Building on the success he has achieved across Europe since 2015, Álvaro Soler’s extensive 2024 summer tour continues with shows and festival appearances across Germany. Whether an outdoor festival in front of more than 100,000 people or an intimate club gig, the combination of DMI-Klang IEM and DiGiCo Quantum 338 console used by monitor engineer Jeffrey Löwe ensures consistency in his in-ear mix.
‘I’ve been monitoring with Álvaro since the end of 2019, and have been using Klang with him since 2021,’ Löwe says. ‘Since using Klang, the band has really connected and grown stronger together, they wouldn’t want to think about doing a show without Klang now.’
Having enjoyed a career with United Brands – the Düsseldorf-based distributer for both Klang and DiGiCo – Löwe left when his live sound engineering load became too heavy to accommodate a full-time job.
It was his decision to invest in his own equipment, and purchasing a fully loaded DiGiCo Quantum 338 console with DMI-Klang mixing expansion was a key moment.
‘I had got to know DiGiCo technology intimately at United Brands, and the combination of Klang and DiGiCo is a totally different world,’ he says. ‘If I have to work with another set-up, I feel the difference in a second. Without Klang, mixes are too busy and loud, and together with DiGiCo Quantum processing, the result is precise and has unbelievable clarity.’
The combination of DMI-Klang’s processing directly accessible via the DiGiCo console gives engineers the control and flexibility that makes tackling high-profile shows not only possible, but simple. ‘Klang keeps everything consistent, naturally,’ Löwe says. ‘It works for me because it gives space for every element of the music. Whether that’s vocals or strings, you can place everything comfortably, without having to turn the volume up for the artists. Together with the Quantum 338 and Mustard Processing, the Klang system cleans up the whole mix, giving them a better experience, even in long sessions, protecting their hearing and preventing listening fatigue.’
Before adopting Klang, Löwe found that his ears would ring at the end of a long rehearsal session, but the combination of Klang and great in-ear-drivers ensures that his experience is fatigue free, too. ‘All the systems work together in harmony,’ he says. ‘With Quantum, the audio is super clear, but in the stereo field everything is too compacted, and you can’t place audio efficiently.
‘Even in difficult acoustic environments, using Klang, I don’t have that problem. I can only confirm my good friend, monitor engineer Ravi Rai’s statement, “With Klang, I only have half as much stress on stage”. At the end of the day, you’re less tired; it’s just a better way of working.’
