Liverpool’s famous Cavern Club has moved into the digital age by retiring its long-serving Soundcraft analogue desks on its two main stages in favour of a Soundcraft Vi3000 and Si Performer 2.
Director Paul Jones expressed the desire to remain with the familiar Soundcraft topography and emphasised that the iconic Cavern Club (including the organisation’s third venue, the Cavern Pub) will remain exclusively a Soundcraft house.
He said: “We have replaced both our MH3 and GB4 [analogue desks], which have been here since well before I arrived six years ago,” he confirmed. “The MH3 still sounded brilliant, but it was time to move into the digital age.”
The order for both consoles, along with Vi Stagebox, expanding the capacity to 64 mic/line inputs and 32 analogue line outputs, was placed with local dealers Adlib, with whom they have had a close relationship since the late ‘80s.
Paul added:“We now have a bit of stability, with regular weekend Cavern Club Beatles nights and other repetition. So we can cut down on sound check time. We have also been able to improve our multitrack recording using the Vi 3000’s built-in Dante facility via our iMac computer and Waves Tracks Live [DAW software].”
The Soundcraft Vi3000 will run both the house sound and monitors in Cavern Live Lounge while the Si Performer will serve the famous front stage.
Paul explained that the upgrade had come about as a result of the close relationship between Adlib managing director, Andy Dockerty, and Greg Niven, sales director at Sound Technology, the UK and Ireland distributors for Harman Professional Solution’s Soundcraft.
Paul said: “We wanted to reap the recording opportunities and he suggested the Vi3000 which I auditioned at Adlib, on a lot of consoles you find yourself menu hopping, but with the Vi3000 most things are within two screens, and you still get that hands-on fader experience.’When it came to equipping the other room, while the Cavern considered the possibility of alternative brands they liked the similarities across the Soundcraft platform , Paul added: “Soundcraft has always been reliable, and Andy Dockerty recommended the Si Performer 2 as being rock solid.
“The new set-up gives us so much flexibility and a much improved audio solution,” concludes the Cavern director. It is the perfect solution.”
