CODA Audio VCA system delivers razor-sharp audio for Jimmy Carr’s ‘Laughs Funny’ U.K. tour

Jimmy Carr, comedy heavyweight and king of the one-liner, is back on stage with his ‘Laughs Funny’ tour, which, on most days, sees him perform two shows across UK arenas. Known for selling out venues worldwide, Carr relies on precision as much as punchlines, especially when it comes to sound. Liverpool-based events production specialist, Adlib, supplied audio for the tour, deploying a CODA Audio AiRAY system. Headliner discovers how its punchy power, crystal-clear coverage, and compact design ensure every quip lands loud and clear, night after night.

Having regularly provided production for many of the leading lights of British comedy, including Russell Howard, Joe Lycett, Jack Whitehall, and most recently, Romesh Ranganathan, Adlib once again deployed a CODA Audio AiRAY system to provide the combination of power, accuracy of coverage, intelligibility and small form factor, essential for large-scale arena comedy shows. Adlib supplied a CODA Audio system based on the company’s flagship AiRAY line array.

“We combined AiRAY with CiRAY for this show, which allowed for flexibility when designing for each venue whilst also fitting into a compact footprint,” explains Billy Bryson, Adlib system technician. “The system’s phase linearity and coherent wavefront (thanks to the DDP mid-high driver) resulted in clean, intelligible speech in every seat in the venue.”

The shows are in the round, with the stage located in the middle of the arenas. A total of eight hangs comprising CODA Audio AiRAY and CiRAY were flown at the four ‘corners’ of the rig, utilising a mixture of 90° and 120° couplers to balance long-throw SPL and near-field coverage.

To save on long cable runs, these were powered by flown CODA Audio LINUS14 amplifiers – six on each corner. Four CODA Audio HOPS 10-Pro loudspeakers were flown on Doughty Modular Drop Arms between each set of hangs, serving as centre fills, with cabling integrated within the lighting and video system, which Adlib also supplied.

A single LINUS14 powered these, located at the end of the communal cable bridge truss that served all departments. The system was completed by 12 CODA Audio HOPS8 loudspeakers positioned along the edges of the stage, to aid with natural imaging for those closest to Jimmy Carr.

“Mixing on the CODA Audio system has been consistent, day-to-day, venue-to-venue, with Jimmy’s team commenting very positively on the intelligibility and gain-before-feedback achieved across the tour,” enthuses FOH engineer for the shows, Sam Cooknell. “The system sounded open and natural, so listening was effortless.”