UMX.96 & UX8800 Key To Systems For Seattle Block Party
Special Report By Ben Olswang
In addition to being out on the road with Foreigner, another EAW UMX.96 digital console has just been put through its paces at the Capital Hill Block Party in Seattle, where it garnered high praise from all who used it under the most stressful of all mix positions: monitor world. The event also marked another successful run for the new EAW UX8800 digital processor with Gunness Focusing.
The Block Party featured three stages hosting live music, with sound provided by EAW and Mackie components. The main stage system, under the direction of Carlson Audio, offered coverage from two stacks (left and right) of EAW KF750s paired with four SB1000 subwoofers, with processing courtesy of the UX8800. A second, networked UX8800 provided delay lines feeding five towers made up of Mackie SA1232z and SWA2801z covering each of the four streets intersecting the stage.
Also at the main stage, the UMX.96 ran eight stage mixes for EAW NT59 stage monitors, Mackie SA1232z/SWA1801z side fills, and an SA1521z plus SWA2801z combination for drum monitor. All processing was done in the console, including EQ, compressors, and gates on inputs, and limiters and graphic EQs on the outputs. This made load in a breeze - no patching required other than inputs and outputs.
Monitor Engineer Tom Meyers (who’s also a Mackie tech support guru) was at the controls of the console for the whole day through the hot summer sun. It was a true festival with five different bands throughout the day and only a half-hour changeover between acts. Each group was very different, ranging from a two-piece drum and keys combo to a hip-hop act with a full band to a power rock quartet.
Tom took full advantage of the board’s complete recall, noting, “Always having a compete ZERO mix saved is a luxury!” He kept it updated with graphic EQ changes made for each act. “Not to mention this was the easiest patch I’ve ever had to make,” he adds. “No XLR turnarounds, no inserts to patch, no XLR-TRS adaptor, and no amp rack - just XLR in and out of the UMX.96 directly to active monitors.”
He also utilized Aux mode throughout the day, making the set-up of different monitor mixes a breeze. “Aux mode was my saving grace, having to stare at a sea of knobs on an analog board all day can really hurt my neck,” he says. “The ability to have each mix represented on the faders made navigating this board no more than a subconscious activity.”
Tom also recounts the benefits of the console’s built-in EAW Smaart capability. “Having Smaart on my Aux masters made the graphic EQ evolution very efficient, not having to go for the EQ on the channel strip for each vocalist. Seeing the different frequencies that were and were not rejected by different vocal mics, and, seeing the intensities of fundamental and harmonic frequencies made it that much faster!”
Tom says the highlight of the event was mixing for Friday’s headline act, The Silversun Pickups. “I’ve never dealt with more of a professional act than Silversun Pickups – the members all introduced themselves and gave me their monitor mix requests. This made mixing them a pleasure; so did the UMX.96.” (Thanks much to Ben for this great report and photos.)
