The annual the Jazz Aspen Snowmass (JAS) June Experience features four nights of headline concerts at the Benedict Music Tent in Aspen, Colorado. As the 2,050-capacity venue has proven consistently difficult for amplified music, production company Alchemy Concert Systems looked to an Alcons Audio system for the solution.

A not-for-profit event that aims to present and preserve jazz and related forms of music through events, performances and education, the 2017 event featured Earth, Wind & Fire, Michael McDonald, Tower of Power, Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton, Paa Kow and the Arthur Lee Band.

Situated on the campus of the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Benedict Music Tent is an open-sided structure with a curving roof made of Teflon-coated fibreglass. The combination of its design and an ageing PA designed only for vocal reinforcement prompted Alchemy Concert Systems and JAS and Alchemy to seek amplified sound quality that would surpass all previous years.

‘It’s a unique venue, a symphonic amphitheatre which was never designed to host amplified rock-and-roll type shows,’ says Alchemy co-owner John Czechowicz. ‘The house PA was installed back in 2006 and it has always been inadequate to properly cover the venue. For the past five or six years it has been augmented for amplified shows, but we’ve always been kind of piecemealing a system together. This year we wanted something better.’

Czechowicz contacted production company Rainbow Production Services, who suggested using the Alcons LR18 system. The set-up comprised nine-per-side LR hangs of LR18 compact mid-size line-array modules, with three floor-mounted BC543 very high-output cardioid subwoofers per side. Front fill comprised four LR7 micro line-array modules, arranged as two stacks, each two high, with two RR12 point source array modules per side for out fill.

This was Czechowicz’s first experience of an Alcons system, but it impressed him from the outset: ‘The immediate advantage was that the boxes were smaller and provided more elements in each, which really helped with coverage,’ he says. ‘Previously we had only been able to have front fill that were one unit high, because of their size. This really limited their effectiveness. Stacking the smaller LR7s two high meant they were able to penetrate much further into the ground tier of the audience area.

‘Using the RR12s as out fill really helped with covering the slope of the amphitheatre bowl, while the BC543s outperformed any sub we’ve had in the venue, the custom carbon fibre 5.3-inch voice coil woofers making a real difference. Before we’d had to use four or even six subs each side. It was also the first time we’d used cardioid subwoofer arrays in there, which definitely helped, including reducing the amount of low frequency energy onstage.’

Another aspect of the Alcons system that impressed Czechowicz was the flexibility of a BC332 cardioid subwoofer and QR24 modular line-source array column on each side of the stage: ‘For some bands we used them as monitor side fill, for others we turned them through 90º and used them as audience in fill,’ he says. ‘The vertical coverage is amazing – you can bend your knees and literally dip in and out of the soundfield.’

David Rahn from Alcons US flew in for a day to help rig and tune the system, demonstrating that it really is an ‘out-of-the-box’ system: ‘David was really under the gun time-wise, but we got the system up and tuned very quickly,’ Czechowicz says. ‘We only needed the software in the Alcons Sentinel amplified loudspeaker controllers - Rainbow had provided a third-party loudspeaker processing package but we didn’t use it. Very little EQ and no amplitude shading at all was needed to tune the system. With the old vocal reinforcement system significant amplitude shading was needed to even out the coverage, so this was another big advantage.

‘I was slightly concerned about rider-friendliness,’ Czechowicz adds ‘None of the acts had heard of Alcons and touring engineers tend to like what they like, be wary of what they don’t know and quick to criticise what they don’t like. But there were no issues at all and everyone was very positive about the Alcons rig.

‘We had let JAS know that we were bringing the Alcons system in and Chad Fuller from Rainbow was very enthusiastic, taking the time to explain its many benefits. They were really happy and stated that the sound at the June Experience was a big improvement over previous events.’

After many years of trying, the Benedict Music Tent has finally been tamed.

The 2016 Rock im Bergbad open-air festival saw four high-profile acts perform in front of the panorama of Harrl and the Weser mountains of Bückeburg in Lower Saxony. For its sound set-up, technical service provider Auditiv deployed an Alcons LR18 pro-ribbon line array.

Featuring latter-day Genesis frontman Ray Wilson, The Lords, the glamrock icons Sweety Glitter & The Sweethearts, and local hardrock hero Jabba’s Cortex, the 35m x 55m audience area was served by nine Alcons LR18s per side and RR12s as near-fills. The bass was handled by six Alcons cardioid BC543 boxes, with even Sentinel S10s for power and control the system.

The compact LR18 three-way line source system combines very high SPL and long throw, using Alcons’ pro-ribbon driver technology for mid/high frequencies – giving an ultra-fast impulse response with up to 90 per cent less distortion. The LR18 offers linear reproduction with high speech intelligibility with consistent sound balance at any sound level.

Timo Osterberg was on-site as sound engineer, and supervised FOH for Jabba’s Cortex and Sweety Glitter.

‘Headroom, headroom, headroom – that’s what you immediately notice,’ he says. ‘The stereo image was fantastic; stereo effects are extremely precise to locate. The low-mids of the LR18 are so convincing that I do not know when and if I’ve ever heard such a detail. The bass was very clean and tight. Even in very low frequencies, I could not detect any conspicuous resonances.’

In addition to the direct sound characteristics, Osterberg also impressed with the system’s throw and ratio of size to sound of the array. ‘Interestingly, despite increasing distance to the system (>40m), there is hardly any sound loss,’ he says. ‘Sure, it gets a little quieter, but the sound is still there. Pressure and resolution are not a problem with the LR18 at all. Where many systems only carry pressure, but not a nice sound, the LR18 remains extremely honest and faithful even at high levels.’

Respecting the prescribed volume limitation to 100dB was not a problem, SPL averaging 98dB.

‘We have seen many concerts, including world stars in large halls or stadiums,’ says Mathias G Walter, associate of organiser Nordharrd-Concerts. ‘Not infrequently, the sound quality was painful in the truest sense of the word – shrieking highs and completely overdriven bass. We are enthusiastic about the ultra-clean and smooth sound quality that we were able to experience at concert Rock im Bergbad. The entire concert was a listening pleasure. We are already looking forward to our next event – preferably with the same technology and the same team.’

The hometown of Confucius, Qufu is also home to the Nishan Holy Land commemoration site and cultural heritage destination. Recently it hosted the Mid-Autumn Festival Party for the China Media Group centred on a 60m-wide stage and large set served by an Alcons Audio pro-ribbon LR28 larger-format line array system.

With an audience of 5,000 seated in an arena 80m wide by 100m deep, several audio challenges faced the event’s audio director Liu Yibin – lead sound engineer for China Central Television (CCTV) and chief sound engineer for the event – Mr Xu. Because of the arena’s size, the FOH system had to be positioned and aligned very accurately. The festival site was also close to Mount Ni and the Nishan Reservoir, meaning strong breezes and changing humidity could cause problems with the sound.

Allen & Heath has announced a new compact range of Surfaces and MixRacks – dLive C Class is expected to ‘open up the dLive platform to a wider spectrum of A/V, installation and live event roles’.

dLive C Class is founded on XCVI, the same 96kHz FPGA core driving Allen & Heath’s flagship dLive S Class mixers, and also shares its DEEP processing architecture, allowing class-leading compressors and processing emulations to be embedded within the inputs and mix channels. The new range includes the first 19-inch rackmount dLive surface, the ultra-compact C1500. 



There are three new MixRacks in the series – CDM32, CDM48 and CDM64, plus three new control Surfaces, the 19-inch rackmountable C1500, C2500 and twin screen C3500. The MixRacks house the XCVI Core, providing capacity for 128 inputs with full processing and 16 dedicated stereo FX returns, plus a fully configurable 64 mix bus architecture, with full processing on all mix channels. Each surface and rack has a 128 channel I/O port, supported by a wide array of networking cards, including Dante, Waves, Madi and fibreACE optical.

dLive C Class is also compatible with S Class hardware, and the ME personal mixing system and supported by a full ecosystem of apps, Director software, and accessories.

‘With dLive C Class the challenge was to make a next generation digital mixing experience accessible to people who don’t want to carry or install a large footprint pro touring rig,’ says Allen & Heath Head of Product Marketing, Nic Beretta. ‘For hire companies, the C Class is a powerful, versatile workhorse for everything from corporate events to regional festivals. In houses of worship, theatres and other venues it has the depth to handle any performance without eating into the seating space, and we’re confident it’s also the most accessible mixing system in its class.’

The C Class Surfaces employ the dLive Harmony UI, offering gesture touch control via 12-inch capacitive screens allied to colour-mapped rotary controls, allowing tactile control over key processing functions with visual feedback onscreen. Due to dLive’s design architecture, it is also possible to mix ‘surfaceless’, using a MixRack with a laptop or tablet for control.

dLive C Class systems range from $6500 for a CDM32 MixRack up to $21500 for a CDM64 and C3500.

More: www.allen-heath.com

Allen & Heath’s dLive mixing systems are proving popular with top German artists, such as Nena, Xavier Naidoo, Joris, Brings and Van Canto.

‘The dLive S Class has been a complete success, and we are supporting a lot of satisfied customers and users,’ says A&H German Brand Manager, Markus Sinsel. ‘The design of the user interface, the FX processing, and the easy integration with Waves and Dante are especially appealing to users.’

Among them, singer-songwriter Joris, has toured with a dLive S5000 Surface and DM48 MixRack with Waves V2, and plans to use dLive on his 2017 tour: ‘I use the integrated audio matrix switcher – this feature, and the possibility to integrate Dante, Waves and Madi, is perfect for Joris,’ says FOH engineer, Daniel Lauer. ‘Also, recording, the broadcast connections and the communication with the OB vans all run through dLive.’

Cologne band Brings has toured with dLive, including a final stadium gig for 50,000 fans. For this gig, two S7000 Surfaces with DM64 MixRacks and DX32 Expander were used. There was a monitor split via Dante to a GLD-80 mixer, and a feed to the OB van was supplied via Madi. ‘dLive sounds stunning, and the design of the surface is perfect and easy to use. I always have the impression that everyone at Allen & Heath knows what they are doing and how live mixing works,’ says Georg Ganser, Brings’ FOH technician.

For Nena, Oliver Steinberger employed two S5000/DM48 systems fitted with two Waves network cards: ‘After a short briefing, we were able to work independently and quickly assign our own layout,’ says FOH engineer, Daniel Lauer. ‘The first thing we noticed was the natural sound of the system. The high resolution processing has a staggering depth to it, which is clearly evident in the FOH as well as in the monitor mix. What we continue to appreciate is the complexity of the system’s capabilities. Inputs can be split between the two MixRacks but also combined to meet special requirements, such as additional orchestral instruments, resulting in an impressive 128 possible input channels.’

Acapella heavy-metal band Van Canto toured with a S5000 and DM48, as well as a GLD-80, and engineer, Sascha Kohl, used a S7000/DM64 system with Waves and Madi integration for Xavier Naidoo and Rea Garvey. dLive has also been used on tours for Matthias Reim, Gregorians, Excalibur, Rolf Dressler, Blumentopf and Donots with Toni Loitsch.

More: www.allen-heath.com

Allen & Heath’s dLive digital mixing system has been out on tour with German band, Brings, culminating in a huge gig staged at the 50,000-capacity Cologne football stadium.

The band is based in Cologne, so the homecoming gig was the largest of the tour, supported by three local bands. The setup included two dLive dess at FOH, several expanders, and digital splits for the monitor console and OB van for a live stream and recording. The dLive system comprised S7000 Control Surfaces with DM64 MixRacks and DX32 expander racks. Both Dante and Madi network cards were fitted in the MixRack, where the Dante card was provided for the support acts, who were using a A&H GLD-80 console.

‘The Allen & Heath dLive system sounds amazing, the design of the surface is perfect, easy to arrange and also to operate,’ says Brings FOH engineer, Georg Ganser ‘I´ve always had the impression that everybody at Allen & Heath knows their job and they know how live mixing works. All in all it’s five stars for A&H and for the support of Audio-Technica Germany.’

More: www.allen-heath.com

Allen & Heath has made key additions to its flagship dLive digital mixing system, with the launch of the IP6 and IP8 network/controller options, and Waves V3 and gigaAce audio networking cards.

The IP6 and IP8 are next-generation remote controllers for dLive, widening the system’s flexibility in installations and live sound. They interface with the dLive mixing system via standard TCP/IP connections and can be networked with other controllers, computers and third-party devices using a standard Ethernet infrastructure. The IP6 provides six push-and-turn rotary encoders and colour LCDs, 19 programmable softkeys, and mic stand mounting options. The IP8 provides eight motorised faders and colour LCDs, and 23 programmable softkeys. Both can be configured with up to six layers for access to a large number of channels. They support PoE/PoE+ respectively, which gives installers and users the convenience of a single Cat5 cable for control and power.

‘The IP controllers bring even more diverse control options to the dLive family, and are suited to personal monitoring and installations requiring limited control for day-to-day operators,’ says Allen & Heath product manager, Nicola Beretta. ‘These flexible little units can operate as a standalone controller in conjunction with a dLive MixRack, and work well alongside the dLive Director software.’

The Waves V3 audio networking card takes advantage of the dLive I/O Port architecture, providing a 128x128 channel, 48/96kHz interface to the Waves SoundGrid platform. Alongside plug-in processing and audio distribution, it offers a convenient way of recording 128 tracks of 96kHz audio to a Windows or Mac computer, over a single cable.

The gigaAce card provides a 128x128 channel 96kHz point-to-point redundant link to another dLive mixing system. With no PC required, it is a plug-and-play option for ultra-low latency digital split applications.

‘With the introduction of these new networkable control options, I believe dLive is positioned firmly on the cutting edge of digital mixing technology,’ says Allen & Heath R&D Director, Rob Clark. ‘The team put great effort into supporting our rapidly growing community of dLive users.’

More: www.allen-heath.com

Allen & Heath has released a major firmware update for its dLive series, which includes Director software to enable offline editing and live mixing on a PC with or without a Surface, plus preamp modelling on all 128 channels, 5.1 surround sound, and dedicated Mute Groups.

dLive Director is a multi-platform editor and control software for Mac or Windows OS, allowing a show to be prepared offline and the mix made from a laptop or Windows tablet. Director can be used either as a supplement to a dLive Surface, or with a MixRack as part of a compact, ‘surfaceles system. The interface mirrors the physical surface layout and has resizable fader banks to suit different resolutions on a variety of different devices.

‘Director opens up so many possibilities for dLive’, explains A&H Product Manager, Nicola Beretta. ‘Engineers can set up or tweak settings on the tour bus, and the ability to carry out different tasks at the same time means one engineer can run the FOH soundcheck from the Surface while another dials in the monitor mixes using a laptop or tablet on stage. Or for the ultimate in compact touring, a dLive MixRack and a laptop running Director is perfect for fly-in dates and space-starved venues where there’s no room for a Surface.’

Another significant feature in v1.2 firmware is the addition of preamp modelling to the DEEP Processing suite of embedded plug-ins. The first preamp model, Dual Stage Valve, recreates the distortion characteristics of Triode and Pentode valve circuits, from very subtle coloration to full overdrive. The preamps are available on all of the 128 Input channels, with no added latency to the signal path and full phase coherency between channels.

Other additions include a surround sound 5.1 Main mode, addressing the growing popularity of multichannel audio productions, plus eight dedicated Mute Groups on top of the 24 DCA Groups. Multiple PAFL buses can now be configured when two or more operators, such as FOH and monitor engineers, are sharing the same dLive system, and users can now define Attack and Release meter damping with Peak Hold.

Version 1.2 firmware is available to download free of charge from the A&H website.

More: www.allen-heath.com

To coincide with the launch of its dLive C Class mixing desk, Allen & Heath has announced a major firmware update for all dLive mixers, enhancing the functionality and processing capabilities of the system.

New features in v1.4 include advanced dynamic processing with the Dyn8 plug-in providing four bands of dynamic EQ and four bands of multiband compression, DCA spills, quick Virtual Soundcheck mode, plus the Dimension Chorus Rack FX unit. There are also additions to the array of DEEP embedded plug-ins, comprising the Peak Compressor/Limiter 76 emulation of a classic compressor, plus the Multi-Stage Ducking Processor. Also new in v1.4 is the option to display a third, independent view on an external monitor screen.

‘We have been working with A&H modelling classics from Sawmills stock, measuring differences and relevance for live use,’ says John Cornfield, engineer at Sawmills (Muse, Supergrass, The Verve, Oasis). ‘I think the results are astounding – 16VU is an excellent rendition, Opto captures both the rough and smooth of optical compression, and 76 peak limiter is a faithful model of two particularly pleasant units, one old, one new.’

Further to the firmware update, owners of dLive S Class systems will benefit from a free warranty extension to three years. In support of the dLive Rental Network, a community of almost 200 professional PA companies stocking dLive S Class Systems around the world, Allen & Heath has also introduced a Fly&Hire service, through which the company will help facilitate local hire of the system wherever in the world an engineer, band or production company might be travelling.

Version 1.4 is available to download from the A&H website.

More: www.allen-heath.com

Replacing the analogue mixer previously used in the chapel at the Royal Palace of Stockholm in Sweden is a new GLD-80 digital mixing system from Allen & Heath.

The Chapel hosts a weekly mass for the Royal Parish, attended by members of the Royal Family and employees of the court, as well as a regular music programme featuring organ recitals and classical music concerts. There are also frequent broadcasts of Royal events such as baptisms and weddings.


‘We choose the GLD because of its flexibility,’ explains Christoffer Wetterström, from audio services provider Music Solutions Sweden AB. ‘It’s a powerful tool for the experienced mix engineer, but also easy to use by novices. It’s great to be able to lock out inexperienced users from the more integral settings. Another reason why we choose the GLD was for the Madi option card, which makes it easy to send broadcast feeds to the media during special services and Royal events. With the introduction of GLD, everything has improved.’

As the old analogue mixer had few routing possibilities, and equipment had to be hired in for larger events, Music Solutions had been called on to manage the installation of a new digital system that could handle live sound reinforcement requiring high quality speech and musical intelligibility, as well as live broadcast feeds for television and radio.

In a standard set-up, the GLD-80 handles all the EQ for room acoustics and speaker delays and four wireless microphones plugged straight into the back of the GLD. There are two AB168 remote I/O audio racks, which expand the system during events involving live music. The most recent major events to use the new A&H system are the celebration of King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 70^th birthday and the baptism of Prince Oscar.

Allen & Heath has expanded the marketing team based at its US distributor, American Music & Sound, with the appointment of Mike Bangs as Live Sound & Touring expert, James Duvall as Commercial Solutions Specialist, and Maryam Larki-Bavi as Marketing Manager.

‘With our digital mixing systems gaining great momentum in the United States, this is the time to strengthen our presence in this key market, working hand-in-hand with our longstanding distribution partner, American Music & Sound,’ says Allen & Heath Sales & Marketing Director, Christian Luecke. ‘Together we have created a dynamic team who will advance the Allen & Heath brand and deliver world class support to our customers and partners.’

The new team will support customers in live touring and installation in order to develop the A&H brand in these market areas, and to ensure continued success under the umbrella of American Music & Sound in the US.

Larki-Bavi joins Allen & Heath with an background in pro audio, previously holding marketing positions with Harman Industries and Sennheiser. In her new role, she oversee all aspects of marketing for the Allen & Heath brand in the US. Bangs comes to A&H as a veteran of touring with national and international tours, including Katy Perry, Eric Clapton and Aerosmith. He is charged with growing touring market business and supporting events, artists, engineers and sound companies. Duvall brings audio engineering and systems design expertise, and will assist consultants and integrators in system design and product application for A&H products.

‘Between them, Maryam, Mike and James add unrivalled expertise of our markets, products and customers to the organisation,’ says American Music & Sound President, Lynn Martin. ‘We all look forward to further growing the Allen & Heath profile in the months and years ahead.’

More: www.allen-heath.com

Allen & Heath has announced a further firmware update for its GLD digital mixer range, adding a FX unit as well as presets for popular microphones.

Included in GLD v1.6 is the Dimension Chorus FX unit. Inspired by a classic chorus based on bucket-brigade technology, Dimension Chorus offers varying degrees of density from subtle special effects through to heavier modulation.

Also new to GLD in v1.6 are the company’s ProFactory mic presets, created in collaboration with Shure, Sennheiser and Audio0Technica. ProFactory mic presets are designed to give engineers a fast-track starting point when working with a variety of widely used microphones.

Other enhancements in v1.6 include a post-fade option for the Automatic Mic Mixer and a 50Hz noise on/off switch for the Space Echo FX Unit.

‘From touring bands through to corporate AV, GLD has become a hugely popular workhorse digital mixer,’ says Allen & Heath Product Manager, Ben Morgan. ‘Our latest firmware release brings several features requested by our users. It also adds a new model in the FX arsenal, which was well received on dLive, and the ProFactory mic presets which are particularly useful in volunteer-driven environments.’

More: www.allen-heath.com

French electropop legends AIR have embarked on their summer festival season equipped with a dLive digital mixing system to manage FOH.

Specified by FOH engineer, Dave McDonald, and supplied by Belgian PA company, Four Ears Audio, the system comprises an S5000 Control Surface with DM48 MixRack.

The tour marks the first time that McDonald has toured with the A&H dLive system, having used an iLive for many years with acts such as Adele, Florence & The Machine and Frank Ocean. ‘The first thing I noticed was the build quality – it’s a sturdy beast – and the two touchscreens have a really classy feel, like something Apple would design,’ he reports.

AIR’s festival gigs span Europe and include Montreux Jazz festival in Switzerland and Primavera festival in Spain.

‘On the Air tour, we are using 14 vintage keyboards on stage, some mono and some stereo, and the stereo image and depth of sound coming from dLive is like nothing I’ve heard from a mixer before. The jump in sound quality is the difference between night and day.

‘I was very happy with its predecessor, iLive, but dLive is something else – it has all the great FX and dynamics plus lots of new toys, and it is so natural to operate it feels as if it is, well, designed for mixing. Definitely 10/10 from me,’ McDonald adds.

More: www.allen-heath.com

Swedish melodic death-metallers, Soilwork, have opened 2019 co-headlining a tour with Finnish metal giants, Amorphis. Performing 31 shows in 35 days across mainland Europe, Soilwork were supported by an Allen & Heath SQ-5 digital mixer running FOH and monitors.

The band’s full set-up includes an SQ-5 at FOH, with two DX168 I/O Expanders positioned on stage. Monitors are controlled from FOH, with an iPad placed on stage for the backline tech to make minor adjustments.

Tommy B (FOH/monitor engineer for Soilwork) purchased the SQ system: ‘Having mixed on most compact consoles, the Allen & Heath SQ series is by far the best. In the past, other manufacturers had set the standard for price friendly consoles, but the SQ just blows everything out of the water,’ he says. ‘With the SQ-5 I get great preamps, sharp EQ, super FX and with the Deep compressors, it really adds that extra special something to the system. Plus, using the custom user layers makes a 30-channel band seem like a walk in the park to control.’

His highlights are the per-channel Deep processing capabilities, which he makes full use of. ‘I absolutely love the compressors,’ he confirms. ‘I use the Peak Limiter 76 for vocals, its attack and release really suits the lead singers vocal style, it also helps to keep his vocals in the centre of the mix the whole time, as his mic positioning can sometimes be off.

‘I use the Opto on my drum group – heavily compressed – as it gives an extra kick to the drums in the main mix. With SQ’s low latency, it is possible to have LR signals and groups in the mix at the same time, without any latency issues. I also use the Opto and the Tube Stage Preamp (with added Hi Drive) for the kick as it adds this great distortion, which means I can get this really heavy kick drum sound with only one mic.

‘I also use the 16VU on bass as it also has great compression but still gives the bass a powerful sound,’ he adds. ‘The overall mix is combined with the Opto compressor; its slow attack and release keeps my mix together and adds the last and final punch.’

More: www.allen-heath.com

Having recently installed the first Allen & Heath dLive mixing system to see service, Stockholm’s Cirkus Theatre hosted Green Day’s stage show, American Idiot – where Parashoot PA managed the sound using an A&H S7000 Control Surface and DM64 MixRack, serving both FOH and monitor mixes, and an A&H ME system for personal monitors from its hire stock.

‘I wasn’t sure at first when the producer asked me to design and engineer the show as we are a touring PA company but he was adamant that the show was about capturing the Green Day sound and attitude,’ explains Parashoot’s Oscar Söderlund. ‘I thought it would be fun to meet the challenge but rather than use an SSL desk, which was used on the original Green Day recording, I chose dLive. The delivery and accuracy of the system is amazing, so I had to put it on American Idiot.’

Technical requirements for the show’s two-month run included 21 head mics, full punk rock band, keyboards and a string section. Rehearsals commenced in Parashoot Studios with an S7000 and DM64 set-up with the band in Studio 2, and the second S7000 and DM64 system in the basement studio, fitted with Dante cards for splitting FOH and monitors and for tracking and recording to play back.

Full rehearsals commenced in Cirkus, with the band, string section and entire vocal ensemble. The band was placed on a moving platform, and all guitar and bass amp were housed in cabinets by monitor position. A ME personal monitoring system was selected as the band and string monitoring solution, plus the actors were using head mics and IEMs, together with eight Meyer Sound speakers for stage fill.

‘ME was the perfect monitor choice for the band and string players as it was easy to equip each musician with a ME-1, and also personalise their settings. The production was on time code and there are five-to-seven different click track and tone channels, so we wanted to free up Peter, the monitor engineer, as he had his hands full,’ explains Söderlund.

Both Monitor and FOH DM64 MixRacks were installed under the S7000 monitor surface, and a digital spilt was achieved via Dante cards fitted in each rack. Waves network cards were also installed in both Surfaces for recording options. The monitor rack was also fitted with a Madi card to provide a Madi feed to the head mic engineer, for channel monitoring of the 30 systems of Shure URD4 with DPA head mics.

‘The precision and definition of the dLive pre amps and channel path is remarkable, a quality that did not go unnoticed by the production team. I often forgot that we were using head-mics, as the vocals sounded great, and remained on top of the pretty bold and loud rock music,’ Söderlund adds.

See also:
Cirkus Arena takes first dLive

More: www.allen-heath.com

Korean new age pianists Kevin Kern and Daydream recently performed a joint concert at KEPCO Art Centre in Seoul, using an Allen & Heath Qu-32 digital mixer with AB168 remote IO audio rack.

The performers are well known for writing soundtracks for many popular Korean TV dramas, such asAutumn in My Heart and Winter Sonata, as well as providing music for documentaries and radio broadcasts. Technically, the focus of the concert was to capture a live recording for TV broadcast, and also use the recording to mixdown a live album, as well as provide live sound reinforcement. 

The project was oversees by director, Jaehoon Um, who has a distinguished career in recording and mixing more than 6,000 K-Pop tracks, as well asfilm and TV drama soundtracks.

Each microphone was connected to the AB168, which was installed on stage and connected to the Qu-32 with a single Cat5e cable. All sources were processed and mixed on the Qu-32, which provided FOH mixes and broadcast feeds. The multitrack recording was made with Nuendo Live at 48kHz, 24-bits. An iMac was connected to the Qu-32 via USB for multi-channel signal transmission.

‘The performance of the Qu-32 and AB168 was outstanding,’ Jaehoon Um reports. ‘At first, I was concerned about achieving a studio quality mix but the system provided a flawless and clean sound and really surprised me. Also, the DSP quality of the Qu-32 is great. I think this console is among the best I’ve operated recently.’

More: www.allen-heath.com

A large corporate event held in the RAI in Amsterdam saw Dutch sound engineer, Shakil Bholasing at the helm of an Allen & Heath dLive S Class, with ME personal monitoring systems used by the resenters and performers.

Attended by more than 7,000 guests, the event involved a series of presentations and closed with a performance the 16-piece Refreshed Orchestra. HaaDja Events and SBproductionz provided the audio package, using a dLive system comprising a S7000 Surface and DM64 MixRack and ME personal monitoring – which included 12 ME-1 personal mixers to cover the artists’ monitoring requirements.

‘Thanks to Allen & Heath, I’m able to turn all my musicians into great monitor engineers using the ME system,’ Bholasing  says. ‘Combined with the extremely good sounding dLive and the possibility to use a lot of subgroup processing, I can create the sound we need. The Summing is great, the headroom is even greater.’

More: www.allen-heath.com

Allen & Heath has announced firmware v1.9 for its Qu Series of compact digital mixers, bringing major enhancements to its feature set and ecosystem. Accompanying the release is a number of key updates to the Qu-Pad app, factory mic presets from Shure and Sennheiser, streamlined DAW Control for Windows, plus the new, customisable Qu-Control app for install applications.

A&H claims Qu-Pad v1.9 to be the most comprehensive iPad app of its type, fully implementing every setting, parameter and control of Qu mixers. Alongside control of live mixing functions, processing, routing and effects, Qu-Pad now offers complete access to scene management, control of the 15 mixer SoftKeys across the whole Qu range, AMM, I/O patching, and Qu-Drive stereo and multitrack recording/playback facilities. Also new to the app is user permissions with password protected user profiles.

Allen & Heath has teamed up with leading microphone manufacturers Shure and Sennheiser to provide channel library presets for a number of popular and industry standard mics. The presets offer a starting point to get the best possible sound out of a microphone/mixer combination.

A new addition to the Qu Series control portfolio is Qu-Control, a customisable iOS app for iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad. Offering five screens with up to 15 control ‘widgets’ each, the app enables control of parameters such as background music source selection, master zone level, scene recall or microphone paging. Password protection prevents access to unwanted controls, which makes it the ideal solution for wireless control of venues, conference rooms, hotel lobbies and any other installed sound environment.

Following customer feedback, the DAW Control driver, previously available for Mac only, will soon be released for Windows OS. The driver allows very simple integration of a Qu mixer into a studio environment, emulating popular HUI and Mackie Control protocols to take control of a number of DAWs including Cubase, Sonar and Pro Tools.

Qu firmware v1.9 also adds support for the recently announced Qu-SB ultra-compact intelligent mixer/interface, designed as a smart stage box solution for bands, music venues, project studios, schools and corporate events requiring a pro live and/or recording mixer in a tiny footprint.

‘Qu V1.9 diversifies the range’s array of control options, and with the upgraded Qu-Pad app, opens up fully-functional tablet mixing,’ says A&H Product Manager, Nicola Beretta. ‘Allen & Heath has done what it is renowned for doing – responding to customer requests, providing the best service to existing users, and keeping Qu at the forefront of the digital compact mixer arena.’

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Allen & Heath has announced its 96kHz SQ series of digital mixers for live sound, A/V and installation.

The SQ-5 and SQ-6 mixers are founded on Allen & Heath’s XCVI 96kHz FPGA engine, delivering high-resolution audio with a latency of <0.7ms. SQ-5 has 16 onboard preamps and 17 faders and is 19-inch rack mountable, while the SQ-6 provides 24 preamps and 25 faders. Both consoles can be expanded up to 48 inputs via a family of remote expanders and have an audio networking slot for optional Dante, Waves and other card formats, expanding the scope for system integration, FOH/monitor splits and multitrack recording.

A built-in SQ-Drive makes it easy to capture high-resolution 96kHz stereo and multitrack recordings direct to a USB drive. SQ can also be hooked up to a PC or Mac via USB to become a plug-and-play, Core Audio or ASIO compliant 32x32 audio interface, with Midi and DAW Control capabilities. Allen & Heath’s Deep processing plug-in architecture allows boutique compressor and preamp emulations to be added to the SQ mixer and embedded directly within its inputs and mix channels without adding system latency or setup hassles. SQ also features a fully integrated Automatic Mic Mixer (AMM), handling conferences, panel talks and TV shows.

The SQ user interface marries a capacitive touchscreen with an accompanying set of illuminating rotary controls. Channel and mix layouts can be configured to fit the audio professional’s own workflow, with colour displays and custom naming on all strips. SQ-5 features eight softkeys, allowing further customisation, while SQ-6 has four assignable rotary controls and displays in addition to its 16 softkeys.

SQ is the centrepiece of a wraparound ecosystem of apps, remote I/O expanders, audio networking cards and personal mixers, multiplying the system’s expansion and integration possibilities. The SLink intelligent port allows connection of 96kHz and 48kHz expanders, and can link to another SQ or a dLive system.

‘SQ is such a great solution for A/V, corporate, rental and installation scenarios,’ says Allen & Heath Product Manager, Keith Johnson. ‘It’s compact, connected, great sounding, and capable of mixing anything from a panel discussion to a full live band, all with incredibly low latency and 96kHz audio. The console is Deep processing ready, so when users register their SQ they’ll be able to get a stunning tube preamp emulation worth US$149 for free, and we’re planning to offer many more boutique processing models in the future.’

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A large concert staged at the Jinhua stadium in China’s Zhejiang Province to promote its cultural relationship with Kyrgyzstan saw Allen & Heath’s dLive digital mixing system at FOH.

With Asian superstars Jay Chou, Wilber Pan, Xie Tianxiao and Elva Hsiao headlining the30,000-seat venue, PA company Shanghai Jiexin Entertainment Equipment provided a technically complex production, using state-of-the-art stage, lighting and sound systems. The audio team employed more than 100 line array speakers to create an optimal listening experience. For signal control, a FOH mixing system comprising the new dLive S7000 Control Surface and DM64 MixRack was chosen.

‘The bands were very happy with the system,’ says FOH engineer, Chen Dong. ‘dLive has very flexible architecture and a quick response, allowing us to save a lot of time during soundcheck. I also like the analogue-style rotary knobs – they are so precise. Also, the built-in rack FX and vast FX library provide more than enough tools for sound shaping, so I don’t need any additional outboard equipment. dLive really shone with excellent sound, easy-to use features and great reliability.’

More: www.allen-heath.com