There’s also a “local” stereo line level input found on the device as well that’s useful for connecting an MP3 player or click track. The musicians simply plug directly into the headphone amp to activate their “ears.”
All of the musicians control their mixes from onstage using their iPads, except for Hodgson, who has Heckers dial-in his. “Roger likes a house mix,” Knesel explains. “So what we built for him with the Pivitec gear is house minus some things. Those channels can be added back if he wants.”
The V2Mix Pro iPad app gives the musicians 32-channels worth of faders arranged on four screens housing eight faders apiece.
Solo, mute, and pan is available on each channel, there are 16 mix presets, and there is a master section with volume, 3-band EQ, and a limiter.
Adapt & Thrive
With Ethernet AVB serving as its network backbone, the system is ready to easily adapt to whatever the future holds. “The Ethernet AVB protocol holds the promise of continuing to work reliably well into the future,” Heckers states. “Cost, user acceptance in the industry, and interoperability are issues of major concern, and the technology addresses all of these well when compared to other systems.
The sonic quality is exceptional, I think for two reasons: one is inherent within the transport circuitry itself, and the other lies in the A/D conversion process used.”
On the mixer side of the equation, the e32s follow suit using a discreet Class AB headphone amplifier and a bipolar power supply that increases headroom once again at plus or minus 15 volts. As used by Hodgson and his band under digital control, the mixers all operate in their own separate worlds with their own DSP. From the musicians’ standpoint, this translates into clean, powerful sound with low background noise.
The system was buttoned-up by the time it was delivered to the Ruth Eckerd Theatre in Clearwater. A quick-disconnect panel on the back of the rack facilitated easy load-ins and speedy exits, while the same logic guided the addition of quick disconnects on the mixer ends of the rig onstage.
“My hat is really off to Howard,” Knesel says on a parting note. “In his capacity, he’s been doing FOH and monitors simultaneously over the course of many tours. Much can be said of how this system has changed the working roles of the musicians onstage, but it certainly has made Howard’s life easier as well.”
Gregory A. DeTogne is a writer and editor who has served the pro audio industry for the past 30 years.