DiGiCo blends Harmony of the Worlds
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The DiGiCo Quantum 7 was the only digital mixing console on the market with the flexibility and technical capabilities to handle such a project, and controlled by sound engineer, Mark Rogers, it delivered.
Harmony of The Worlds, conducted by David Murphy, was a free concert held at St Mary’s Church, Luton, created and composed by Satya Hinduja to explore the connection between music and human wellness. The arrangement of Hinduja’s composition, Essence, 136.10Hz - The Earth’s Primal Frequency, with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 encompassed as an interlude, was designed to immerse listeners within the Earth’s resonance and embody the annual journey of the Earth around the sun through sound.
Mark Rogers, sound designer and engineer, began working with Southby Productions on the project in November 2022, when the composition was already complex. “It was over a hundred tracks of pre-recorded material, sample sounds and electronic sounds, playing off of Logic Pro. So, when we added in the orchestra and choir on top of this, it became a bit of a challenge,” Rogers recalls.
During a week of workshops, developing and experimenting with the composition, it became clear to Rogers and Hinduja that bringing it all together would demand equipment of the highest calibre. “When we were looking, I remember having a discussion with Chris Jones [of Southby Productions] about what desks we would use,” Rogers continues.
“I know DiGiCo consoles really well and I like them, so I was happy to use them. Originally, we were looking at a Quantum 338, but we rapidly came to the conclusion that this was just not going to be big enough for the scale of the operation.” Not only was the Quantum 7 Rogers’ professional and preferred choice, but it was also the only mixing console capable of a performance of this scale. “I think we ended up with 74 auxes on the console, which not many consoles are capable of,” he says. “When Chris said there was a budget for a Quantum 7, I said ‘yes, please!’ I can't imagine how we could have done it otherwise, frankly it made the job possible.”
Influenced by the metaphysical Hindu concept of Nada Brahma (the primal sound of being), Satya Hinduja creates Alchemic Sonic Environments (ASE), site specific, multi-sensory deep listening experiences designed to invoke states of reflection, receptivity, and exchange through the power of sound. Harmony of The Worlds displayed this intention by captivating the audience through 360 degrees of musical artistry.
“With the Quantum 7, whatever you’re doing, you know it’s going to be able to handle whatever you throw at it, and however you want to set it up,” Rogers recalls. “I wanted a console where I can get to what I need within two seconds and be able to realise Satya’s vision quickly. It was brilliant and made the job an absolute pleasure.”
The concert featured the 24 singers of Synergy Vocals dispersed all the way round the Church, intertwined with an orchestra, loudspeakers, and the audience themselves. “Because we had about 180 sources of sound, this is where the Quantum 7 came into its own,” Rogers explains. “It was pretty much a singer, a loudspeaker, a singer, a loudspeaker, all the way around. We decided the practical solution was to have some of the pre-recorded tracks sub-mixed in Logic, which would send feeds into the desk inputs, which would then feed into the auxiliary buses.”
See LSi June 2023 to find out more about Harmony of the Worlds.
