Following the use of Soundcraft consoles during the visit to the UK of Pope Benedict XVI last summer, a Vi1 was again on duty in the Chateauroux region of France on 20 January 20, as French President Nicolas Sarkozy addressed more than 1,000 health workers in the gymnasium of the local hospital in Chatillon-sur-Indre.
The rental company called in to convert the gym into a full production space were Poitiers-based sound and lighting company, SLJ Sonorisation, Eclairage, Vidéo. They built a lighting structure which was rigged in the roof while the President's staff constructed the stage itself.
FOH engineer, Benoit Lasjuilliarias, confirmed that the president always favours using local service operators where possible on his regional visits throughout the country, and the gymnasium was one of several locations visited by M. Sarkozy during his trip to France's mid-west. Although they have worked for the President's office in the past, this was SLJ's first outing with the new 32-input Soundcraft Vi1.
"We purchased it on 10 January and little over a week later we were using it for the first time - with the President," declared Benoit. "So there was quite a lot of pressure."
He added that although the company could have chosen other digital desks in their inventory, they felt they needed a board with sufficient output capacity for TV and radio feeds. "The desk also needed to provide simplicity of use and give us a lot of onboard 30-band equalisers - which the BSS effects do. We could see that with the Vi1, Soundcraft were one step ahead of their competitors."
(Jim Evans)
