Sonoval is built on foundations laid by Pierre-Alain Fumeaux, through his work with comedian and impressionist Yann Lambiel, and the company's director of sound and light is Valentin Jacquaz who was the first audio professional in continental Europe to purchase the M7CL48-ES digital mixing console and the company's Yamaha inventory also includes SB168-ES stage boxes, as well as more consoles, including M7CLs and LS9s.
"Yamaha equipment is a professional choice, the technology is 100% stable, many engineers know them and the price is also right," he says. "I really like the combination of the M7CL-48ES and SB168-ES stage boxes because it is a very simple to use system, With just one Cat 5 cable installation is also very fast and the audio quality is perfect."
Philippe Grivel of Swiss Yamaha dealer Zap Audio is also Sonalp's front of house engineer. Instead of lyrics, the band's vocalists literally use their voices as instruments, while traditional instruments such as the accordion, fiddle, cowbell, Alpine horn and percussion - plus more esoteric ones like a bowed saw and even a five franc coin in a bowl - play alongside drums, bass and guitar.
Using specially-adapted microphones to get the best results from each instrument, Grivel specifies a Yamaha M7CL for the band's live shows. "It delivers exceptional results, reliable, straightforward and is easily sourced in Switzerland or when we are performing in other countries," he says.
"The way I mix the band is that I load the previous show, via Yamaha Studio Manager, and then mix like I am using an analogue console. All it needs is a few adjustments during the line check. The number of faders means that 'analogue-style' mixing is possible and, using the onboard effects, it also takes up the minimum space when travelling."
(Jim Evans)
