LOS ANGELES – The Key Club, a well-known venue on Sunset Strip, books live music five to six nights per week in the 650-capacity main room, and also at the Plush Lounge downstairs, which accommodates another 75 to 100 guests. Recently, the club made the move to digital mixing with the installation of an Allen & Heath iLive-T112 mixing console.
"It's something we've been talking about for a while now," said production manager Josh Benton. "Our old analog desk was in constant need of repair, and it made a lot more sense to look to the future rather than preserve the past. We looked at all the options and, based on sound quality and ease of use, we chose the Allen & Heath iLive."
The iLive-T112 with the iDR48 MixRack was selected for its ability to handle 48 input channels, and the system as scored points with Key Club staff, for its ease of installation and speedy learning curve.
"About 75 percent of the bands who play here bring their own engineers, so it was really important that the console be easy to operate," Benton said. "When we brought in the console for a demo, our staff was up and running on it, literally, within a couple hours. Setting up comps and gates was effortless, and the sound quality of the iLive blew away our old analog board. It was really a no-brainer."
Benton was the first to mix a show on the iLive. "The T112 arrived the day before its debut show," he recalled. "We hooked it up to our system, named the channels, created some scenes, and dialed in compressors and gates. The next night, I mixed two bands on it and it sounded great. In fact, I had several industry people, guys I really respect, come up and tell me it was the best sound they've ever heard at the Key Club."
The Key Club routinely schedules ample sound check time for visiting engineers. "Playing the Key Club is a high profile gig for any band, so it's important that everyone is comfortable," Benton said. "We accommodate that by including a grace period to make sure the engineer knows the board. Our house engineers can sit with them, show them all the parameters, answer questions, and show them how to save their settings. By the end of sound check, they know that when they bring up those master faders that night, they're going to get the same quality that they heard during sound check."
Reaction to the iLive among visiting engineers has been positive, Benton noted. "It's been very interesting, to say the least – a lot of these guys are used to analog or to the commonly provided digital console. But once they get past the iLive's learning curve, which is very fast, they're having a blast. The iLive has a very analog feel, so it doesn't take long before they feel right at home. And once they hear how good it sounds, they're like a kid with a new toy."
Another benefit of the iLive mixing system stemmed from the MixRack's on-board effects. "We had a pretty nice selection of outboard effects here," Benton related. "Originally, we planned to keep them, but after a month of shows, we realized that nobody ever touched them. Everyone just used the onboard effects – even the old-school guys. That speaks volumes about the quality of the iLive. So we actually got rid of all our outboard gear and used the money to upgrade our microphones. And we've never looked back."
The Key Club is planning to expand their commitment to Allen & Heath, starting with the addition of an iDR16 MixRack with a Dante card to enable live recording to a Pro Tools rig. After that, the club plans to replace the analog console now being used for stage monitors with a second iLive. "This desk is perfect for monitors," Benton said. "I'm really looking forward to that.
"Being a part of this change is very exciting for me personally," added Benton, who has been with the club five years. "We try to be forward thinking, and from what I understand, we are the first major venue on Sunset Strip to make the transition to digital. It's something we can be proud of, and I can't wait to take it to the next level."
For more information, please visit www.allen-heath.com.
