Its been such a busy start to the tax year. From maintenance, to touring and the start of the festival season. So much more to come too.

I recently returned from a 6 week tour as the Monitor Engineer for "Rumours of Fleetwod Mac" (RFM). Employed by ESS at Mansfield. This has been a fantastic experience. I've learnt a lot and worked with some fantastic people. Not to mention seen some lovely places all around the UK.

I joined the tour half way through wich can be a tricky situation. Stepping up to a show and a show file that you don't know and walking in on a team that you are unfamiliar with can really unsettle the Status Quo. However, Chris Butterworth the previous engineer on the job was able to do a thorough change over with me. Plus I had time in the unit with the show file. So I did my prep and it all paid off. After learning the intricacies of the show from Chris I was able to step up to the show with out reservations. Also I must add that this was also made possible with the support of the team at ESS.

During my time with the Touring Company I learnt a lot about Wireless IEM systems and RF frequency management. Plus the software used to make this swift and easy. Not to mention getting to know the Yamaha Cl5 better. I also spent some time with the Front of House Engineer 'Andy Hague'. who taught me a lot about SMART and ARRAY CALC.

This tour has been a great one to walk up to and be a part of because the people involved have been so friendly and supportive. They're all a bunch a very down to earth and likeable people. It was very much a family atmosphere. This makes tours so much easier when everyone is so personable!

I came off the tour and two days later I was out at Bearded Theory Festival. This is a brilliant festival that im lucky enough to have as a regular booking via James Singleton at Beefstock. Again the crew are brilliant people wich makes the days much easier.

This year we installed 'Limelights' Martin array. 5 boxes aside and 3 subs a side. This is the 1st time we had an array for the 'Woodland Stage'. It took a bit of getting used to and some tuning but in the end it was certainly an improvement from previous years. Much better coverage in the arena. It was still challenging to mix to the 97dBA limit however at times. 

At this festival we tend to rotate roles. So we all get some time as Patch Tech, Mons Tech and FOH Tech. Which works. It enables us all to stay fresh and mix some bands between us. As usual we had the X32 for Mons, and my Analogue FOH Mix Package out front. My Midas Verona sounded lovely through the Array. I was very pleased with the sound all weekend, as well as the rest of the team and the punters. Which is great news. We where lucky with the weather too. 

All in all the past few months have been full of work and I havent been home much. But its all been very enjoyable. Hopefully the rest of the year will follow suit. 

To see some photos of what ive been getting up too, check out my Instagram. Button at the bottom of the page.