Talentz supplies Venue desks for 30 Seconds to Mars
Published: MEA
OMAN: As part of their Middle East tour, 30 Seconds to Mars recently stopped off in Muscat to play a gig on the lawns of the Muscat Intercontinental hotel. For this concert, local rental company Talentz supplied two Avid Venue Profile desks, one for monitors and the other for FOH.
The Venue desk is part of the band’s technical rider and according to FOH engineer Steev A Toth this was a decision based on the requirements of touring. ‘The Venue was a practical choice in regards to a smaller footprint yet not compromising on quality. Moreover the availability of this desk in various countries makes it a sensible choice,’ he explained. However, beyond the practicality of using the desk, Mr Toth has been very happy using it too. ‘The Venue has been great. It is very user friendly and the layout especially is commendable. Everything is always in front of you.’
Monitor engineer Jonathan M King has also been impressed with the console. ‘I love using the Venue. The small footprint but exceeding capabilities makes it one of the best desks I’ve used to date. No more do I have to carry racks and racks of equipment, now all I need is a Venue and I am ready to go.’
One aspect of the Venue that both engineers have enjoyed using are the plugins. ‘I personally like the warm sound of the JOEMEEK VC5 Meequalizer,’ said Mr King, while Mr Toth points to the Phoenix Crane Song.
Talentz purchased the desks last year from Dubai-based Avid distributor Media Cast, and have been pleased with the level of business it is generating from having them in its inventory. ‘With so many analogue desks like Midas to Sound Craft to digital desks from Roland in the rental inventory we are spoilt for choice,’ said Manuel Carvalho, Talentz assistant manager. ‘However, ever since the D-Show Venue Profile come into our inventory and we got our hands-on training on it, this has become our first choice desk for all big live events we have done recently, including A R Rahman, Tom Jones, Bryan Adams, Howard Jones as well as 30 seconds to Mars,’ he continued. ‘It is very practical and easy to set up, and most of all, the sound engineers accompanying the international bands prefer it to the other desks we have.’