Dave Coyle, monitor engineer for Fleetwood Mac, with the custom sound mixing/recording solution created by Diablo Digital.
Irvine, CA (May 19, 2015)—Clair Global, the longtime sound reinforcement provider for Fleetwood Mac has been recording the band’s current “On With the Show” tour on a custom sound mixing and recording solution created by Diablo Digital. The system uses Sonnet Technologies’ Echo Express III-R Thunderbolt 2-to-PCI Express (PCIe) card expansion chassis and RackMac mini 1U enclosure for Apple Mac mini to drive an Avid Pro Tools recording workflow.
“When Christine McVie rejoined the band last year, the show grew to become one of the largest productions on the current touring calendar,” said Dave Coyle, Clair Global’s monitor engineer for the Fleetwood Mac “On With the Show” tour. “We needed a Pro Tools solution that could reliably record at least 120 audio tracks and up to 12TB of material, with the ability to mix and record at the same time. And, of course, the solution had to be absolutely reliable and able to stand up to daily use and the rigors of touring. With the combination of Pro Tools running on the Mac mini and Sonnet’s Thunderbolt 2 expansion chassis, Diablo Digital has provided exactly what we needed.”
Occupying 3RU, Diablo Digital’s custom solution for Clair Global is capable of recording 128 tracks of 32-bit, 96-kHz audio. The Avid Pro Tools audio recording and editing software runs on a Mac mini CPU, housed in the Sonnet RackMac mini enclosure. The Echo Express III-R provides PCIe card expansion for Avid Pro Tools HDX PCIe cards via Thunderbolt 2 connectivity to the CPU, as well as housing the 7,200-rpm hard drives that provide the digital media storage platform.
The Diablo Digital mixing and recording system enables the Clair Global team to record and archive all live Fleetwood Mac performances for later album production, as well as tour promotion. The Sonnet and Pro Tools system provides another important function for the band, enabling it to perform a “virtual sound check.” Every morning, Coyle is able to recall the previous evening’s Pro Tools mix via the Echo Express III-R and play it back for band members, giving them a chance to adjust levels for the next performance.
Clair Global
www.clairglobal.com
Diablo Digital
www.diablodigital.com
Sonnet Technologies
www.sonnettech.com
