Richard Nowell’s Sound Services installed the UK’s firstMidas Verona—serial number 001—into London’s RoyalFestival Hall. RNSS is responsible for the in-house sound systemthroughout the South Bank Centre, from voice alarm and evacuationsystems through to P.A.
According to Nowell (pictured), “When we first took over thecontract for the South Bank Centre, one of our initial tasks was tolook for a replacement for the old DDA desks that were in residence atthe time. The Venice came out—a great little desk, by theway—and we bought four or five, two of which went straight intothe South Bank Centre. They did a great job until we upgraded theloudspeaker system, at which point the Venices started to struggle: Weneeded more outputs, more auxes et cetera. We didn’t have theroom or the budget to put in a Heritage 1000, so we were scratching ourheads a bit. Then we heard about the Verona, and once I’d seenthe spec, I didn’t need to know any more. We ordered one thereand then.
“Personally I’m delighted that Midas has chosen to gothis route,” he continued. “Midas has always been a companythat listens to its customers, but we noticed a real sea-change withthe prototype Heritage 3000. It was obvious at that point that theyhadn’t just listened to the big players with the major tours, butalso to companies like us who might be less-visible, less high-profileif you like, but we work our desks just as hard. The difference is thatwe’re not always working in 100,000-seat stadia. Nevertheless, westill require the same audio quality, the same reliability as ismanifested in the bigger consoles, hence the reason I’m delightedto see Midas producing desks like Venice and now Verona. It’s adirection that suits us, and companies like us down to the ground. Wewere all crying out for something to sit between Venice and the rest ofthe Midas range, and here it is. I didn’t need to see Verona toknow that it was perfect for what we required. It was the right specand it was a Midas. What more did I need to know?”
For more information, visit Midas online at www.midasconsoles.com.
