Avid makes Singapore National Day debut
Published: ASIA
SINGAPORE: Showtec Communications Pte Ltd recently used Avid Venue D-Show and Profile consoles for the first time at Singapore’s National Day Parade, introducing a new workflow into the event. Two Pro Tools|HD2 workstations were described as the ‘heart’ of the system, functioning as a time code master to other equipment whilst serving as a multi-track playback system.
Taking place on August 9th, this year’s Singapore National Day Parade celebrated the 46th anniversary of Singaporean independence, with a wealth of equipment on hand from manufacturers including Stagetec, d&b, Genelec, XTA and more. It was however the first time that Avid consoles had been selected for front of house duties. Both consoles were supplied by Avid’s Singapore distributor IMS Mahajak Pro Audio.
‘We have used Venue for other concerts but this is a first for the NDP,’ explained Kamal Adam Litak, Showtec audio production engineer, on the day. ‘We are confident the board is capable of doing the job. In fact it’s actually much easier in terms of running and patching cables. There are a total of 86 input channels on both the D-Show and Profile. Both boards work as backups for each other.’
National Day Parade audio engineer Danny Lee added: ‘The flexibility is there. We are hardly using any outboard processors. All the processing is done with the Venue plug-ins, and incorporating digital playback is very easy.’
According to the manufacturer, the ‘crucial link’ in the NDP workflow was its HDx option card, which is designed to integrate Pro Tools|HD recording and playback into a live sound workflow when installed in a Venue FOH Rack or Mix Rack.
‘The Pro Tools system is supplying SMPTE time code to the other departments such as video and multimedia,’ explained Mr Litak. ‘We always record the rehearsals and for one particular rehearsal, there were complaints of drop-outs. So right after the rehearsal, we pin pointed the exact section where the drop outs occurred and rectified the problem. It saves us a lot of time, and even setting up the HDx is just a few mouse clicks.’
Of the two Pro Tools|HD2s, meanwhile, one boasted 32 digital I/Os and acted as the main workstation while the second remained in place as a back-up with 32 analogue I/Os. Both were synced by MTC.
Sandra Tay, NDP replay engineer, explained that the set-up was intended to accommodate frequent changes to song arrangements: ‘At every rehearsal on Saturday, there are changes made to the scripts and songs. All the other departments such as multimedia, pyrotechnics, lighting and floor projection are locked on to Pro Tools via SMPTE time code. By Wednesday the following week, the new arrangements have to be mixed and time code regenerated to the various departments. This saves time instead of having to return to the studio to re-do the tracks.’