Based in Somerset, Production and Touring Ltd has established itself as a full-service provider for live event production and management. Its reputation is backed by a strong roster of top-tier artists, including Snow Patrol, Calvin Harris, Sasha, David Gray, and Declan McKenna.
Leading the technical team is FOH engineer and company director Graham Pattison, who has recently upgraded his setup with key solutions supplied by POLAR, the official UK distributor for brands such as Radial, Lake, and beyerdynamic.
The starting point was the search for a Radial JDX 48, a direct box designed to capture the tone of a guitar amp via connection between the power stage and the speaker, providing a balanced signal to the PA that emulates the sound of a well-placed microphone. After being directed to POLAR by the manufacturer itself, Graham not only found the solution he was looking for, but something more.
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During the purchasing process, he discovered the Lake LMX48 processor in POLAR’s catalog—an item he had long been pursuing to enhance his FOH setup for situations without a dedicated PA or accompanying technician:
What I needed was a high-quality front end for matrix distribution in my FOH console. Sometimes it’s L/R, mono sub and mono fills, and other times it’s L/R with stereo subs, stereo fills, and under-balcony systems... so I needed versatility. The eight MESA modules in the Lake LMX48 let me do it, and of course, the sound quality is legendary.
The POLAR team, led by their Sales Manager Andy Plunkett, responded quickly: “It’s a pleasure working with live sound professionals like Graham. We knew he was on a tight schedule, so we issued the quote and arranged urgent delivery of the processor, which had to arrive in time for his show at the Royal Albert Hall. We also supplied him with a beyerdynamic MM1 measurement microphone, which he had been considering for some time”.
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The Lake LMX48 was put to work immediately at the Royal Albert Hall: “It was intense! But everything worked perfectly, and the LMX48 was front and center. Since then, it has become an essential part of my rig. I can't imagine doing a show without it”.
I can only speak positively about POLAR. From the first Radial purchase to the delivery of the Lake and the beyerdynamic, everything has been flawless. On tour, handling these things is tough, so it was a smooth job—especially getting the LMX48 to arrive on time, concludes Graham with a clear assessment.
