Yamaha QL5 Provides Peace Of Mind To De Hersenhap
De Hersenhap (A Piece Of Mind) is a humorous Dutch language production which has enjoyed a highly successful Belgian tour this spring. Front of House and monitor sound are both mixed on a Yamaha QL5 digital console, a decision which could appropriately be described as a ‘no-brainer’.
Mixing comedic songs, dance and dialogue in the setting of a speciality store where the show’s stars, Tine Embrechts and Karlijn Sileghem, can solve anybody’s problems 'à la carte', the sold-out De Hersenhap tour played to over 21,000 people during its 39 show run.
The show is mixed by veteran sound engineer Peter Claes, who has worked with a wide range of acts and productions during his long career. With the production’s instruments, backline, props, microphones and mixing console all touring in one truck, Peter needed a high-specification digital desk which could cope with any house PA system it may encounter, but in a very compact footprint. He chose a Yamaha QL5, supplied by AV rental house AED Group.
“Musically this is quite a challenging show. In order to mix it and cope with the wide variety of house systems that we encountered, I used the Premium Rack effects a lot,” he says. “In particular the Dynamic EQ and Portico EQ in combination with graphic EQs for the main left/right mix.” The show features around 20 input channels for the show’s three musicians, plus wireless microphones and in-ear monitors for the whole cast.
“The StageMix iPad app is a very important tool. It allows me to easily do the line check and sound check on my own,” Peter continues. “I could do all the necessary line checks before the band came in then, during the soundcheck, I could be on stage, checking that everybody was happy with their monitor mix.
“Overall I think the QL5 is an excellent mixer. The faders are reasonably close together, which makes mixing a musical production like this really easy. I like its clean sound, the reverbs are great and it has a really solid, roadworthy quality. I have also been able to quickly transfer mixes from a Yamaha CL5 via USB stick. Overall it has everything you need to produce excellent live mixes in a very small footprint.”
Already the owner of a Yamaha TF5, Peter’s positive experience with the QL5 has ensured that he will invest in one as well. De Hersenhap is currently planning another run of shows in Belgium, with more planned for The Netherlands. Once again a Yamaha QL5 with be the brains of the audio operation.
