Situated in the Beaches neighbourhood in the east end of Toronto, History is a 2500-capacity venue run by Live Nation, with a packed programme of events that sees a wide variety of artists and bills that feature multiple acts.
These multi-band events present audio challenges all of their own. Often, each band on the bill will bring its own mixing console which requires patching into the venue sound system for each soundcheck and between each set.
Technicians are only too aware of the pressure points that this can create, so to meet the demand for a solution to potential disruptions in this area, UK manufacturer, XTA, created the MX Series of DSP-enabled console switching systems. The forward-thinking team at History recently invested in the MX36 to address the ever-increasing number of shows carrying multiple consoles.
The MX36 is essentially a 4 buss switcher/mixer working across the AES/analogue/Dante, which makes switching easy. The input count is an impressive 9 x 4 buss consoles across 3 formats, 1 x stereo line input, and 1 x mic input. The unit can be remotely monitored by control software if required.
When fitted in live venues it allows both house consoles and multiple touring consoles to be patched directly to the house system. It allows all inputs to be monitored/line checked from its front panel meter and headphone socket before routing to a system – an invaluable feature on a festival stage.
Dave Thiel, Front of House Engineer at History, explained: “The MX36 came to our attention by way of a simple Google search. After the venue opened, we were quick to discover what was lacking in the initial package – a simple way of connecting multiple consoles to the PA, an easy solution for house music outside of our consoles, and an emergency microphone connection.
“History’s Technical Director, Dave Gardner, and I conducted research into several products, ultimately selecting the MX36, which was acquired through a local supplier. The MX36 appeared as a solution to each of our problems in one intuitive package and was conveniently released just as we were looking for it.”
