The Arctic Monkeys are back with a new tour and a Harman Soundcraft Vi1 console, recently kicking off at the Sasquatch Music Festival at the renowned Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington.
New York-based Firehouse Productions provided the desk for Monitor Engineer, Will Doyle, who has great experience with Firehouse and Soundcraft’s line of consoles from prior tours with the group.
“The Vi1 was a great choice, especially for a massive and spectacular venue like the Gorge,” stated Doyle. “It has a small footprint meaning it’s easy to travel with and there is no hassle fitting it anywhere; but it still has nearly all the features of my usual Vi6.”
“We’re excited to get this tour underway,” continued Doyle. “It’s a Soundcraft Vi desk, so it sounds just like the others in the range and feels like mixing on a sound desk or console rather than a computer.
“With custom user layers and VCAs for each mix, I found there’s a lot less button pushing than some other consoles, which means more time looking at the band!”
Doyle, who continues to deploy the desk for stereo ears, wedges and side fills, is still amazed at how much the board feels like an analog desk and how easy it is to manage all the channels on each layer.
“The board responds beautifully and is extremely user-friendly,” he said.
While festivals can sometimes be hectic with limited changeover time between acts, Doyle mentioned that the ViSi Remote iPad app is really useful and can eliminate many challenges before a show. “With Soundcraft, I am always confident in what I need to do. This was a great show and I look forward to continuing our journey with Soundcraft.”
