Specified by Moloko’s FOH engineer, Graham Peacock, the equipment integrated seamlessly into Skan’s sophisticated system, as he explained: "I was introduced to these products by beyerdynamic’s Chris Hinds who asked if I’d evaluate the Opus mic range. From the moment I used them in rehearsals, I knew that they would play an integral role in the sound I wanted to create for this tour. I specified the Opus 87s for use on toms and snare - they’ve been such a success that they will definitely be used for the entire European leg of the tour."
The Opus 87 from beyerdynamic is a condenser microphone with a cardioid response. Designed and manufactured to high specifications, it has been optimized to cater specifically for the snare and faithfully reproduces its very complex sound pattern. It boasts an innovative double spring clamp, which not only offers solid mounting and isolation, but also contains an integral pre-amplifier.
A combination of XTA processing equipment was also used on the tour, including XTA series 2 gates across the system and compressors, specifically used for bass and vocals. Graham Peacock further added: "This is the first time that I’ve used XTA processing and I’m impressed with the transparent compression and the ‘look ahead’ facility on the gate. For the first time ever, I have a gate that opens and doesn’t produce the all too familiar ‘gacking’ sound."
Skan Hire also combined XTA’s DP-226s on systems control and speaker management, whilst XTA’s DP-324s (SiDD) were used on channel inserts.
(Ruth Rossington)
