Nashville-based Brantley Sound is supplying production support as well as sound reinforcement gear headed by Allen & Heath Avantis digital mix systems for ongoing U.S. tours by iconic artists Little River Band (monitors) and The Oak Ridge Boys (front of house).
“Little River Band had been carrying a [non-Allen & Heath] console for quite some time at monitors,” says Zachariah Orbin, Brantley Sound director of operations. “Avantis checked all of the boxes and then some when it came to finding a next-level replacement. Its compact design, overall ease of use, and horsepower under the hood were primary factors in that decision.”
Avantis is the third console based on the company’s XCVI engine that incorporates next-generation FPGA technology, with parallel virtual processing cores generating enough power for 88×42 channels of processing (including FX returns) at a 96 kHz sampling rate. “We set it up for a day of rehearsals and I used that time to get the console in-between the artist and their inputs,” adds Orbin. “Immediately their was response was an overwhelming, ‘Yes, this is it.’”
Speaking to his approach during the demo process with the band, Orbin explains how he configured an A/B comparison by “using the free Director software, cloning EQ and dynamics from the previous console and setting them out on various channels and busses.” For the initial test, Orbin “didn’t engage them since I wanted to see what the Avantis would do naturally.” Using this method, the band could hear a close approximation of the previous desk, the more direct ‘flat’ Avantis mix and then a quick flip to engage Avantis preamp models and more advanced sonic tools.
“I was excited when I could apply some of the preamp models in this manner on the fly and see how the band would react to them, all with positive responses,” Orbin says. “Some of the features I appreciate the most is being able to use the console’s setup flexibility mid show, changing my workflow as I become more aware of the breadth of navigation possibilities. I love this desk.”
Meanwhile, Marko Hunt, front of house engineer for The Oak Ridge Boys, also recently transitioned to Avantis: “I had the pleasure of checking out one of Mike Bangs’ (Allen & Heath live sound & touring manager) dLive training classes a while back. One of the things I took away from Bangs was how simple and straightforward the dLive workflow is. I felt I could just go out and do a show. This type of workflow approach carries through to the Avantis. But the truth is it’s as simple or complex as you want to make it.”
Hunt’s also taking advantage of the optional Avantis dPack that provides an upgrade of additional dLive processing, including Dyn8 (up to 16 instances), DEEP compressors, the Dual Stage valve preamp plus more models as they’re added. “What struck me from the first show was the clarity of the preamps and how quickly I could dial in the vocals with the channel EQ’s, Dyn8 and great selection of compressors in dPack,” he notes, also sharing a Dyn8 tip he recently picked up. “To get crisp side-stick on the snare, use the dynamic EQ by setting the high mid just above 1 kHz, set narrow and boosted several dB. Adjust the threshold so that when side-stick cracks, the peak remains — but when the snare is hit hard, the peak flattens out. Solves an age old problem.
“It’s amazing that a desk that is this compact can be so powerful,” Hunt concludes. “The two very large touch screens are less than an arms reach away and with 24 easily accessible SoftKeys programmable for a large variety of functions, I’m not hunched over my desk hunting for stuff when I need it. We’re really happy with the rig all around.”
