(03/09/2013) An Allen & Heath iLive system with 18 ME-1 personal mixers were employed for a special 21st anniversary show of UK band, Tindersticks. Part of a European summer tour, the band performed a special set at the Blue Balls Festival in Lucern, Switzerland, where a 17 piece string section played alongside the regular 6 piece band.
For the tour, monitor engineer and long term iLive user, Jamie Hickey, specified and hired in a compact iLive system from APR Audio, comprising an iLive-R72 Control Surface and iDR-64 MixRack with remote control via a PL-6 fader panel and iPad. The anniversary show was held in the magnificent KKL Centre concert hall, where Hickey was tasked with meeting the audio needs of 23 musicians, supplementing the iLive system with 18 ME-1 mixers to provide in-ear monitoring for each of the players in the string section.
The biggest problem string players have when accompanying bands is that theyre not always able to hear their own instrument over the clatter and bang of a rock band, explains Hickey. I wanted them to have the option to turn up their instrument in the IEM if the sound of the band became too much. So I simply assigned the direct out from each of the string channels to the corresponding players ME-1 and disabled all the other buttons, so they had one volume control pot. The K&M mounting clip that comes with the ME-1 was perfect to attach the unit directly to the players chair, negating the need for extra clutter.
Hickey continues:
The versatility, ease of use and compact size of the iLive system means that when touring with a bus and trailer, we can still take a monitor desk, wedges, line system and mics and not be overweight. When I arrived in Lucern, the house techs were shocked to see the size of the R72, knowing the number of ins and outs we were using. With some creative use of the scenes, I was able to populate the surface with 48 inputs from stage, 6 FX sends, 6 FX returns, 8 DCAs, FOH talk back and 16 wedge/IEM/sidefill outputs, plus 18 more outputs to the ME-1s - 17 for the players and 1 for me. All from a 12 fader console!
To enable control of the large I/O count from such a small surface, Hickey also used a PL-6 remote controller and an iPad loaded with the iLive MixPad app, and created 3 special scenes, where the only changes were Bank 1 and Bank 2 strip assignments.
By using 4 key scenes labelled as ALL SCENE', STANDARD', BAND' and STRINGS' Hickey is able to have quick access to effectively different mixers and can update changes by simply selecting different scenes. So when adjustments to the string section were needed he selected the STRINGS' scene and the strips had the 24 channels and group masters laid out as desired. The BAND' scene put all the band's inputs, outputs and FX along with 4 groups of strings and strings reverb giving Hickey control to set the relative levels of the players in each section, group them, compress and EQ and send 20 channels of strings to each band member using only 4 faders. The STANDARD' scene was Hickey's starting point, which was recalled before making any changes and saving updates to scenes, while the ALL SCENE' preset contained all the talk back and control faders as well as the band's regular show' fader assignments without any of the string section. With this careful Scene management, Hickey was able to get the best from the system with just the 12 faders on the R72.
I used the R72's 8 user defined keys for MIX SELECT, PFL COMBO on my main 8 wedge mixes, so to enable fast scene selection I used a PL-6. Its a great addition to any iLive system as you can programme virtually any parameter to a button or fader. This meant I could have direct access to either the Standard, Band, or Strings scenes at the press of a switch, Hickey explains.
As well as the ME-1s for the individual string players, Jamie also gave each of the 4 sections a wedge mix. These mixes contained the players in the other sections and key elements such as drums, bass, piano and lead vocal.
Soundcheck time was very limited. After our regular band soundcheck, we had about 30 minutes to mic up and soundcheck the strings before rehearsals started. Having such a comprehensive iPad app to accompany iLive really adds the cherry to the cake. Once Id heard each line and EQd them all, I was able to sit in front of each sections wedge and dial in exactly what they wanted. At no point did anyone have to ask for more as they simply turned the Master Level knob on their ME-1! he concludes.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
IPC Expands Brazilian Presence with New Channel Partner CCATech
Industry veterans Carlos Abrah o and Bruno Lopes strengthen local support and expand IPCs prese...
20/08/2026
Zixi Enters Mauritius Market Through Strategic Deployment with MTC Jockey Club
Worlds Oldest Horse Racing Club in the Southern Hemisphere Selects Zixis Softwar...
20/08/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-Scripps Research assistant professor Tiantian Liu has received a five-year NIAID DP2 award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Di...
20/08/2026
Audiences reveal appetite for multicultural Australia on-screen 20 August 2026
Dr Georgie McClean, Dr Rebecca Huntley (L-R)
By Dr Georgie McClean and Dr Rebec...
20/08/2026
How Mavis Studio Is Expanding Live Production Teaching at Sussex
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image displays a student about to mix be...
20/08/2026
Vertical Unscripted Series Legal Queens Captured with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Reality TV veteran Eric Gardner create...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
(03/09/2013) An Allen & Heath iLive system with 18 ME-1 personal mixers were employed for a special 21st anniversary show of UK band, Tindersticks. Part of a European summer tour, the band performed a special set at the Blue Balls Festival in Lucern, Switzerland, where a 17 piece string section played alongside the regular 6 piece band.
