Although Wigwam were an early adopter of digital desks, hire director Chris Hill said there were plenty of reasons for investing further: "Joe decided he wanted to use the Venue on Prodigy and another couple of projects we are working on have also expressed an interest," he said.
But he expected it to really come of age on the Spring 2006 tour of Westlife, who have expressed an interest in recording all their shows. Chris Hill confirmed that Steve Levitt of Production North (the band's production company) had been a major influence in the purchasing decision. "Venue's Pro Tools support offers added value, and with the plug-in capability the interest is certainly building," says Hill. "Not only are Westlife talking about using Pro Tools for their live recordings, but bands are now increasingly wanting to uplink their shows to their websites. We felt there was no better way of evaluating the desk's capabilities than by buying one."
He added: "The advantage to many of our clients is that they are already recording onto Pro Tools - this can only move that experience forward."
Venue's benefits also reach out to the corporate world - an area of production in which Wigwam specializes. "Theoretically a presentation can be recorded and edited on the spot, and each of the delegates can take home a recording on the day; alternatively it can be streamed straight to the website."
The desk's sonic qualities and ease of use have already been highlighted by Joe Campbell, and while Wigwam will continue to support both analogue and digital platforms, the company is making a full commitment to the latter. "Not only are we taking on a specialist who will be tasked with keeping up to date with new technology but we are creating a new office complex which will incorporate a full training facility," Chris Hill confirmed. "This will also enable us to delve further into Pro Tools HD recording."
(Lee Baldock)
