An early adopter of Klang, FOH engineer David McEwan adopted Klang:vokal monitoring for Nitin Sawhney’s Identity Tour for 2024, streamlining the tour’s workflows.
A ‘paired back celebration’ of the album of the same name, featuring collaborations with some of Sawhney’s favourite friends and artists, the Identity Tour was ‘a love letter to who we all are’, playing dates across the UK and Portugal, including a set at Glastonbury Festival.
McEwan chose Klang for the tour because he was keen to recreate the easy-going vibes that the band members all remembered from a previous tour. ‘We first used Klang a few years ago – we were definitely early adopters,’ McEwan says. ‘We remember that first tour with Klang as a halcyon experience, it was just one of those where everything went right and using Klang was a contributing factor.’
In October 2023, the band played the Royal Albert Hall as part of Journeys, a festival recognising diverse journeys and identities through music. It was a further opportunity to use Klang – with the same outcome.
‘When we heard that the RAH was keen for us to use Klang, we were excited. It coincided with the start of our next tour, so the stars were aligned,’ McEwan continues. ‘Andy Huffer at HD Pro Audio was able to supply a :vokal system, and we knew that incorporating it would reduce our hire costs, meaning the purchase would pay for itself over the course of that one tour, making it very cost-efficient.’
Using Klang, the band have reduce dtheir touring equipment and their soundcheck time, which is now down to under half an hour. Using a Yamaha DM7 at front of house means that the :vokal unit can take audio directly from the RIO, with reverbs provided by the playback laptop, eliminating the requirement for a separate monitor console. Monitor engineers can oversee mixes, responding if needed using the Klang:app. Personal control of their mixes is also possible for musicians, meaning they have complete autonomy.
It is not just time and cost savings that has got McEwan excited about his new streamlined workflow. ‘We use six mixes for musician monitors with six additional mix-outs being sent to the reverbs. It means that the musicians can set up their own effects returns without having to worry about affecting the front of house mix.’
The musicians have access to their mixes via the Klang:kontroller, this uses Power over Ethernet (PoE), so it is a tidy and reliable set-up. Across multiple venues the band has the consistency they need to perform at their best and this is a major bonus of using the Klang system.
‘It is a safe standalone system with a consistency of workflow across multiple venues, regardless of hire stock or venue rider,’ McKewan says. ‘Being in control means that the musicians are always happy with their mix. They control their set-up, and when the shows expand, there is capacity in the system for us to accommodate guests.’
Adding to a Klang:vokal system could not be easier. The standalone units self-configure, so expanding the network is intuitive and stable.
‘Nitin appreciates streamlined technology, so with this efficient slimmed down tour, knowing that the equipment is stable and easily adaptable means that he is happy,’ McEwan concludes. ‘When we can just trust the equipment, it makes for a successful tour and happy musicians, what more can you ask for?’
