REAMONN ON THE ROAD WITH Satisfy AND EV

Fronted by Irish singer Rae Garvin, Reamonn first found fame in 2000 with the hit “Supergirl“. With the “Wish“ tour, the band underlined its status as a major force on the German rock scene. Indeed, after chart and live successes in England, Greece and Scandinavia, Reamonn seems all set to break big with an international career.

For the Satisfy sound crew, led by Sound Engineer Sven Bonse and System Technician Stefan Holtz, the huge disparities in size between the different locations made theirs a far from easy task. However, as Stefan Holtz pointed out, “with preparation and the right material, we succeeded in mastering it completely.“ “Preparation“ in this context meant intensive cooperation between sound engineers, system engineers and the production riggers who toured with the crew. Together they studied hall plans, facilitating the design of suitable sound reinforcement systems for each venue.

“In this way we were able to prepare at least a rough sketch of the configuration with which we would be working in each hall several days before we got there,“ recounted Holtz. “In addition to the X-Line as the main PA, we had 16 XLC 127DVX modules on hand for use wherever the X-Line would have been too big, or for out-fills in the larger venues. Four additional EV QRx 112/75 boxes served as front-fills.“ In this way, the team achieved a high degree of technical flexibility. “The business of adjusting each time to the current location went perfectly,“ he concluded.

Along with Sound Technician Sven Bonse, these preliminary discussions were invariably attended by Production Rigger Ralf “Tilly“ Thiele. This made it possible for the sound crew to map out the physical - and therefore also the technical - framework requirements of each location in advance. Everything was also perfectly under control at Stefan Holtz’s FOH workstation. Particularly striking was how little material was on view there: one EV NetMax 8000 accompanied by a computer and nothing else. All the processing and routing for the main system on the tour took place in the amp racks, equipped with EV TG-7 power amplifiers and RCM 26 DSP modules.

“All I have left to do here is manage and supervise,“ explained Holtz with a satisfied grin as he described the architecture of the sound reinforcement system, adding: “The NetMax 8000 functions as a matrix and distributes the signals to both sides of the PA, as well as to the near-fills and optional side-hangs.“ The processing for these differed from that of the main system, since, for the side-hangs, conventional EV CP3000S power amplifiers were used without integrated processing. With NetMax, that was no problem. The entire set-up was managed using IRIS-Net software, which also made comprehensive supervision possible. On the freely configurable desktop, in addition to the routing, all the important parameters of the TG-7 amplifiers could be called up at any time; “even a complete system test including all the drivers is possible at any time,“ said Holtz. “The graphic interface of the software is simply perfect; the operation is intuitive and I can design my own desktop - with the parameters I need - in a few easy steps. I can even design the look of the display to suit my own tastes,“ he added, indicating the monitor.

And there was another thing that convinced Stefan Holtz: the support from EVI Audio. “When there are problems, you just need to make one call and you get qualified assistance immediately. The IRIS-Net software proved helpful here too; we simply e-mailed the log file to Straubing and the correct diagnosis - along with the solution - came back in no time at all. In addition to all the operating parameters of the TG-7 amps, when and where I’ve used the ground lifts is also logged,“ says Holtz. “So these log files really do put all relevant information at the disposal of the technicians in Straubing. It is almost as though they were here on site - only with a clearer overview.“

Whilst Stefan Holtz relied on digital technology at his workstation, analog technology held sway with tour soundman Sven Bonse, working to Stefan’s right. “I can actually hear the difference between analog and digital consoles,“ Sven said, explaining his choice of an analog Midas XL4 for this tour. “Obviously digital consoles can’t be beaten in certain respects; at festivals, for example, when you can save a great deal of time by simply loading presets straight into the console from a stick, giving yourself a basis, at least, to work from. Nonetheless, I prefer analog desks.“ The XL4 from Midas is a particular favourite of Bonse’s. “It sounds so genuine and influences the sound from the stage the least; after all, when I’m mixing, I want to be able to control the sound, not transform it.“

Asked about the sound system, Bonse turned out to be equally convinced: “The combination of X-Line and XLC performs outstandingly, whatever the configuration. It adjusts wonderfully to each location and delivers a consistent sound without much tweaking. For me it’s a real relief. It means all I really have to worry about in each venue is the mix, because I know I have a functioning system. Even in venues with problematic acoustics-like the Zenith in Munich-we were able to deliver perfect sound.“

The “Wish“ tour sound crew: Sven Bonse (FOH); Karel Hamm (Production Manager); Stefan Holtz (Systems Tech); Manuel Schröder (Monitors); Ralf “Tilly“ Thiele (Production Rigger).

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Guy Low

Public Relations Producer

Bosch Communications Systems

Telex Communications, Inc.

12000 Portland Ave. South

Burnsville, MN 55337

Phone: 952-736-3935

Fax: 952-736-4582

guy.low@us.telex.com

James Edlund

Public Relations Manager

Bosch Communications Systems

Telex Communications, Inc.

12000 Portland Ave. South

Burnsville, MN 55337

Phone: 952-736-3901

Fax: 952-736-4582

james.edlund@us.telex.com