Following a period of extensive testing and training initiated by Midas consoles Benelux, the XL8 was the console of choice for Dutch singing superstar Marco Borsato for his recent sold-out 3Dimensions arena tour across Belgium and the Netherlands.
Axel Nagtegaal, MD of Midas consoles Benelux, provided Borsato’s crew with local and technical support, a gesture appreciated by FOH engineer Barak Koren and Will Jan Pielage, owner of PA rental company Peak Audio.
The tour marked a digital first for Koren, who has worked with Borsato since 2006 and counts Nick Cave, Grinderman and Ilse De Lange among his artist credits. Koren is a long-standing fan of Midas analogue consoles, particularly the XL4.
However the technical requirements of the show, with an 18-strong band and a B stage, called for enhanced capacity and flexibility, with some 96 inputs to consider.
“With so many channels, I had to go digital,” says Koren. “But I also wanted a console that could deliver the same sonic character as an XL4.”
The XL8, supplied by Amsterdam-based rental company Peak Audio, proved a winning solution.
“I was able to set the board just as I would have set up an XL4,” says a delighted Koren, who could also cherry-pick the features he wished to automate, such as mute, aux on/off and aux levels on the live inputs, while leaving the EQ, dynamics and faders available for hands on mixing.
Koren kept all sequenced tracks fully automated and deployed the external midi controller to recall 32 songs. He used the XL8’s Area B for all his scenes while keeping 16 key inputs at his fingertips. The eight left faders were assigned to different inputs for every scene, facilitating direct access to the special features which changed with each song.
The stand-out feature for Koren? “The XL8 sound,” he enthuses. “The XL8 is like an XL4 but with 96 channels. What more could you want?”
Koren also utilised a Lynx AES16-e AES50 audio card, using this to interface with Waves multitrack software and allowing the use of external plug-ins. “This became a very powerful tool and was very simple to set up,” says Koren. “I’d like to thank all three brands for making it so seamless for me.”
Marco Borsato embarks on a new 25-date arena tour across the Netherlands and Belgium in October. Says Koren, “The XL8 stays!”
