As the United States tour sound market takes its seasonal shift into high gear, a clear trend among the highest grossing tours and the most successful tour sound companies worldwide is the elevation of the Soundcraft Vi6™ Digital Mixing Console as the new standard for great sound, advanced functionality and the market’s most intuitive user interface.
Among the tours that have staked their sound and set-up efficiency on the Soundcraft Vi6, the North American leg of Bob Dylan’s Never Ending Tour supported by Sound Image features a Soundcraft Vi6 operated by FOH Engineer Pablo Wheeler. Also in the United States, Gwen Stefani, Rascal Flatts and Toby Keith have all benefited from the Sound Image/Soundcraft Vi6 combination. Tour sound icons, Clair Brothers, also chose a Soundcraft Vi6 to support Australia Does Broadway at the prestigious Jazz @ Lincoln Center in New York City!
Docktrdave Audio Inc., led by the eponymous Dave Lawler, supported longtime client, Diana Krall with a Soundcraft Vi6 he purchased for FOH on a national tour that included iconic venues from coast to coast including Madison Square Garden in New York City and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Equally nomadic Rufus Wainwright crisscrossed the States on his tour that included an engagement at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival with FOH Engineer Matthew Manasse behind a Soundcraft Vi6 supplied by Oxnard, CA-based Rat Sound Systems. They followed the example set by leading Canadian folk-rock outfit, Barenaked Ladies, who were early adopters of the Vi6.
In Europe, longtime Fun Loving Criminals engineer, Chris Roberts, was inspired by the Soundcraft Vi6’s ease of use and intuitive interface to select it for use on the band’s Irish tour and Will Doyle, monitor engineer for The Arctic Monkeys, has chosen a Soundcraft Vi6 for the final leg of the band’s European and North American tour. Also in the U.K., experienced FOH and recording engineer Dave Kay deployed the Vi6 on The Scissor Sisters tour and experienced studio and live sound engineer Gerard Albo selected the Vi6 for front-of-house with Amy Winehouse, where the Vistonics™ II interface and sonic quality of the console provided him with functionality and assurance on the tour’s now infamous opening night at Birmingham’s NIA Center while experienced sound engineer Tom Marshall manned a Vi6 at FOH with Liverpool band, The Coral at the 2007 iTunes Festival.
Sound engineer Dale Hanson supported rising UK rockers, The Storys, on their successful European tour supporting Sir Elton John, playing prominent European arenas and sports grounds to crowds of up to 30,000, with the band’s own Soundcraft Vi6 at FOH and Indie rock/electronic fusioneers Kasabian hit the summer UK festival circuit with freelance live monitor engineer, Yogi, and a Soundcraft Vi6 at FOH. Similarly eclectic UNKLE, with their unique blend of electronic music, hip-hop and rock, featured Chris Roberts and Soundcraft Vi6 for sold-out performances at London’s 800-capacity Islington Academy. Also in the UK, Groove Armada’s successful national tour featured Sam Parker at FOH manning a Soundcraft Vi6.
Most recently, top UK band The Feeling used a Vi6 at FOH and Vi4 on monitors on their UK tour, coinciding with their new album hitting the UK number 1 spot just one day after release.
Elsewhere in Europe, Winkler Veranstaltungstechnik AG, Switzerland’s leading provider of event services, has upgraded its audio control facilities with the addition of two Soundcraft Vi6 consoles.
“The test of a mixing console is the company it keeps and by that measure, we are exceptionally pleased with the success of the Soundcraft Vi6!� noted Keith Watson, Vice President of Marketing, Soundcraft Studer. “As the best engineers in the business migrate to the Soundcraft Vi6, we are committed to listening closely to them to advance the family and to improve further upon what the community of engineers has deemed the best sounding, most highly functional and easily the most intuitive digital mixing console in its class!�
Soundcraft Vi6 “Mixing Board�:
Pablo Wheeler FOH Bob Dylan Sound Image
Dale Hanson FOH The Storys
Matthew Manasse FOH Rufus Wainwright
Pete Gunn FOH Kasabian
Chris Roberts FOH UNKLE
Dave Lawler FOH Diana Krall DocktrDave Audio
Sam Parker FOH Groove Armada
Will Doyle FOH Artic Monkeys
Yogi FOH Kasabian
Dave Kay FOH The Scissor Sisters
Gerald Albo FOH Amy Winehouse
Jon Garber FOH Rascal Flatts Sound Image
FOH Barenaked Ladies
FOH Gwen Stefani Sound Image
FOH Toby Keith Sound Image
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