at FOH were seasoned sound engineer (and VENUE trainer) Robb Allan, and Marquee Audio's Andy Huffer, who had provided the Optocore connectivity. Said Honywill: "We wanted to keep the signal in the digital domain for as long as possible - and were able to do so right up to the speaker processors."
The two large D-Shows were feeding AES to the D-Show Profile and from there to the Optocore DD32E's - where the signal was fed into the AES inputs of the XTA 428 processors (Optocore also carried the RS485 control information for the XTA's). The signal remained digital throughout before transferring to analogue from the loudspeaker processors to the MC2 amplifiers.
The combination of VENUE's unique mix-buss algorithms and the Optocore's ultra-high speed transmission resulted in optimum audio quality - and it was noted particularly how crisp the vocals sounded. Commented Simon, "I chose the VENUE as the Pyramid Stage FOH desk because I felt it offered everything the festival needed - an easy work surface, with all the toys that anyone could want, coupled with the fact that it's appearing more and more on people's riders".
"The reaction was really positive, and with the generic announcements going into the Profile it worked incredibly well. "It was great having Robb Allan there as he had a lot of input and helped us set up the generic show upon which all the acts' shows were built. He provided two AAA plug-in sets so that any engineer could turn up with his own show, plug-ins and all so all we had to do was change the output patch. It all worked seamlessly and the system was rock solid."
Monitor and Line System
The monitor system consisted of 24 x Synco CW15A dual concentric 15" monitor wedges, complimented with 2 x 2 x15' STS Synco subs for the drumfill. We used XTA digital EQ controlled by a wireless tablet and Klark Teknik DN360 for grab EQ.
The line system was hugely flexible, whilst one band were performing we were able to line check another and also prepare a third set of equipment for the next band. We used a mixture of 12pair and 48pair multicore systems interfaced with 96 ways of Klark Teknik active splits to generate the FOH, Monitor and media outputs. The system was also flexible enough to interface with visiting band line systems.
For our festival shout system all stage crew wore a radio IEM and a push-to-talk radio headset and FOH and Monitors had switched microphones and wedges all controlled by a small Yamaha LS9.
"I loved it" says Simon Hodge "It sounded great, straight out of the box, and we had very positive feedback from artists and engineers alike".
So bring it on - mud, rain, hippies, overflowing portable toilets, noise police, The Killers, tractors, druids, the National Youth Orchestra - all in a day's work for RG's down on the farm.
Jalsa Salana Annual Convention
The summer of mud hit hard at 2007's Jalsa Salana, the annual celebration for the UK's Ammahdiya Muslims held in Hampshire. High winds and torrential rain hammered the huge marquees that are erected as mosques, and the site was largely liquid slurry for most of the event.
Thousands of visitors were advised not to attend, but those that managed to get there were treated to the highest quality audio delivered from distributed Synco W8LM line array systems driven by the crack team of Honywill, Edwards, Spiers and Shewring.
|
 |
London Pride on Canada Day
More rain, but no mud! Trafalgar Square may well once have been a muddy field, and the rain tried hard to mess things up for Canada Day and Pride, two new events for RG's. The shows ran consecutively at the end of June 2007, and the RG's team played a blinder to ensure that Canada's finest new talents were heard loud and clear over the traffic, despite the conditions. It was disappointing that neither Rush nor Bachman Turner Overdrive could make it however.
The Pride event was everything you would expect from an event staged by and for London's lesbian and gay community. It was noisy, brash and eclectic, and above all great fun. Pink was the colour, something a sound crew would not normally entertain, but Laura looked especially fetching as she did the change-overs in her rubber shorts and pink feather boa - there's nothing like entering into the spirit of an event!
The Synco line array system was once again put to good use, and a pair of Yamaha M7CL's ensured a comprehensive spec was delivered in a small footprint, an ideal solution for the limited space available.
|
 |
Classical Spectacular
This is an arena production by Raymond Gubbay Ltd., which presents popular classics without the restrictions of a formal concert, in other words, as many people would like to hear them.
The brief is for the whole thing to be larger than life, whilst maintaining the sonic quality and musical integrity expected at an orchestral concert.
|
 Karl Jenkins' Adiemus Project
Karl Jenkins has had massive success with this eclectic form of modern classical music. Initial recognition through the use of pieces from Songs of Sanctuary, the first album of three for Sony Classical, in high profile advertising campaigns for British Airways, amongst others, led to a desire for Karl to perform the works live.
The use of a conventional orchestra, extensive classical and ethnic percussion, 9 Scandinavian vocalists singing an invented language and solo vocal and recorder, along with additional pre-recorded vocal and percussion tracks, demands complex infra-red and radio in-ear onstage monitoring for the large number of musicians and singers involved. The job requires a comprehensive knowledge of the musical content, close communication with Jenkins, and a mix and system design that will do the unique nature of this music every justice.
|
 |
Leeds Castle Open Air Concerts
These concerts are widely regarded as a bench-mark to which all other open-air classical concerts aspire. Set in what surely must be one of the most beautiful sites in the country, they have been running for over 20 years and RG Jones have been present at every single one.
Every year we strive to improve on the year before, and every year the accolades reflect our efforts.
|
IMG Artists / English Heritage Music on a Summers Evening
From humble beginnings in the 1970's as a series of concerts put on by the Greater London Council, Music on a Summers Evening Concerts have become an essential date in many peoples social calendars. There from the start RGJones have committed to meet every requirement and over the years the sound brief has changed dramatically to accommodate the enormous increase in audience numbers.
Back then, it was very much a case of be there but not there, as it was definitely sacrilegious to be amplifying classical music despite the fact that people couldn't hear more than 30m from the stage. As a result it was necessary to squeeze every last ounce of performance from systems that today would be regarded as an audio "Ford Capri 1.6"! That Capri is now a "Ferrari" and the learning curve associated with developing it has been the foundation on which RG Jones's knowledge of orchestral music has been built.
|
 |
Henley Arts Festival
Surely the most fun anybody can have whilst working! The eclectic mix of music, performance and every aspect of the arts you can imagine is all brought together on this unique site alongside the River Thames at Henley. The main stage, which floats on the River becomes surrounded by a floating audience that come to hear everything from Jools Holland to Jose Carreras, whilst paying punters get to experience many other acts in the various venues around the site.
This presents us with an exciting challenge to cover everything from a full orchestral performance to a stand-up comic with everything in between.
|
Celebrating with the Henley Festival
The 25th Anniversary at Henley Festival has now been and gone. RG Jones felt very proud to have been involved with this extraordinary event consistently since 1988. Music, performance and every aspect of the arts you can imagine is all brought together on this unique site alongside the River Thames at Henley. The main stage, which floats on the river, becomes surrounded by a floating audience, who enjoyed a spectrum of different performances. FOH engineer for Floating Stage this year was RG Jones Senior Project Manager, Simon Honywill.
""It was a real pleasure to come back to this unique event in 2007 after four years away fighting draconian noise limits for IMG at Kenwood. Henley is a party town, and whilst the Royal Regatta may be the event that the world associates with the town, the festival has to be one of the most stimulating arts events it is possible to attend in the UK where you can also have a really good time - the mixture of performance, visual and culinary art staged in idyllic surroundings is brilliant, and being responsible for the audio on the central Floating Stage is a privilege.""
The standards set at this festival demand the highest equipment specification, and the cream of RG's hire stock was deployed to deliver the broad range of talents on show. Artists from Katherine Jenkins via the CBSO to Toyah and Belinda Carlisle had to be catered for, and Simon utilized the flagship Digidesign Venue at front of house, whilst festival veteran Steve Watson employed a trusty Midas Heritage 3000 on stage to handle monitors. The loudspeaker system was RG's Synco/MA W8LC line array.
Simon, one of a celebrity team of RG Jones engineers, led by Simon Hodge with support from newly recruited Matt Shewring, had to cover a huge variety of demands from acts on several very different stages.
Digital consoles were at the fore of the main performance areas, with Chris Ekers handling the Digidesign Profile in the Club Marquee and Andy Jackson using a Yamaha M7CL at The Dome. Martin Audio and L'Acoustics loudspeaker systems made all the noise.
""This year has been particularly exceptional", said Director Andrew Williamson "it's so uplifting to be able to look at the jobs over the summer and realise that, even in such a competitive market, we have been chosen as the only sound supplier for so many events that have been running since the 80's!""
As Henley Festival of Music and the Arts follows on from Henley Royal Regatta it seemed the ideal event for RG Jones to proudly display their new Royal Warrant, which was granted to RG Jones by Her Majesty the Queen at the beginning of this year.
"Back in the day, RG Jones had a fantastic fleet of Morris J-type vans" continued Andrew. "We decided to do something a little bit different by sourcing probably the only remaining Morris J-type van in the country. We were surprised to find an old vehicle in such great condition, loved and cared for by owner, Roland Turner. With some clever temporary sign-writing; we managed to duplicate the RG Jones van from the 1930's. The only differences being the telephone number and The Royal Arms (even the tax disc was bona fide). We then rigged some authentic horn loudspeakers on the top and entertained the crowds as they entered the event...it caused quite a stir of nostalgia amongst the guests!"
|
UK Athletics
RG Jones provide a complete sound solution for the annual televised UK
Athletics This is now the most successful televised event series owned
by any national athletics governing body in the world, and has
transformed the televised event series into truly entertaining
experiences for spectators and TV audiences.
|
 |
 |
Concert in Tbilisi, Georgia.
RG Jones provided the audio for a huge rock concert headlined by Simply Red and staged at the Mikheil Meshki Stadium in Tbilisi, home of Lokomotiv FC, based around their Synco Martin 3-Way W8LCIWLX line array system.
The concert was in honour of the BP operated Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline running some 1100 miles between Baku in Azerbaijan on the Caspian sea, to a newly constructed terminal at Ceyhan on the Mediterranean.
|
The Queen's Golden Jubilee Celebrations - Central London, June 2002
A View from the Ground, by Simon Honywill
Six events were serviced by R G's systems and engineers over the Jubilee holiday. An eclectic mix, demanding a varied portfolio of skills from those involved. First to be installed were the systems supplied to Unusual Services for Sir Michael Parker's series of spectacular productions centered around Buckingham Palace. The remit was coverage from Trafalgar Square, down The Mall via Horseguards, taking in St James Park on the way, into the area outside the Palace around the Queen Victoria Memorial, and on into Green Park and Hyde Park.
RG Jones supplied four systems in Green Park and Hyde Park. Green Park was home to one of three performance stages associated with events in The Mall, playing host to some of the performers from the Notting Hill Carnival (maximum bass at all frequencies), and indeed the party carried on in the park until well after Her Majesty's final encore on the palace balcony. With Screenco providing mobile screens for those who couldn't get close enough to the action, for much of the time the systems were nothing more than huge telly speakers - this was fine until the rock concert in the Palace, when the off air satellite feed was running at around 110dB at the mix position.
On June 3rd, Hyde Park also hosted the excellent BBC Music Live Festival. This showcased music from the five continents on five stages strategically located around The Serpentine in the hope that it might reduce interference from each other. R G's got The Americas, which were probably the most stimulating - definitely the best location, and some of the acts were excellent. Credit must be given to the Beeb for organizing a really eclectic, interesting and pleasant event, with great music and a real insight into the culture and arts of those nations taking part.
RG Jones' installations also played a major part in the celebrations. On June 4th, the two main events of the day prior to those centered around The Palace were serviced with RG Jones systems. The first event of the day was the grand and beautiful service at St. Paul's Cathedral, and this was followed by a lunch at Guildhall, where speeches from both The Queen and The Prime Minister were a central focus. In both cases, the sound system was crucial in conveying the mood of the occasion, without being obtrusive, and the St.Paul's event certainly came across well on the big telly's in the Royal Parks.
Of all the extraordinary sights, sounds and feelings that will be remembered by those taking part in the staging of so many major happenings in the space of just a few days the lasting sense of being centrally involved in something that affected so many people in such a positive way. Watching the service in St.Paul's on the big screen in Green Park, where it was being seen and heard by thousands, and knowing it was being heard in the cathedral through an R G's - RG Jones were there, at both ends of the wire.
Photos by Louise Stickland for Unusual Services Ltd
|
 World Travel Market
RG Jones' relationship with World Travel Market is now into it's third decade. World Travel Market is the premier forum for the travel industry, and RG Jones has provided sound systems for the hub of the exhibition, the Central Feature, from the start.
Every single word, every single note has been cleanly and clearly transmitted to the entire audience, despite having to severely compromise our designs to fit in with the set design. At no point have RGJones ever lost sight of the necessity for flexibility spontaneity and professionalism, and RGJones engineers have always been an essential and integral part of the team.
|
 |
Shaolin - Wheel of Life
The Buddhist Monks of the Shaolin Temple, Henang Province in China are the founders of Kung-Fu as it is now recognised. The abilities of these extraordinary people have been brought to a worldwide audience through this show by Producer, Steve Nolan and his creative team. The sound track for the show called for the creation of acoustic environments ranging from a Chinese Forest complete with authentic wildlife to the marbled halls of an Emperor's Palace and a battle scene in a raging thunderstorm. Along with the music of Barrington Pheloung the overall effect, using an L'Acoustics surround sound system, is one of total audience involvement.
|
The National Television Awards
There has been much in the industry press about our little experiment in the Royal Albert Hall at the National TV Awards - Yes we used a Nexo Geo system, yes it was really small and yes everyone could hear and yes the client was really pleased with the result.
What was much more obvious was the amount of celebrity flesh that was on display. Strangely, the one thing that Simon Hodge was most effusive about was missing from all of the blah about the wonders of modern loudspeaker technology, small is big etc. If you really want to know about the speakers, check out the link below.
|
Polesden Lacey Festival
Since the 1960's, RG Jones have been involved with the Polesden Lacey Festival in Leatherhead and in that time it has increased in both size and popularity. The festival holds something for everyone, staging Shakespeare, Musicals, Jazz and the Classics against the idyllic backdrop of the (often wet) Surrey countryside. Waterproof sound systems come as standard.
|
Chris Rea
October 2nd, 2006 saw Chris Rea play an exclusive show to an invited audience at London's Bush Hall, on the occasion of the launch of his first ever live album, 'The Road To Hell and Back', for which R G Jones provided another top quality, bespoke sound system. The intimate venue has a capacity of only 300, so the lucky few were treated to an 'up close and personal' set by the man who has cheated death to re-emerge as a dedicated exponent of the Delta Blues.
|
 |
 |
Jools Holland
The Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra are now confirmed Renkus-Heinz enthusiasts. Jools' regular sound suppliers, Midland Sound and Light, are now Renkus-Heinz owners and call on RG Jones to support them on a regular basis.
|
|
RG Jones Sound Engineering 16 Endeavour Way Wimbledon London SW19 8UH
Telephone +44 (0)20 8971 3100 Fax: +44 (0)20 8971 3101 email: |
|
