The first use of the Soundcraft Vi6 console was at Baybeats, Singapore's own local annual indie music festival at Esplanade, a free festival of live indie music which attracts bands from countries such as Malaysia, Norway, UK, USA, Australia and of course, Singapore itself. At Baybeats, the console was used as a monitor desk for the Powerhouse stage: soon after, at another festival to commemorate Singapore's National Day, the Soundcraft Vi6 was used for front-of-house control.
"We operate two outdoor venues, and frequently run shows which feature five or six artists a day," explains Shuttleworth. "To handle manually all the monitoring and front-of-house settings is difficult so we were looking for ways to improve our set-up. Since our console stock is entirely analogue, we thought this was the right moment to enter the digital domain."
The Esplanade team was also considering another digital console when it was shown the specifications for the Soundcraft Vi6. "The timing was perfect for us, right at the start of our financial year. I really liked the profile of the desk. With the Vistonics II touch screen interface, the Soundcraft Vi6 is so much more user-friendly than other digital consoles; you don't have to peer at one little screen, instead there are five generous TFT monitors. And the fact that Studer has played such a big role in the development of the console gave us further confidence."
In the first instance, the console has been purchased as a flexible solution to both front-of-house and monitoring requirements at Esplanade's outdoor venues, however Shuttleworth doesn't rule out using the Soundcraft Vi6 indoors in the theatre spaces at a future date. "At this stage, not many international riders are asking for digital consoles so we've chosen the Soundcraft Vi6 to suit ourselves rather than anybody else. The board has only just been launched, so we're in a pioneering position, but the features we get on the Vi6 have made it worthwhile for us to pioneer this console. We're really happy with it."
Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay is one of the world's busiest arts centres and a not-for-profit organisation. Opened in 2002, Esplanade's programme line-up spans all genres to encompass music, dance, theatre and visual arts, with a special focus on Asian culture. The centre houses world-class performance spaces, supported by a comprehensive range of professional support facilities and services, and, in the past year, has welcomed over seven million visitors and hosted over 1,800 performances.
Headquartered at the Harman International Industries complex in Potters Bar, England, Soundcraft has built its global reputation over more than 30 years as a preeminent manufacturer of professional mixing consoles serving live, broadcast, theatre, recording and DJ markets. Worldwide sales and marketing for the brand is handled by the Soundcraft Studer Group, also of Potters Bar. In the United States, Soundcraft and Studer's products are distributed by Harman Pro North America, a subsidiary of Harman International Industries.
(Chris Henry)
