The weather might not have been too kind, but it didn't dampen the spirits of festival goers who braved the elements to support the cream of the crop of 'local' bands who, for once, were all playing in their own back garden. Paul Nicholson from Red Square Audio / Midas ProSound handled the audio requirements across the festival's four main stages, including a fleet of three Innovason Eclipse digital mixing consoles to equip the main stage.
Paul, who also engineered some of the bands, selected two Eclipses for FoH in order to be able to flip-flop between acts, and a third Eclipse on stage at the monitor position. Innovason engineer, Eddy Josse, was on hand at FoH to assist visiting engineers with setting up the console and answer any questions they might have, while Andy Reeves looked after monitor world.
"The consoles did a sterling job and were incredibly well received by all of the engineers who used them, both at FoH and monitors," confirmed Paul. "Almost everyone commented on how easy they were to use, which is so important in a festival set-up where the pressure is really on. From a sonic point of view, I truly think that Eclipse is one of the best-sounding consoles on the market today, and the combination of the Eclipse with the APG Uniline system made for jaw-droppingly great sound." The Cribs engineer, Paul Fyfe agreed: "It was my first time using Eclipse, and I thought the desk sounded great. I really enjoyed using it and have added it to my production specs for future festivals, so I hope to be using it again very soon."
The integrated multitrack M.A.R.S. recording system was also put to good use throughout the festival. "M.A.R.S. is just such a great tool," enthused Paul. "It was there for any of the bands who wanted to make use of it - and many did. Just a couple of mouse clicks ensures that up to 64 tracks are recorded onto the internal (removeable) hard drive. All the engineer has to do is download it onto their PC / Mac, mix it, and put it on YouTube or whatever they or the band want. We recorded Bad Lieutenant's set and then played it out over the main PA when we were setting up the next morning - it was exactly, but exactly as if they were there on stage again. Fabulous!"
FOM Fest was deemed a success by organizers and festival-goers alike, despite the severe weather conditions on Sunday which were such that the Big Top and Lake stages were obliged to close. However, the cheerful, family atmosphere was appreciated by all, as was the outstanding sound quality on all four stages, especially the main stage.
(Claire Beeson)
