Aviom is providing several of its best-selling products to help streamline audio monitoring for the 10-piece orchestra for a new production of “The Lion King” at the historic Theatre Mogador in Paris, France. Co-produced by Stage Entertainment and Disney Theatrical, this lush presentation relies on an Aviom-based monitoring system to simplify the audio setup and workflow.
To give audiences in the recently renovated 1,600-seat space the best possible musical experience, renowned sound designers Steve Kennedy and John Shivers specified Aviom personal monitoring gear for this project. The audio setup, which was provided by Dispatch, a sound company based in Paris, consists of a Yamaha® M7CL digital mixing console with a 16-channel Pro16® A-Net Interface card installed. The A-Net card is connected to three A-16D Pro A-Net Distributors and 19 Aviom A-16II Personal Mixers to provide 16 channels of monitor mix content to the orchestra’s 10 musicians as well as providing a monitor feed to the main audio desk. The production uses headphones for most of the musicians and Genelec monitors for the string, flute and horn sections.
“At Stage Entertainment we run several shows simultaneously, so to simplify things I try to use the same brand of gear whenever possible,” says Bertrand Billon, audio manager at Stage Entertainment and backup to the main sound mixer on the production. “This way, I’m really familiar with the equipment and can also switch it out from show to show if needed. I’ve used Aviom on several projects because it’s easy to use and gives musicians their own customized monitor mix.”
For Billon, many features of Aviom products make them a natural choice for contemporary musical productions. For instance, while most of the orchestra’s musicians for “The Lion King” are located in the orchestra pit, the plug-and-play setup and simple Cat-5 wiring also lets musicians perform from various remote locations throughout the theater as is required when space is limited in the pit due to the size of the orchestra. The low latency of the A-Net based monitor system helps keep timing tight amongst the performers regardless of where they are located, even in the most complex musical sections.
Billon also finds the system’s unlimited expansion capabilities helpful when a second- or third-seat musician needs to be situated by the main mixing desk, as it enables them to learn the score and see how the production flows during an actual performance, while at the same time getting a real-time feel for being a member the orchestra because they’re listening to the same cues and monitor feeds. All that’s required for an additional monitor mix position is a spare personal mixer and a Cat-5 cable. The small footprint of the Aviom system is a plus as well, requiring only one expansion slot in a digital desk as compared to other solutions. Another benefit of the Aviom monitoring system is the simplicity of the wiring. Because it runs on Cat-5, there is very little cable clutter underneath the main desk or in the orchestra pit.
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