Francis Cabrel Trobador Tour
French Folk Legend Francis Cabrel
Powered by Midas for Trobador Tour
For more than four decades, Francis Cabrel has released gold, platinum and diamond album releases and number one hits that has spellbound audiences throughout the French-speaking countries of the world with a genuine, acoustic touch in combination with strong melodies and poetic lyrics. Cabrel has also been touring continuously, giving his fans the opportunity to experience the music the way it was meant to: Live!
Gearing Up for Trobador Tour
For the Trobador Tour, the acclaimed touring company Audio Concept in Montauban in southern France provided a sound reinforcement system and experienced audio engineers that would deliver stellar live sound for the audiences, as well as the musicians on the stage, no matter what the venue night after night. At the heart of the technical setup, Audio Concept chose two Midas HD96 consoles supplied by EVI Audio France – one for Front of House and another for monitor mixes on the stage. The live rig comprised of HD96 consoles and two DL231 Active Microphone Splitters with 24 input and output channels with each input channel featuring two independent Midas microphone preamps, along with DL155 and DL451 interfaces for AES3 and Dante connectivity via the Klark Teknik KT-DANTE expansion cards.
Finally, DL231 multi-mode optical fibre modules kept cabling at a bare minimum without sacrificing sound quality or the all-important reliability, which is naturally paramount in a live production environment. the HD96-24 brings together the best of both [digital and analog] worlds.
…the HD96-24 brings together the best of both [digital and analog] worlds.
Workflow Wonders
Sound engineers Ludovic Lanen (FOH) and Sebastien Bramardi (Monitor) taught us about their hands-on experience with the HD96 system when put through its paces during a solid stint on the road.
I always search for equipment of the highest quality, and in that regard, Midas was a no-brainer...
“…there are some features that I simply don’t understand that other brands have not picked up on. For instance, having two pristine microphone preamp inputs on every channel of the DL231 active mic splitter allows for feeding both the FOH and Monitor consoles from the same point in the audio signal chain – and then all discussion about who gets to have more headroom simply disappears.”
“One of the things that I have found to increase the operational workflow the most on a daily basis is being able to ‘freeze’ one or more fader type inputs on the main layer – for example input, send or output. This way, I can keep them right at hand as needed even when I change the layer.”
– Ludovic Lanen
…I just love having all of the necessary high-quality processing tools built right into the HD96.
Sebastien Bramardi also elaborates: “I have used Midas consoles since they were all-analog, as well as the PRO 2 and PRO 6 series, which really excelled at bringing together the best from both worlds, integrating analog and digital in a seamless, effortless and natural way.
And I just love having all of the necessary high-quality processing tools built right into the HD96. I no longer need external processing units in racks on the side, as I now have the amazing VSS4 algorithm right at my fingertips – and it’s just perfect for vocals and guitars, which were obviously very central elements on the Trobador Tour.”
Agent 001 and 002
Audio Concept were among the first to experience the HD96 at an EVI Audio demo and training session in 2020, and they soon decided that the HD96 would be an even better fit for this tour than their PRO 2 and PRO 6 consoles. For instance, the PRO 6 would often end up taking too much space at the side of the stage – especially with external processing racks. Further, they were also highly attracted to the opportunity to cut down rack space even more with regard to I/O connectivity, as well as a far more simple – yet rock solid – cabling solution via the DL231.
In fact, they were so keen to get their hands on the HD96 consoles for this particular tour that they ended up with the very first units made – the consoles with serial numbers 001 and 002!
Finally, looking ahead of the curve, Audio Concept also immediately recognized the benefit of the physical design that allows for easy access to the ‘engine’ in case of future service – as simple as popping up the hood on a car. That said, HD96 is truly a very sturdy console, and both 001 and 002 have served reliably for Audio Concept without any problems whatsoever during the first full year of touring the roads of France. But should the need ever arise at some point down the line, it offers great comfort to know that it will be quick and easy to get them fully up to speed again. As always time is of the essence, and valuable production time is no exception!
Midas has always set the bar high in terms of sound, but the HD96-24 raises it to another level.
FOH and Monitoring Set-Up
Bring it Alive.
Midas believes that mixing engineers are the voice of the artist. That trusted bond demands the sonic integrity that only Midas provides. The Brand is obsessed in delivering outstanding solutions that capture the essence of your live audio. Founded in 1970, Midas’ name is recognized as the premier designer and manufacturer of audio mixing consoles. To this day, the award-winning Midas Preamplifier and Latency Compensation deliver unsurpassed sound qualities.
EnterpriseBranding@musictribe.com | www.eviaudio.fr
Music Tribe Products Used
Midas HD96
The Heritage 3000 (H3K) was first introduced in 1999. Its famous purple colour and features made it so distinctly Midas. It soon established itself as the world wide industry standard for live sound applications. The H3K proved to be a huge winner from day one...
DL231
With today’s tech-savvy concertgoers demanding more and more from the professional sound engineer, the need to increase flexibility and functionality has never been greater. That’s why the Midas Research and Development team have expanded upon the existing Microphone Splitter format to bring you the DL231...
DL155
DL155 is a 2U 19" fixed-configuration rack I/O unit with 8 mic/line level inputs, 8 line level outputs and an 8 channel digital AES3 (AES/EBU) interface, and delivers legendary Midas sound quality utilising our time-tested and road-proven technologies. Featuring award-winning Midas microphone preamplifiers...
DL451
DL451 is a 3U 19" modular configurable rack mount I/O unit with provision for 3 DL4 Series interface cards and up to 24 audio inputs and 24 audio outputs. With two AES50 network ports and two Ethernet control ports providing dual redundancy, plus a MIDI Interface (In, Out, Thru), the DL451 is the ideal partner to all...
DN9680
The Klark Teknik DN9680 is a digital network bridge designed for use alongside all Midas PRO setups, Its primary function is to convert audio signals between different digital formats and transport them over a network...
KT-Dante64
The KT-DANTE64 network module provides Audinate Dante compatibility for the Klark Teknik DN9650 and DN9652 Network Bridges, and features up to 64 or 32 bidirectional channels at 48 kHz or 96 kHz respectively. KT-DANTE64 offers high performance direct-to-computer audio recording... Know More