Trevor Lawrence, Jr. used his custom Aviom monitor rig on stage while playing drums with Alicia Keys at the Live Earth concert in New Jersey. Meanwhile, in the cradle of American independence, Philadelphia, hometown heroes Hall & Oates treated the rain-soaked 4th of July crowd with an outstanding 90-minute performance of their greatest hits. Broadcast live on ABC television, the whole band used Aviom personal mixers for their monitors.
Summer concerts in the park are becoming more popular throughout big cities, offering music lovers an opportunity to enjoy the soothing sounds of artists playing in a relaxed outdoor setting. Those shows do present challenges for audio professionals working on site, but acoustical consulting firm SIA Acoustics employed an Aviom Pro64 digital snake - featuring the new 6416dio Digital I/O Module - with great success during the 10-week MAD SQ Music concert series featuring well-known jazz and R&B performers this summer in New York City's Madison Square Park.
Playing drums for American Idol winner Taylor Hicks, Felix "D-Kat" Pollard has been enjoying the improved on-stage control with his Pro16 personal monitor mixing system. Pollard comments, "When I'm playing live, I like to be able to do what I want to do with my mix without having to rely solely on the monitor engineer. This tour has been my first chance to use the Aviom system regularly, and it's exactly what I needed to get that next level of control over what I hear in my in-ear system."
Another drummer, Chicago's Danny Seraphine, has been using his Aviom monitor rig on the road in support of his new band's debut CD, California Transit Authority.
Overseas, UK sound company Wigwam has been supporting George Michael's stadium tour with Aviom personal monitor mixers for the band as a key element of their impressive production. Among those shows were include the first two concerts in the new Wembley Stadium.
(Jim Evans)
