Paul McCartney

Burlington, MA, 2014/10/07

Avid Artist Suite live sound and audio solutions deliver top-quality mixes, tightly integrated recording workflows, and automated media management for music icon’s world tour

Avid® (OTC: AVID) today announced that music legend Paul McCartney has embraced Avid Everywhere™ to support his “Out There” tour. Industry-standard Avid VENUE live sound and Pro Tools® audio production solutions, from the Avid Artist Suite, powered by the Avid MediaCentral Platform, are being used to mix and record his concerts, delivering a faster, more efficient and tightly-integrated workflow, as well as world-class sound for the 59-show tour.

The high point of McCartney’s tour was a historic performance at San Francisco’s legendary stadium, Candlestick Park—where The Beatles’ last public concert took place 48 years ago. McCartney’s most recent performance was also the stadium’s last show before shutting down after 54 years of hosting live acts and serving as home field to the city's sports teams.

Avid live sound solutions were central to McCartney’s unforgettable last show for the stadium and his fans. McCartney’s front-of-house sound engineer, Paul 'Pab' Boothroyd uses an Avid VENUE | Profile System for mixing, and Pro Tools | Software for recording the concerts. VENUE | Software running on the Profile system gives Boothroyd supreme integration with plugins and Pro Tools, delivering an exceptional user experience and streamlined workflows.

“I was using one of the first Avid VENUE systems when they came out, and then I moved to the more compact Profile System,” said Boothroyd. “With Paul, one minute we’re in a stadium and the next I’m mixing in a broom cupboard in the Cavern in Liverpool, so the Profile became my console of choice. All my effects are onboard, which simplifies my setup considerably. And the quality of sounds you can get from today’s plugins is amazing.”

Every McCartney performance is fully documented and archived, so media management is key. Using Pro Tools, Boothroyd can record every rehearsal, soundcheck, and concert efficiently. “We properly record everything Paul does - sound checks and shows - for archiving and for virtual soundchecks,” continued Boothroyd. “At Candlestick Park, for example, we threw in Long Tall Sally, which was something that he hadn’t done before, so that will be put away for possible future use along with the video and film footage that we also archived. If you want a proper multitrack Pro Tools recording, only Avid solutions   can give you that kind of setup.”

Using the Virtual Soundcheck feature in VENUE systems, Boothroyd is able to take shows that were previously recorded in Pro Tools and play them back through the Profile System for quickly dialing in a sound check mix at the venue without needing the band onstage. This accelerates the set-up process and provides additional time for refining snapshots, plugin settings, and dialing in the perfect mix.

“As a company born from a passion for world-class content creation, we’re very proud that music legend Sir Paul McCartney has embraced Avid Everywhere for this historic tour,” said Jennifer Smith, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Avid. “McCartney's celebrated performance at Candlestick Park is a great example of how Avid Everywhere helps music professionals, including live sound teams, connect with audiences more powerfully.”