Midas digital consoles a hit in Norway

13 October 2010

Norway - Midas distributor AVAB CAC is reporting multiple sales of Midas digital consoles, with several leading venues purchasing models in the Midas PRO range, including the first Midas PRO3 to be installed in the country.

The Arendal Cultural Centre has taken delivery of the entry level Midas PRO3 where technical co-ordinator Finn Cato Andersen comments, "We know how much engineers value the Midas sound, and we wanted the best possible equipment for our venue."

The console is being used at FOH in the centre's performance space, which has a capacity of up to 1,200 standing (700 seated) and hosts a full range of performance arts from theatre to musicals, classical concerts and rock gigs as well as occasional conferences. With a large number of engineers coming in to use the equipment, Anderson is particularly impressed with the PRO3's intuitive design. "It's simple to learn and simple to use," he says.

Two more Norwegian cultural centres have taken delivery of Midas PRO6s. At the Arctic Cultural Centre in Hammerfest, technical director Thomas Mikarlsen is impressed with the Midas PRO6 installed in the centre's main concert hall as FOH mixer. "We chose the PRO6 because of its reputation, its user-friendliness, its compact size and its networking capabilities," he says.

A PRO6 is also now in use at the Larvik Cultural Centre, where it was installed at the recommendation of technical manager Anders Verde.

At Norway's National Rock and Pop Museum Rockheimin Trondheim, a further PRO6 has been installed for the main stage, together with an analogue Midas Heritage 2000.

"Rockheim's acoustics were specifically designed for amplified music, pop, rock, hip hop, etc, and I have never encountered such a stage in almost 30 years of touring ," says Rockheim's Paal Grenne. "Our aim was to create the best concert venue in the country, and for that we wanted state of the art equipment. Midas was the perfect choice."

Meanwhile, Norway's current bestselling band Donkeyboy have purchased a PRO6 as their FOH console, and are using a Klark Teknik DN9696 to record their shows. "We searched for a console that maintained the sound quality and the 'right mixing feel' that were important to us, and when we got to the PRO6, our search was over," says the band's FOH engineer Ingar Aabo. Donkeyboy have been touring throughout the summer and continue into the autumn.

(Jim Evans)