The Cavern Club, a legendary club in Liverpool, England, has purchased two Soundcraft mixing consoles as part of a major equipment upgrade.
"With the improvement of the club’s infrastructure, we needed to give the place a boost with the standard of equipment that we could offer visiting production crews and our own LIPA engineers," Cavern director Bill Heckle explains. "We initially spoke to two companies but were more comfortable with Soundcraft as their desks convert theory into practice and I know I will get the after-sales service."
When Heckle realized it was time to retire the venue’s old FOH mixer, he harbored ideas of deploying a large-frame 48-channel MH3 to mix monitors from the FOH position. However with limited available space, he was advised by Soundcraft live sound sales manager James Baker and Adlib Audio’s Andy Dockerty [Adlib Audio is a Soundcraft sales and rental house] that the better solution would be to opt for the smaller-footprint 40-channel MH3, with a separate Soundcraft GB4 taking on dedicated monitor duties.
Ideally suited for dual-mode operation, the MH3 is versatile. The touch of a button places either Groups or Aux Masters onto faders, delivering intuitive operation in either application, while the desk contains a new high-headroom mike amp, classic British EQ, and rigorous circuit design. Sharing these same "family aesthetic" and GB30 mike preamps and EQ, the GB4 boasts a rugged construction, which it will need to perform reliably in the club’s arduous stage environment.
Adlib Audio has a relationship with the Cavern going back 20 years. Adlib also supplied the Cavern’s stacks and racks five years ago, and Dockerty explains that decision to use the MH3 and GB4 consoles coincides with the Heckle’s wish to turn the back of the club into a separate venue for touring bands. "The idea with our suggestion is that they can use the 24-channel GB4 for monitors on the bigger shows and the rest of the time mix monitors from front-of-house."
The new desks are likely to be fired up for the first time to coincide with an appearance by Cavern favorite Rusty Anderson, guitarist for Paul McCartney, on January 19. Two weeks after playing to 300 people in the Cavern, Anderson will be playing at the Super Bowl in the States, as McCartney has been booked for the half-time show.
