A recent concert by venerable rock band Foreigner at the Emerald Queen Casino (EQC) I-5 in Tacoma, Washington entertained a sold-out crowd of more than 2,500 - and the show was heard via an EAW UMX.96 Digital Live Console (pdf) in its first-ever public application. By the way, it passed with flying colors!

The UMX.96 was patched into a house system at the EQC I-5 Showroom that also features EAW KF850z Series concert loudspeakers in a design provided by Carlson Audio of Seattle. Foreigner Front-Of-House Engineer Don Dodge (shown in the accompany photos at the board) took the helm and quickly got comfortable with the layout and functionality of the UMX.96, with EAW's Martyn "Ferrit" Rowe on hand to provide support, joined by Ben Olswang and Dana Bourke as well as Jeffrey Cox, VP of the EAW Brand Group.

"Don had spent a bit of time with the UMX prior to the show, and had built some of his mix into it," reports Ferrit. "So certainly by the end of soundcheck at the show, he was quite comfortable and confident in the board, its operation and capabilities. And as the show went on, you could see that comfort level only increase."

The UMX.96 also provided an exciting preview of its multifaceted capabilities, supplying all onboard effects for the show as well. The only exception proved to be one outboard unit patched in to generate an exceptionally long effect on a couple of Foreigner songs.

"We were 'taking the temperature' of the UMX, so to speak, and it passed with flying colors," Ferrit adds. "The board proved very easy to set up and understand, and it functioned seamlessly - there wasn't a single 'hiccup' in the entire show. It was great to hear the compliments directed Don's way by several people, particularly in regard to the sound quality."

The new UMX.96 digital mixing console re-defines performance benchmarks, offering more power, control and integration than any digital live console on the market today. With its open-ended architecture and next-generation processing, the UMX.96 is nothing less than an integrated live sound control system, providing end-to-end control of the signal chain.