Ref: Caroline Moss PR0606
Date: June 2007

NEW MANOEUVRES AS OMD HEAD OUT WITH XL8

OMD’s Architecture and Morality European tour in May saw founder members Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys perform together for the first time since 1988. The duo was joined by the band’s original line-up, together with FOH engineer Stuart Mørch-Kerrison who first mixed them back in 1984. Much has changed in the world of live sound since then, and Mørch-Kerrison introduced one of audio’s newest innovations to the classic line-up, being the first engineer to specify a Midas XL8 live performance system for an international tour. The system has been provided by SSE Hire, a member of the M7 Group set up to facilitate XL8 hire in the UK.

“I made it very clear that I had certain parameters, and one of those was the Midas XL8,” says Mørch-Kerrison. “I never thought about being the first; I just knew this was the tool I wanted to use. The great things about Midas are reliability, commitment to redundancy, and the fact it has to work every day – it should be able to fall out the back of a truck and still work.

“I’m a long-term Midas user: the Midas sound has become part of what I expect to hear when I push the faders up. Whenever I use any other console, I find myself not quite at home with how it sounds because I’ve been using Midas consoles for 15 years. And because I wanted the show to be very dynamic with lots of changes, it was going to be much easier and more efficient if we used a digital desk.”

Mørch-Kerrison is working the console quite extensively, using around 50 scenes during the show. “Certain songs have five or six scenes in them, to switch from verses to choruses etc,” he says. “I’ve discovered a lot about the architecture of the console and software because I need to switch instantly and seamlessly from one thing to another.

“Otherwise it’s not a huge set-up - 36 inputs coming off the stage - but that’s not the issue - I wanted it for the sound, the capability, etc. We have the XL8 in a 48-channel format with two stageboxes, so it’s configured appropriately for the show.

Despite the extensive capability of the XL8, Mørch-Kerrison has found it easy to relate to the mixing system as a tried and trusted workhorse. “To be honest, and this is a great compliment to the console, after the second gig, I forgot I was using an XL8 and it was just the console that we were using on this tour,” he says. “Navigation is fantastic, it’s a brilliant way to work, and I work it very actively. With other digital consoles, I never felt I could work fast enough, and there was never enough accessibility. One of the reasons I went with the XL8 is everything I need is there. The POP (population) group is a fantastic feature as I can have a group of input channels in front of me when the song starts by assigning everything to a POP group. I can store a scene for a particular song so that as soon as I recall it, the faders I need are there and I’m not looking for anything. It works the same way with the VCAs (variable control association); as soon as you hit it, the faders you’ve assigned to the VCA come up immediately. With the combination of the VCAs and POP groups, which are freely assignable, you can have a group with any channel in front of you at any one time, without having to look through pages and layers, so it becomes very fast to work with.

“I was surprised by the responsiveness of the console and the dynamics are just superb, the EQ is fantastic, better than I thought it was going to be. I wanted it to sound like a Midas, but it sounds better than any Midas I’ve ever used, and also feels like the best analogue console. Midas has been incredibly supportive, keeping in contact all the time, and the software designers have also spent time with us.”

Due to the success of the tour, further dates have been added, in addition to OMD’s appearances at summer festivals across Europe, and the XL8 accompanies them all the way. As Mørch-Kerrison concludes, “XL8 has become a real part of the show.”

Photo caption: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s FOH engineer Stuart Mørch-Kerrison with the Midas XL8

Photo credit: James Cumpsty

ENDS

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Editor’s information:
Klark Teknik was founded in 1974 and in the years immediately following, their innovative approach to design and development allowed them to introduce some truly groundbreaking designs. Klark Teknik was responsible for the world’s first digital delay and digital reverb units, however it was their concepts for equalisation devices that really changed the world of professional audio resulting in the DN370 and the famous DN360. Today Klark Teknik continues to bring innovation in design and dedication to engineering and sonic quality in both the analogue and digital realm of signal processing, with the Square ONE and Show Command ranges updating the brand.

Midas live performance mixing consoles have been used by the world's most demanding sound engineers, performers and rental companies for three decades. The company strives to raise the standards of sonic quality through its programme of continual research and development, implementing new control functionality and user-friendly desk operation to anticipate and accommodate the ever-evolving needs of audio professionals who specify Midas consoles for their major tours, festivals, international events, broadcast projects and prestigious fixed installations.

 

The Bosch Group is a leading global manufacturer of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology. In fiscal 2006, some 260,000 associates generated sales of 43.7 billion euros. Set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering,” the Bosch Group today comprises a manufacturing, sales, and after-sales service network of some 300 subsidiaries and more than 13,000 Bosch service centers in over 140 countries.

The special ownership structure of the Bosch Group guarantees its financial independence and entrepreneurial freedom. It makes it possible for the company to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future, as well as to do justice to its social responsibility in a manner reflective of the spirit and will of its founder. A total of 92 % of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by the charitable foundation Robert Bosch Stiftung. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG.

Additional information can be accessed at www.bosch.com.

 

Company registration No. 2414018.