Helsinki-based sound designer Kristian Ekholm, who specialzses in sound design for contemporary performing arts and fringe theatre, has purchased a Soundcraft Si Compact 16 live sound mixer from territory distributor Studiotec.
With an M.A. in Theatre Arts from the Finnish Theatre Academy’s department of light and sound design (and another MA in progress), the sound designer has recently shifted focus to a more spatial dimension—and again the Soundcraft Si Compact, 16 with its built-in Lexicon FX, will enhance this.
“My main interests in sound design at the conceptual level is in the interaction between the performance, the venue, the sonic environment and drama of the event,” says Ekholm, who has toured extensively in Europe with productions like Anatomia Lear, the soundscape which won him a ‘Best Sound Design’ award (and the Ääni-Säde Prize) in 2010.
Kristian has worked with many industry-leading digital desks in theatres he has visited, but he needed a high-quality portable device—and Soundcraft, he said, is a long-standing brand that everyone in the field is familiar with.
“My decision to purchase an Si Compact 16 was purely practical,” he said. “It’s a small console packed with power, and is something I can carry with me as a reliable, all-around workhorse wherever I go.
“The console will make my work a little easier—and better. When working on the fringe of performance art, budget restrictions can often affect the quality of the gear—and I know the Si Compact 16 will give me a solid base for FOH control.”
Aside from the general quality and flexibility of the desk there were some specific features that immediately stood out—notably the 16 onboard physical outputs and the bus and matrix systems.
“My Si Compact 16 has so far been used in outdoor venues, galleries and regular studio stages, and has been doing a wonderful job,” he said. “But sometime in the future I’d like to envisage stepping up to the Soundcraft Vi series.”