If you want to network with Francis Cabrel, you have to use EtherSound! Via INNOVASON, naturally..
By Kiera Leeming, Tuesday 21 October 2008, 01:55 :: News :: #58 :: rss
Francis Cabrel is one of France’s most successful and best-loved artists of all time. A talented singer/songwriter of the folk/blues genre, 2008 saw the release of his brand new album, “Des roses et des orties” (Roses and nettles). His first studio album since “Les beaux dégâts” in 2004 and the eleventh of his 30-year career to date, “Des roses et des orties” is described as his hardest-hitting album to date. However, still unmistakeably Cabrel with his trademark mix of melody and poetry, the new album has been rapturously received by the public who are currently turning out in droves the length and breadth of France to see their idol perform. Perfectionist that he is, Cabrel has left nothing to chance. At the heart of his technical team are his long-standing FoH engineer, Ludovic Lanen on his beloved INNOVASON Sy48, with Sebastien Bramardi (who is also Cabrel’s recording engineer) piloting an INNOVASON Sy80 on monitors, both running on an Ethersound network.
While Ludovic Lanen has been using INNOVASON consoles on Cabrel for a number of years, it was Bramardi’s first encounter with a digital console. “At first I was very nervous about embarking on this tour with a digital console,” confesses Bramardi. “Now I’ve used it in anger, I’ve got just one thing to say – I don’t regret it for a second. On the contrary, in fact; it’s been a revelation!” In particular, Bramardi has appreciated the number of mix buses available to him, which has enabled him to provide each musician with a mix for his in-ears and another for the wedge. He also loves the visual clarity he has of each individual mix and the stage as a whole. “I have to say that I am faster and more efficient on the Sy80 than on my big analogue console,” he admits, “and it sounds every bit as good. However, what I’ve also really appreciated is the ability to configure the console so that I can still use it in the way that I like to work and am used to working, yet benefit from all the advantages offered by a digital solution, including the networking aspect which is extremely important for us on this tour.”
Ludovic Lanen at Front of House is in complete agreement. “I’ve been using INNOVASON consoles for three years now, and I’m a huge fan, both of digital consoles in general and INNOVASON in particular,” asserted Lanen. “The Sy48 gives me a huge number of inputs in an extremely compact format, and their new internal effects module means I’ve got high-quality programmable processing on board as well. The special “INNOVASON touch” is the configurability of the console and the fader deployment which means you’ve always got access to all your instruments without having to flip through pages or layers. Everything is right at your fingertips which means I can react very quickly for precise control of the mix at all times. The selective parameter recall function is also very useful as it gives me the flexibility to adapt quickly to changing conditions as they occur.”
Lanen also cited the consoles’ EtherSound capacities as being another big plus point: “We’re taking full advantage of the digital networking capacities offered by all of our PA equipment on this tour,” he affirmed. “Both consoles are on the network, giving us full talkback facilities between FoH, monitors, and Jean Lyonnet, the system technician for this tour, as well as being able to exchange mix buses, and all without having to add a single cable.”
A further development on this tour is the availability of high quality digital multitrack recording via the EtherSound network. A single DioCore (EtherSound-enabled stagebox) sends audio to both consoles and to a PC equipped with a Digigram LX6464ES soundcard which enables 64-track digital recording of the entire tour. “This is a fantastic tool,” enthuses Lanen. “Obviously, the production of a live album after the tour will now be a piece of cake, but apart from that, we can use the recording of the previous show to perform a “virtual soundcheck”. By deactivating the DioCore, the pre-recorded tracks appear on the desk rather than the microphones and I can play the show back exactly as it was heard in the auditorium. This enables me to complete most of the soundcheck myself without the artists having to be present. They just turn up at the last moment for the finishing touches, and that's it, job done. Once the soundcheck is finished, you just reactivate the DioCore and away you go. As a result, the system is tuned to perfection and by the time the musician hit the stage, the consoles are virtually plug-and-play. It’s a huge time-saver for everyone and the show sounds better than ever.”
All of the audio equipment, including the consoles, has been supplied by AUDIO CONCEPT, a full service production company based in Montauban near Toulouse in south-western France. AUDIO CONCEPT, who purchased the Sy80 especially for this tour, has made a special point of providing the highest quality service for this tour. According to AUDIO CONCEPT’s founder and technical guru, Dominique Maurel, “We’re delighted to have been asked to work with Francis Cabrel on his latest tour. He is an extremely humble and simple man for someone who enjoys such superstar status here in France, but he is also a perfectionist, so our challenge is to meet his exacting standards. It’s been an absolute pleasure so far and I am looking forward to further collaborations in the future.”
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1. On Tuesday 21 October 2008, 07:56, by Kiera Leeming
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