Local company AVAB CAC, which was technical supplier for Grease, chose the Midas PRO6 due to the exceptional sound quality and the flexible automation system they knew it would provide. Sound engineers Thomas Wold (monitors) and Stein Andre Hovden (FOH) - both employees of AVAB CAC - joined the production 10 days before the first show. As they were both first-time PRO6 users, they spent the first two days setting up the systems and learning how to operate them. By day three, the show's script was reviewed in detail, the snapshot count was taken and the rest of the day spent programming the 98 snapshots for muting and unmuting actors' mics and adjusting the eight-piece band for each scene. After four more days of rehearsals they were ready for the opening night.
"The show editor is my favourite feature on this console," said Wold, after having used the console for a few days. "It makes the task of doing multiple IEM mixes combined with a lot of snapshots easier, as you can ask the musician or actor if the change in level or EQ should be applied only to this snapshot or to all of them."
At the end of the eight sold-out shows, Hovden added: "I was surprised by the sound I was able to get compared to earlier experiences with other digital consoles - the EQs and compressors are wonderfully sweet and musically sounding. Another plus was the easy access to my 25 band channels and 15 main actors; it's amazing to be able to navigate so fast between 64 channels using only 12 channel faders, VCAs (variable control association) and POP (population) groups without getting lost in layers. Finally, the automation system was an eye-opener; the ease of copying settings between snapshots using the show editor, being able to isolate the mic preamp functions from the automation, and the ability to label and make notes connected to each snapshot was brilliant."
(Lee Baldock)
