And he says he largely has Pete Russell at the SSE Audio Group to thank. Taking over the European sound production duties from Phoenix-based Precise Corporate Staging (PCS), by the time Russell suggested that Meullier try the Soundcraft platform (with the Vistonics II interface), the sound man - who has been piloting the legendary rocker's front-of-house mixes for the past seven years - had already served his baptism on the Vi6 in Norway and Cyprus.
"Earlier in this tour I did a fly-in show at the Skaanevik Festival in Norway and it was a joy to use the Vi6," he said. "I was delighted when Pete told me he could make one available.
"In fact as a result of the Vi6 mixing has become fun again. The audio quality is breathtaking and after the first three shows on the board I had more people come to FOH to compliment me on the sound than any other situation I can think of. I feel like I have total control over the system instead of it controlling me."
Equipped with the latest v3.0 software Randy is using 42 inputs, but he says the success of his mix owes as much to the support of his systems tech David Quigley as to the desk itself. "David and I first worked together in Australia. He's constantly on things, always tweaking the EQ, listening to the system and walking around the room to let me know what is needed. An engineer is only as good as his support staff of systems techs. Anyone who doesn't think so is fooling themselves."
The band generally uses a lot of pick-up PA's on tour in the States - sourcing racks and stacks locally while carrying their own monitors and control. This can bring its own problems, as Pete Russell acknowledges. "This is the fourth tour we have done with Randy, and I know how frustrating it has been for him to get consistency due to the inbuilt quirks of the console he was using prior to this which won't handle the anomalies of different systems easily.
"The Vi6 is clean and fairly flat in comparison and he can get a better sound when different systems are put in front of him from show to show."
"It's vital that a legend like Alice Cooper can get the sound quality he deserves," Meullier concludes. And after his experience piloting SSE's Vi6 over the ten UK dates, he is determined that when the touring season resumes in Spring, and the entourage heads off around the world, a Vi6 will be at the top of his technical rider.
(Jim Evans)
