The two-day festival, held on private land near Marlow in Buckinghamshire, aimed to raise money for The Action for Brazil's Children Trust (ABC) and was supported by voluntary performances from a range of artists, DJs and VJs including Hexstatic, The Bays, Cooper's Rage, Alice Mclaughlin, Groovenik, Decatone, Tom Currie, Nettie (Daft Pink), Michael Heap and Nickin & Puskin.
Harman Pro UK supported Minichill by supplying PA systems for the main stage and DJ barn. The company also supplied a Soundcraft Vi6 console, which was used for FOH and monitor mixes. Among the extensive equipment list needed to make the festival rock were a JBL VRX line array speaker system, top of the range AKG microphones, Lexicon processors, Crown ITECH amplifiers used in conjuction with a dbx 4800 and Urei DJ mixers. Overall, the list included products from virtually every brand within Harman Pro UK.
Rupert Barksfield, ABC Minichill Production manager, says: "Harman were absolutely fantastic and gave us everything we needed to make this a great event."
Barksfield was particularly impressed with the Soundcraft Vi6 console, which was used by both house and freelance engineers. At one stage it rained so hard that the desk was covered in water, but it still worked flawlessly.
"It was an incredible console - really versatile and with such intuitive architecture that everyone who used it found it very simple and easy to operate. The fact that it could be reconfigured in seconds meant we could change from one band to the next very quickly. We ran the monitors from the FOH in a half and half configuration with the main mix. We also recorded the entire event via MADI to a Pyramix system, which was loaned by Total Audio Solutions. The sound of the console was amazing."
Barksfield adds that the JBL VRX line array speaker system also proved a major hit - and not just with Minichill organisers. "We were worried about annoying the neighbours with the amount of noise we made, but thanks to the directionality of the JBL speakers there was no sound spillage and we didn't have one single complaint. Considering the festival site was on top of a hill, this was a major achievement! They also sounded fantastic - as did the AKG microphones, which in my opinion are the best on the market."
"There couldn't be anything more appropriate than using music to raise money for the ABC Trust because the charity was originally conceived by Jimena Page, wife of the former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page," Rupert Barksfield explains. "The ABC Trust raises funds to support project partners across Brazil. These partners work to improve the lives of the most disadvantaged and impoverished children and young people. Thanks to charity's efforts, literally thousands of children have been helped and we're all very keen to see this good work continue."
(Lee Baldock)The Soundcraft Vi6 console in use at the MiniChill Festival
