When people say, “Keep Austin Weird,” unique musical artists like Joel Laviolette and the Rattletree School of Marimba come to mind.
This group offers a creative fusion of traditional Zimbabwean marimba and modern electronics, which is now supported by the 3D Active Ambient IEM System from Sensaphonics.
The founder of this unique electronic dance music (EDM) ensemble is Joel Laviolette, whose musical journey has taken him from Texas to New Mexico to Zimbabwe and back.
With enormous acoustic marimbas triggering a variety of electronics via MIDI triggers, monitoring for this all-marimba ensemble is a major challenge.
“I build the instruments, which are bigger and heavier than Western classical marimbas. The bass marimba is 7 feet tall and 10 feet wide,” explains Laviolette.
“For monitors, we would always hear the marimba acoustically, then pipe in the synthesizers and drum machines, plus the vocals. We found that stage monitors (floor wedges) can create problems with false triggers, especially in bigger venues and on festival stages. That’s why we decided to go to in-ears. It really cleaned up our stage sound.”
Working with the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) and RK Audiology (a Sensaphonics Gold Circle provider), Laviolette decided to check out the 3D AARO for its Active Ambient technology, which allows him to hear and control the stage ambience. Sensaphonics sent him a universal-fit demo system to try.
“I loved them right away. The addition of the built-in ambience mics is incredible,” he says. “Then, when I got the custom silicone version, it takes to another level, both for comfort and for sound. Being up on a stage, hitting a marimba note and hearing it as if I’m not wearing in-ears – plus all the other marimbas around me – is just amazing. I can’t imagine not using them now.”
The Rattletree School of Marimba is Laviolette’s base of operations. “It’s a brick-and-mortar space in Austin where we teach adults to play African marimba. It also has a big wood shop where I build and sell these authentic Zimbabwean instruments,” he says.
“The community group classes can be pretty loud. So when I teach, I use the 3D in-ears with nothing plugged into them, which basically makes them electronic earplugs. They sound great and let me control the room volume. No more ear fatigue. Very cool.”
The band’s unique vision has landed Rattletree a slot on the touring roster of the Texas Commission for the Arts, bringing their very visual show to a wider audience. Joel Laviolette describes his band’s fusion of musical and visual styles as world electronica.
“It’s electronic dance music, but we’re actually playing these amazing traditional percussion instruments to make it happen,” he explains. “We now have four touring bands, and we play a lot of universities and music festivals. I’ve played South By Southwest the past seven years. It’s fun.”
For Laviolette, the 3D AARO is part of that fun. “I’ve had them about six months now, and every time we play, I’m having this amazing audio experience,” he says. “And at the end of the show, the other players are saying, ‘yeah, it was great, but I couldn’t hear the marimbas as well.’ Meanwhile, I’m hearing everything, both the monitor mix and the marimbas, perfectly. I tell them: You’ve got to try the 3D.”