| August 2007 | |
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DIGICO REACHES NEW APEX WITH FIRST SCOTTISH CONSOLE |
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Dundee-based Apex Acoustics has scored a notable debut for the country’s audio industry, by being the first hire company in Scotland to own a DiGiCo console. Mid-May saw the DiGiCo D1 MDR 56 plus mini rack make its way north of the border - and then promptly back again as it went straight out on a 10 week festival tour with rockers Kasabian. “The intention is for the D1 to be out on tour, not sat in a warehouse or in local dry hire stock,” says Apex owner Paul Smith. “It’s an extremely roadworthy console so, as far as we’re concerned, that’s where it should be - out on the road earning its keep!” Indeed it was the prospect of the Kasabian tour that finally convinced Paul to take the plunge, having been very keen to get his hands on a DiGiCo console for a considerable time. “I have been seriously looking at DiGiCo for a good couple of years,” he says. “I was given a demo in December 2005 which made me realise what amazing desks they are. We’ve wanted one ever since. “But if you want such high quality you have to be prepared to invest, so the Kasabian tour helped to immediately offset some of the cost and make finally obtaining a D1 the right economic decision for us.” Once Paul had decided that Apex was in a position to purchase the D1, he didn’t need any further convincing. “Although the original demo had been nearly 18 months earlier, I was so impressed that I didn’t need another before buying the console,” he says. “In addition, DiGiCo’s attitude meant I was 100% confident that there would have been constant upgrading and improvement to the software. So what I saw then could only be better now.” This was proved just a month after the purchase, when the D1 was at work in what can only be described as ‘less than ideal’ conditions. “Kasabian used it for their Glastonbury set ,” says Paul. “Tim from DiGiCo was there and noted that, when the power went down, some other digital consoles on site lost some of their settings. But the D1 not only booted back up more quickly, it had also lost absolutely nothing. “The D1 has an excellent pedigree, the sonic qualities are very clear and it is very easy to teach to engineers who haven’t used one before. DiGiCo also has a small company ‘family’ ethos. They’re not a faceless corporation, you feel they are taking care of you on a one-to-one basis and for me, if you invest in a company’s product, feeling that you are being looked after is incredibly important.” Picture caption: DiGiCo’s Tim Shaxson (left) with Paul Smith Press Contacts: Sarah James at Gasoline Media |
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