Rivage PM7 helps Haken change direction
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Haken’s most recent album, Vector, took the band into harder-edged ‘progressive metal’ territory. Getting the heaviness of the music across, while ensuring audiences also hear the intricate musical phrasing, needs an audio system that puts equal emphasis on audio quality and high-end features.
FOH engineer Adam Bonner has used Yamaha digital mixing consoles for 15 years, mixing the band’s last three tours in Europe and the US on a CL5.
“I really wanted to see what we could achieve with the FOH mix when using Yamaha’s flagship system, effectively removing any processing limitations. I knew that Rivage PM7 was the perfect fit for this tour,” he says.
Bonner contacted Steve Davies at London-based Subfrantic Production Services, who supplied the system including an RPio622 I/O unit, and provided the company’s new rehearsal facilities for Bonner’s tour pre-production.
“Having everything under one roof was a huge help, saving time and money on the logistics of transporting the control package from supplier to rehearsal space and so on. It also allowed me to relax and ensure that I didn’t forget anything,” says Bonner.
“Walking up to the PM7 for the first time didn’t feel daunting at all. I started with some multitracks from a previous tour, converted my CL5 file to give me a starting point for input EQ and channel naming. Everything felt familiar and I didn’t have to search for anything. It was easy to get a decent mix going quickly,” he says.
“The biggest difference is that, due to the frame size and the amount of dedicated encoders on the surface, you find yourself moving away from the more touchscreen-based mixing of other consoles and back to a more analogue style workflow.”
It was the sonic quality of the system that stood out for Bonner. “Everything was so clean, clear and transparent. It’s a totally effortless console to mix on. And that’s coupled with the endless choice of high-quality EQ, compressors, FX and more I/O than you’d ever want,” he says. “I believe that it was the best tour for me sonically and several fans commented that it was another step up in the quality of the live sound. This was largely down to Rivage PM7.”
(Jim Evans)
