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Adam Robinson and Cameron Manes optimize sonic performance for Jonas Brothers with Sound Devices A20-Nexus

In August of 2023, the Jonas Brothers launched an expansive world tour that has seen them playing hits from their entire discography at major venues across the globe. FOH Engineer Adam Robinson and Audio Systems Engineer Cameron Manes spearhead the audio elements of the shows.

Given that the tour would be visiting a very wide range of venues, Robinson and Manes were eager to develop an optimized methodology to getting the most consistent sonic performance in each venue. The pair adopted the Sound Devices A20-Nexus receiver and its new Test and Measurement Mode to streamline this approach.

Although the testing and measurement process - a careful check that ensures all audio systems are responding predictably in each venue - is an important part of any large audio production, its purpose is frequently misunderstood even by professionals in the field. Ensuring consistent performance from speaker systems can be the difference between a successful performance or a disastrous one.

“The key word in all of this is consistency”, explains Manes. “What many people don’t understand is that it takes a trained ear to recognize if the system is reacting differently in different parts of the room. It may ‘sound good’ somewhere, but if the entire system isn’t providing a similar sounding experience to every seat of the house, then the show can be a failure.”

Adding to the potential pressure on large productions is that oftentimes testing and measurement can be a rushed affair given how long it can take to set up the proper equipment. For Manes, this is something that drove him and Robinson to think differently about how to streamline the process for this tour. “We really only have about thirty minutes to conduct this process in each venue”, says Manes. “Finding ways of doing it more efficiently and getting better results was something we were always in search of as it’s very important for the final product. When Sound Devices added T+M mode to the A20-Nexus, we immediately signed up to be beta testers because we saw the opportunity to completely overhaul the process for the better.”

The basis of Robinson’s FOH rig for the tour is the DiGiCo Quantum 7 console and D&B KSL line arrays supplied by longtime partner Clair Global. The measurement system that he and Manes devised utilized four Sound Devices A20-TX wireless transmitters paired with Isemcon EMX-7150 microphones and an A20-Nexus receiver that ties in via Dante to a DirectOut Prodigy.MP system controller, providing system management and output routing as well as feeding the test signals to Rational Acoustics Smaart measurement software.

The ability to work wirelessly proved to be a game changer. “Most wireless measurement systems up until this point simply didn’t give accurate enough results as they would impart something incorrect on the measurements in terms of frequency and phase shift”, says Robinson. “With the Sound Devices T+M Modulation Algorithm, there is no frequency or phase shift, so we were getting the exact same measurements we’d get from a wired microphone but with much more flexibility in terms of speed and placement.”

“We have a habit of bringing new electronic toys on each tour that we do together”, adds Manes. “The A20-Nexus was one of them - but it totally changed how we work, and our hats are off to Sound Devices for creating something that’s become so essential to us so quickly.”

(Photos: Sound Devices)

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