Over the past 25 years, animation giants; Pixar have made some of the world’s most popular and iconic films. With its unrivalled ability to make audiences laugh, cry and everything in between, Pixar’s animations continue delight audiences the world over; bridging barriers of language, culture and tradition. Their masterpieces, which include the Toy Story trilogy, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles have defined a generation of cinema, captivating both children and adults alike.

Whilst the animated characters such as Woody and Buzz Lightyear have gone on to become some of the biggest stars in recent film history, so too have the films’ soundtracks. UK audiences were overjoyed therefore at the announcement that Pixar Live in Concert would be visiting one of London’s most impressive venues, the Royal Albert Hall. Sound By Design were appointed as lead audio supplier to this UK premiere which featured a combination of stunning visuals beautifully complemented with a live orchestral performance of some of Pixar’s most famous scores.

Sound By Design has a wealth of experience delivering live audio for cinematic concerts of this nature, having supplied live sound for screenings of Fantasia, Singin’ in the Rain and the Danny Elfman Concert in 2013. Project Manager for this event was senior engineer Stephen Hughes with Dave Shepherd as systems engineer, Elaine Duffy as stage engineer and Paul Stannering operating at front-of-house. With visuals supplied by SFL Lighting, film clips from 13 of Pixar’s best loved films were projected onto a large screen positioned in front of the Hall’s organ. Helping to bring the animations to life, the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra – conducted by Helmut Imig gave a sensational performance live on the stage below.

For this concert, the engineers used an EM Acoustics HALO-C PA system arranged in a cinematic configuration with two L/ R hangs flown either side of the screen to provide even, balanced coverage. With 20 boxes per hang, alongside 3 Meyer Sound 700hp sub speakers located under the stage and 2 EM Acoustics 159 loudspeakers as front fill, the system was perfectly designed for orchestral sound, providing high levels of transparency and intelligibility throughout the acoustically tricky auditorium. For the orchestra, Sound By Design provided Sennheiser IEM’s to deliver click track to the conductor, soloists and rhythm section. At front-of-house, Stephen opted to use the DiGiCo SD5. With its sonic capabilities, the SD5 was perfect for this concert, allowing the engineers to really utilise the headroom offered by the HALO-C system.

The sold-out show was presented by British actor Will Chitty who announced each symphony and the film from which it belongs. One of the highlights of the concert involved a performance of the theme song from the 2009 hit film UP, entitled ‘Married Life.’ The poignant and deeply melancholic intonation of this song clearly struck a chord with large swathes of the audience who wiped away tears just before the interval. This performance illustrated the power of music and its ability to emote with audiences, conjuring unique memories and feelings for each individual member of the crowd. Helping to dry the teary eyes however, the theme from The Incredibles got the second half underway in some style. Pixar’s answer to the superhero genre, the thunderous and exhilarating rhythms combined perfectly with the heroic images on screen drawing the audience further into the action. With its quickened pace and strong emphasis on dynamics, this song allowed the RPCO to demonstrate its musical prowess and power, setting the scene for an exciting second half.

After a thrilling second half, there could only be one song to close the evening. As the first few notes of ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’ swept through the theatre, the exuberance in the audience was almost tangible. Written and composed by Randy Newman, the world famous theme tune from the Toy Story trilogy was met with beaming smiles from adults and children alike who could do nothing but sing along. Often considered to be Pixar’s greatest masterpiece, Toy Story was a perfect way to close the concert – leaving the audience in high spirits as they made their way home.

Sound By Design are proud to have been the lead sound supplier to this event. Many of our engineers have grown up with these films and know the soundtracks back-to-front which made the concert even more special. Hearing these scores played live by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra however was particularly special, and heightened further the emotions embedded with the films themselves.

Speaking about this event – Sound By Design engineer and project manager Elaine Duffy commented:

“The other engineers and I were delighted to work with the RPCO and conductor Helmut Inig on another film with live orchestra concert at the Hall. This show was particularly special as the team and I grew up with these brilliant films and were transported back to childhood with all our favourite Pixar moments. The evening also saw another fine showcase of our recently updated HALO-C PA system.”