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Eighth Day Sound Ties Up Slipknot Tour

In the post-pandemic world, Slipknot has already completed three US tours with the help of Eighth Day Sound and a variety of L-Acoustics PAs.

Left to right: Alex Markides, FOH for Killswitch Engage; Jonathan “Twan” Jarrel, FOH for Code Orange; Brian Sankus, System Engineer; and Bob Strakele, FOH for Slipknot with Eighth Day Sound’s L-Acoustics K Series arrays seen in the background
Left to right: Alex Markides, FOH for Killswitch Engage; Jonathan “Twan” Jarrel, FOH for Code Orange; Brian Sankus, System Engineer; and Bob Strakele, FOH for Slipknot with Eighth Day Sound’s L-Acoustics K Series arrays seen in the background.

Highland Heights, OH (January 25, 2023)—Slipknot opts to sleep not, it would appear, as the rockers have been playing far and wide on the road, having already completed no less than three different US tours since the peak of the pandemic. Along for the ride has been sound reinforcement provider Eighth Day Sound, a Clair Global company, has been supplying the tour legs with an L-Acoustics K Series loudspeaker package from L-Acoustics.

Wrangling the PA for the group are FOH engineer Bob Strakele and system engineer Brian Sankus, who have been deploying ever-evolving loudspeaker setups as the band has moved from sheds to arenas and then back to sheds. “At the beginning of 2022, we were going from amphitheaters into arenas, so on each side, we flew 14 K1 over four K2 for mains, 12 K1-SB subs, and 12 K2 for out-fills,” Sankus said. “In order to adapt and be quick for the rolling stage, we did six carts of three KS28 subs, in cardioid, with an A10 Focus on the top of each for front-fill. This was able to stay strapped together, use the least amount of cable, and be struck at ease. We also had six A15 Wide for auxiliary fills.”

Being The Sound Engineer For Slipknot In The Early 2000s

For the most recent leg, which returned to the sheds, Strakele and Sankus opted for K2 for mains instead of the more traditional K1. “On this latest run, we carried a total of 56 K2 and 20 K1-SB, plus our normal 18 KS28, six A10 Focus, and four A15 Wide,” he continues. “To save truck space, we circuited out hangs as three and stuck to 18 LA12X amplified controllers per side, which kept us very flexible in the sheds and two arenas that we did.”

A view of the L-Acoustics K Series loudspeaker complement for the band’s Knotfest festival at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles
A view of the L-Acoustics K Series loudspeaker complement for the band’s Knotfest festival at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.

The group is known for its intense live show which can often feature up to three drummers, sub-samples and a DJ simultaneously at any given time. Accordingly, Strakele noted that “low-end management is key. This kind of music in an arena would be a total mess if we didn’t have a proper sub deployment. I like the system’s low end to be tight, fast, and out of the way really quickly. I’m not a fan of ‘fluffy’ subs with this band. That being said, most of the work is done by the K1-SB in the air while the KS28 on the ground are nicely picking up the slack at the barricade.”

Slipknot’s FOH duo were more than satisfied with the loudspeaker spec for the tour and thankful for their opportunity to “deploy and enjoy” it each evening. “Slipknot is one of those bands that hands you challenges every night, and that’s what makes it fun,” Strakele notes. “It took me a while to figure out the method to the madness of mixing them, but I think we definitely got there with L-Acoustics.”

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