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| Yamaha sponsored the event’s Acoustic Stage, providing a complete audio system |
This was the seventh year of the MK17 festival, which takes place in Newton Longville, a few miles from Yamaha UK’s Milton Keynes headquarters. The event features acts from the surrounding counties and this year the organisers were very pleased with the 1000-strong audience (close to the permitted limit) and raising £2500 in donations for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, twice the 2015 total.
Complete audio system
Yamaha sponsored the event’s Acoustic Stage, providing a complete audio system which included a TF3 mixing console with Tio1608-D i/o rack, an active PA system comprising two DXR15 full-range loudspeakers, two DXS18 subs and four DXR12 fills, with four further DXR12s as monitors and HPH-MT220 headphones for mix engineer monitoring.
Chris Irvine, Yamaha UK Product Manager - PA and Music Production, put the system together and ran the stage throughout the day with volunteer sound engineer Steve Heath. It was the first time that Steve had used a latest generation digital console and he was very impressed with the TF3.
Latest digital console
“My first impression was that it combines the flexibility and interface of a DAW with the physical controls of an analogue mixer,” he says. “I liked the way you can press a button to get an overall view of a function like main mix, monitor mix and so on, as well as the ability to call up presets for microphones and instruments, which saves a lot of time. Tweaking monitor mixes was also quick and easy.”
“The EQ via the touch screen was straightforward to use and achieved great results, but I also like being able to ride the faders which is often the only way to deal with poor mic technique. Overall I really enjoyed the experience - it really opened my eyes to what digital consoles can do and how they can make life easier for the poor guy on the board!”
Powerful and compact
Just as pleased was Simon Turner who, with Paul Eveling, organised the festival.
“The Acoustic Stage PA was a revelation,” says Simon. “It was easily powerful enough, while remaining compact and unobtrusive. Without Yamaha’s help we would have been cobbling together bits and pieces from who knows where, but we didn't have to worry about any aspect of it. With Chris’s expertise it ran very smoothly and efficiently.”
Paul agrees, saying, “The sound on the Acoustic Stage was the best it's ever been and we are very grateful that Yamaha was so willing to be involved. Having a family member with Cystic Fibrosis, I know first-hand what it's like to live with the condition and the only positive way forward is to raise as much money for the research team to find a cure. I'm always blown away by people's generosity and willingness to help; MK17 wouldn't have been such a success without Chris’s effort and Yamaha's brilliant equipment!”
“The event really was a resounding success,” adds Simon “The volunteers and sponsors - without whom we simply couldn't do it - were outstanding, performing way beyond our wildest expectations. In fact, the only thing we had to worry about was how to deal with an overflowing car park.”
