AUSTIN, TX – One of the main elements of any live performance is the mixing console, but the 10-piece R&B/soul band Memphis Train Revue and their engineer James Duvall have been successful with a new paradigm. The band's sound system is designed around Allen & Heath's iDR-32 MixRack connected to a laptop, eliminating the mixing console completely.
Memphis Train Revue is a show band that plays a lot of private events. "One of the things we specialize in is making things efficient and seamless for our clients. Everything we do can happen within the boundaries of the stage itself. Eliminating the mixing console frees up a significant amount of floor space, and that can be the difference in getting the gig, whether it's a club, theater or ballroom," said James Duvall of Creative Engineering & Solutions in Austin, who does both the house and monitor mixes for the band. "It saved us a lot of money, too."
Duvall relies upon Allen & Heath's iDR-32 MixRack, which provides all the inputs, outputs, processing and routing for the band. "I love the fact that the iDR-32 gives me all that in a rack-mount box that I can literally hide under the stage. I don't carry any outboard gear at all, and there's no sacrifice in functionality," he said. "When I was designing the system, I figured, why not push the envelope? Memphis Train Revue may be a cover band, but that doesn't mean this can't be cutting edge."
Duvall's core mixing setup consists of the iDR-32 and his 13-inch MacBook laptop. The MixRack case also contains the band's Audio-Technica M2 in-ear transmitters and a Furman power station, making the mix totally self-contained.
The MixRack, which runs Allen & Heath's Version 1.43 firmware, is connected to the computer using a Linksys Wireless-N router via a Cat5e cable. "The router is actually Velcro'd to the back of the MixRack, so I can set up anywhere. I can see all my inputs and outputs on the MacBook, color-coded just like I would have them on an iLive surface. And since I'm running untethered, I can set up anywhere; which is the whole point."
Generally, Duvall mixes Memphis Train Revue from offstage, in the traditional monitor position. When he ventures out into the house, he leaves his laptop behind, controlling it from his iPhone. "I run something called iTeleport Jaadu VNC, which is a virtual network control app. It's basically a remote desktop client that lets me access my computer directly," he relates. "It's basically a viewer, but it also lets me ride faders and spin knobs. So when it comes to fine-tuning the room, I just carry my iPhone."
To have the entire sound system capable of operating without consuming floor space has definite advantages to the band's clients. Theater venues can actually strike their house mix position and sell those seats, while corporate and wedding events can accommodate more guests. In addition, set-up time is greatly reduced, as James Duvall simply pulls up his in-ear mixes from saved snapshots, and connects to the house PA system with two XLR's out of the left and right outputs of the iDR-32.
Duvall is convinced that he found the right solution with Allen & Heath's modular MixRack design. "The iDR-32 makes it a totally professional solution," he says. "There's no compromise. We get the same sound that we would with the mixing surface. I feel like I've helped make something here, like we're a step ahead of what's going on."
Ultimately, the motivation behind the setup was to make Memphis Train Revue a more attractive band to hire. "This band is absolutely amazing, but this set-up gives us a huge competitive advantage," notes Duvall. "When our manager tells the talent buyers that we are not going to exceed the stage, and that we don't even need any storage space, it really opens their eyes. In fact, we actually got two recent jobs, in large part because of all the benefits the iDR-32 provides. So literally, using this iDR-32 is helping Memphis Train Revue to get more gigs and make more money. And that says it all."
For more information, please visit www.ilive-digital.com and www.memphistrainrevue.com .
