The cultural phenomenon Mean Girls, whose portrayal of the complex and often merciless world of high school resonates with both British and American audiences, has conquered London’s West End since its premiere last June, enjoying consistent box-office success at the Savoy Theatre.
The musical adaptation, which preserves Tina Fey’s witty script—where the feared trio of Regina, Gretchen, and Karen rule North Shore High—has found in the audio technology a fundamental ally to convey the full intensity of this experience to the audience.
Fourier Audio and DiGiCo: a partnership for elite sound
To achieve complete sonic immersion, the production has incorporated a Fourier Audio transform.engine as the central platform for managing audio-processing plugins. Simon Fox, the show’s associate sound designer, emphasizes how integrating this device has significantly streamlined the workflow.
Thanks to its Dante connectivity and the essential plugins for the musical’s sound design, it connects with zero latency to the DiGiCo Quantum338T console at FOH.
“Definitely, it’s enormously simplifying connectivity in the show”, Fox highlights, a professional with a distinguished record in productions such as Disney’s Aladdin and Aida, the musical Tina!, and the Monty Python Live (Mostly) show at London’s O2 in 2014.
Autograph, the audio-system provider for Mean Girls, recommended using the Fourier Audio transform.engine after it proved impossible to secure a specific reverb originally planned in the sound-design concept.
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We had to explore other options and discovered that the transform.engine offered compatibility with TC Electronic reverbs, so that was our choice. We’ve had it as part of the rig from day one, and I’ve since found it incredibly useful in the show, Fox explains.
The transform.engine, which initially ran on its original software, has been upgraded to the latest version, adding features like Cuelists. Although Fox hasn’t yet had the chance to implement these new tools, even the device’s basic functions have been a game-changer in managing a production as complex as a West End musical. Fox notes that the transform.engine allows him to apply necessary plugins as inserts on the band channels, giving him very precise, additional control over his sound processing.
By being a single source feeding into the console, it reduces complexity and simultaneously eliminates latency. It’s like having an external effects rack extension, but with far more flexibility. For me, it’s been a brilliant decision, Fox adds.
