Marius Müller Westernhagen, possibly best known for his hit Johnny Walker, has been a constant presence on the German rock music scene since the mid-1970s. As well as his records, Marius is known for his energetic public concerts and, this September, set out on the road for his Hottentottentour 2012.
Monitor engineer Wolfgang Hofer recalls, "I had the chance to check out the Nexo wedges during a nice little two-day cultural event. Immediately, I decided to take them out as main monitors for the upcoming MMW Tour. In total, I've been using 10x N-12s, amped by the NXAMP4x4 in active mode on 6 mixes. Apart from the main positions at the front of the stage, the wedges were used for the drum fill and my own monitor setup.
"During the rehearsals at Black Box Music and on the tour itself, I've had several private listening sessions at my desk with other guys involved in the tour, engineers who work on high-end studio and production projects. Their judgement was unanimous: this wedge is a real high-end audio tool. Very true, very authentic and real-sounding. Working with such a tool means you have to know what you're doing with it, especially in stereo configurations. It's not a wedge you just push with your feet to a position which seems to work. The 45°N-12s demand exact technique, - mixing and positioning-wise."
Having worked for artists like The Scorpions, Herbert Grönemeyer, Nina Hagen, Bon Jovi and the Little River Band, Hofer's endorsement carries a lot of weight. "Let me say, even for an experienced guy like me, the 45°N-12 was something different and new; once I learned how to work with it, I could make it really perfect. These monitors are now on my preferred list for future shows."
The Marius Müller Westernhagen tour visited some of Germany's biggest arenas, in Leipzig, Cologne, Hannover and Oberhausen as well as O2 World in Berlin and Hamburg. The FOH mix was by Stefan Holz. Wolfgang Hofer was assisted on monitors by Roland Wörndl, and Thomas Mehlhorn was PA System engineer. Hofer thanks Black Box Music Veranstaltungstechnik GmbH, "in particular Thilo Goos, for giving me the opportunity to use the 45°N-12s on tour".
(Jim Evans)
