Rag’n’Bone Man choses KLANG to elevate the vibe in his IEM mixes

Rag’n’Bone Man, award winning UK singer-songwriter, has been enjoying using KLANG-DMI, inserted into the DiGiCo Quantum 338 console for his latest ‘What do you believe in?’ UK and European tour.

Monitor engineer, George ‘Sol’ Solidakis, explains how KLANG’s technology, supplied by Britannia Row Productions in London, played a key role in delivering precise monitoring for the musicians, helping to maintain the energy on stage. 

Sol had used KLANG with other artists, so when he joined Rag’n’Bone Man’s sound team, he knew it would work well for the band. Having started part-way through the summer season, Sol had to wait until the start of the Autumn tour to make any adjustments to the in-ear monitoring setup, but when the change was implemented, he was pleased with how quickly the band adapted.

“My objective was to create intimate, natural feeling IEM mixes, because the music covers a really full range, from quieter emotional songs to full on rock,” he says. “Rory (Graham, Rag’n’Bone Man’s real name) is all about making sure there is a real vibe and giving the audience an exciting time, so my mix has to reflect that energy too. My job as monitor engineer is to create an environment where the artists can perform and express themselves, without noticing me and KLANG plays a vital role in this.”

Due to the make-up of the band, there are a lot of instruments in the same frequency range. In the past, separating these to give definition and clarity to the mixes while preserving the distinctive sound of the instruments was a real challenge. Using KLANG has simplified that process and given Sol more room to place everything. In rehearsals, he was able to present the band with an immersive mix that gave them the clarity they needed, improving intelligibility without increasing volume.

“Lots of the instruments that provide pitch reference for singers are in the same frequency range,” Sol explains. “Sometimes those pitch references alternate between keys and guitar in the same song, it can be a delicate balance to ensure the lines are there to follow. With KLANG we managed to achieve enough separation so that the root notes are always present, and this means we no longer need to automate EQ.”

Sol was acutely aware that changing the band’s IEM mixes needed to happen in a way that would be immediately beneficial, so that the musicians would remain comfortable and able to perform at their best. 

“I prefer to present the artist with an option, rather than overwhelm them with details,” he says. “Before band rehearsals, I used virtual sound check to set everything up and when we were ready, I pressed the 3D button. Keeping it simple for everyone meant that without even realising it, they picked up the language of immersive mixes. Pretty soon the artists were asking, ‘can I have the synths and pads behind me, or can we raise this instrument up?’ By developing the mix in advance, I could demonstrate the possibilities and that gave them the vocabulary to better describe what they needed.”

KLANG provides a consistent environment for performance, even when the venue changes night after night. Sol has found that the familiarity of a KLANG mix takes away a layer of uncertainty, enabling the musicians to move forward, trusting that their sound will support them. Thanks to the console integration, Sol is able to work seamlessly, with everything right where he needs it. Coupled with the excellence of the whole team, this workflow has made the tour a very satisfying experience.

“This tour is such a team effort! I did a demo for our production manager Tobias Iddison on day two of using the system and he literally jumped; it is a unique experience,” he says. “The amazing thing about the tour is that everyone is fantastic. Rob Sadler at the front of house position is creating such an amazing mix, which means that the sound coming back to the stage is very complementary to the monitor mixes, it is a very musical mix.”

When a production works this well together, it becomes even more important that the tools have an intuitive workflow. KLANG’s 3D mixes enable sound sources to be realistically placed around the head of the performer, resulting in a much more natural sound. For monitor engineers like Sol, the control interface can be accessed directly via the mixing console, or from one of KLANG’s immersive processors. The ease of workflow and continuity of sound are what makes KLANG such a positive experience for Sol and the band.

“It is the intimacy and the vibe that you can bring with KLANG; you feel like you are being hugged by the music,” he concludes. “Things have to feel natural. Part of being a monitor engineer, unless instructed otherwise, is to give an accurate representation of their instruments and every little step I can take in that direction is a massive win.”