Popular
comedian, actor, writer and producer Kevin Hart has been on a successful,
sold-out tour of the U.S. and Canada for the last nine months with a Martin
Audio MLA system provided by Showtime Sound LLC of Frederick, MD. In January
2016, Hart continues his What Now?
tour in Europe, Australia, Singapore and South Africa.
One of America’s fastest rising comedy talents, Hart has
released four comedy DVDs and appeared on numerous TV shows and in
blockbuster films; he has over 20 millions worldwide followers each on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Asked about the challenges of producing the current tour,
Showtime Sound’s Scott Tydings says, “We’ve worked with Kevin since 2010 and
did the last tour, so we know what to expect — but there are always a few
surprises. Showtime has been in business since 1996 and we do a lot of music
tours, but lately there’s been more of an emphasis on comedy artists, including
Amy Schumer who we’re on tour with right now.
“The Martin Audio MLA rig has been a big help for both Kevin
and Amy’s tours. We first used it for the What
Now? tour after hearing the MLA Compact at a demo. We’ve wanted to use it
for a long time and just needed this opportunity to put it out there and
showcase it.”
For Kevin Hart, the set up includes 15 MLA and one MLD a
side, 12 MLA Compact cabinets a side for outfills and eight MLX subs
ground-stacked alongside the stage.
Asked about using MLA for a comedy artist, Scott replies,
“We thought it was a great fit for Kevin especially in terms of intelligibility
in the arena because if you miss one word he says, the joke’s not funny. It’s
more important to have even coverage and intelligibility for a comedian than
any rock concert you’re ever going to do.
\”In fact, I sold MLA to Kevin Hart, his tour manager and
Live Nation––just kept telling them and telling them about it. When I finally
got the opportunity to put it in front of them, they loved it so much that when
we picked up the Amy Schumer tour, they were insisting we use MLA for that as
well, which is all arenas. It’s the same hang.
“Kevin’s definitely noticed the difference in articulation
and even coverage in every seat with MLA. I was using another system before
with three hangs a side and we were still getting sound complaints from people
in the upper sections of large arenas about not being able to hear or get the
clarity they needed.”
FOH engineer Kenny Hoyt, who’s worked with a number of
different systems over the years, echoes Scott’s impressions: “MLA is amazing,
the clarity and coverage is so much better when capturing a single voice in a
large auditorium and making sure that every word gets out to the audience than
other systems I’ve used. Other PAs are ok, but mixing with an MLA system is
like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. I just know that the sound’s going to
be smooth and consistent with all the right overtones.”
Wrapping up, Scott adds, “There’s been a world of difference
with the MLA rig. It’s night and day. We’ve just had some fly dates and Kenny’s
never happy when he has to leave the MLA rig and do the same show on another
system. It’s just never the same.
“For me, MLA is like having 3-D audio. Instead of sounding
like it’s coming from a speaker a few hundred feet away from you, Kevin’s voice
is right in front of your face no matter where you’re sitting.”
