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Klang:Technologies immersive in-ear monitor mixing system used for “The Time Traveller’s Wife: The Musical”

Based on Audrey Niffenegger’s bestselling 2003 novel, a new musical adaptation of “The Time Traveller’s Wife” recently premiered at London’s Apollo Theatre in the West End, showcasing an original score by Joss Stone and Dave Stewart. Sound Designer Richard Brooker and Associate Sound Designer Nick Lodge collaborated closely with the production crew - including Callum Donaldson, Isabel McIntosh, Andrew Williams and sound effects designer Pete Malkin - to bring forth this show, which has been running since October.

The production also marks Brooker’s first proper use of the Klang:Technologies immersive in-ear monitor mixing system, supplied by Stage Sound Services, for the show’s band. The system comprises Klang:Vokal and Klang:Kontroller. After initial discussions with Phil Kamp from Klang:Technologies, who offered full support in transitioning from the team’s previous system, Brooker also had the opportunity to visit DiGiCo’s offices to meet Product Specialist Dave Bigg, who provided Brooker with a further opportunity to delve deep into the system.

“You just have to adjust your thought process to understand how Klang works”, says Brooker. “It’s much more aligned with how our ears and brains process information on a day-to-day basis, rather than simply putting on a pair of headphones and working with stereo limitations. It’s about trying to make it feel as natural as if you weren’t wearing headphones or in-ears. Nick did an excellent job programming the system in a way that made sense to us, but also catered to the musicians.”

Brooker adds that once “you get your mix right, and if you’re using the 360-degree soundstage, it’s possible to listen to the mix at lower volumes”. He believes this is helpful because some musicians tend to keep the volume high, which can be damaging to their hearing in the long run, and also fatiguing.

With each band member having their own unique mix setup, Brooker highlights that it shows everyone’s distinct preferences in how they like to listen, with “Klang fully leveraging that flexibility”. He further notes that being a DiGiCo through and through designer and engineer, he appreciates how Klang products integrate with the DiGiCo Quantum7T digital mixing console that is being used for the show.

Talking about the technical set-up, Nick Lodge explains that they are feeding the Klang system directly from the DiGiCo console, “sending Groups and auxes and other things to it, as well as some direct outs so we can treat things directly as, for example, the bass player wants to hear his bass”, he says. “We made an initial assessment of each musician and their needs, then programmed Klang to each musician’s preferences. Some people wanted to play with the angles and positioning and other features, while others preferred a set menu.”

Following the successful deployment of the Klang system at “The Time Traveller’s Wife: The Musical” production, Brooker has also been using it on other shows he is managing.

(Photos: Johan Persson/Klang:Technologies/DiGiCo)

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