Electro-Voice PL Series mics on the Vans Warped Tour

The new PL80 vocal microphone from Electro-Voice got the punk rock seal of approval on this year’s Vans Warped Tour, drafted for duty alongside the heavy-duty EV sound systems deployed annually for the tour’s Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands and Hurley Stages, both of which are built into the back of semi trucks.

A premium-quality dynamic mic with a supercardioid pattern, the PL80 was used as a main vocal mic on both stages, joining the standard-issue N/DYM, Cobalt, and RE models used for backing vocals, instruments, and drums. Ryan McLain, Tour & Production Manager for Ernie Ball, manages the two mobile stages. He discussed his working relationship with EV, and how the PL mics have proven themselves a worthy addition to the equipment list:

 

“Part of the success of the tour is due to our partnership with Electro-Voice – we’ve been working together for the last ten years on what has to be one of most rigorous and demanding tours in the world. We deal with rain, dirt, humidity, set changes that are only 15 minutes long, up to 15 bands per day on each stage, SPLs that you wouldn’t believe, and 18 hour workdays. Year after year our EV gear handles it.

 

“This year we’re using the new PL mics on the tour,” McLain adds. “A couple of things make the PL80 work very well for us: it offers high gain before feedback, as well as great off-axis rejection. These stages both have shallow depth, and the PL mics help minimize issues like cymbal bleed. It’s also typical for a lot of the bands on our stages to cup the mic; where that can be a problem with other mics, with the PL80 you get pretty much the same sound cupped or uncupped. It’s a great-sounding workhorse mic.”

 

"At the end of the day, what matters is that our equipment works and sounds good. In our partnership with Electro-Voice we get just that: our sound system always works, always sets up fast, and always sounds fantastic.”