Allen & Heath's MixWizard Rides the Oblivion Express
Los Angeles, CA (September 23, 2005) -- Brian Auger, jazz pianist, bandleader,
session man, Hammond B3 innovator and a key player in the rise of jazz/rock
fusion, is touring with a pair of Allen & Heath MixWizard mixing consoles.
The desks -- one based in the U.S. and one in Europe -- provide onstage
premixing and monitor processing for Auger's multiple keyboard setup.
"They are the best investment I've made in a long time. They're fantastic
mixers; I'm absolutely knocked out with them," says Auger, who began his
career in the jazz clubs in England before gaining wider public attention
playing with the Yardbirds, Long John Baldry and Rod Stewart. In 1968, Brian
Auger & The Trinity, with Julie Driscoll on vocals, had a hit single on both
sides of the Atlantic with a cover of Bob Dylan's "This Wheel's on Fire."
"They've done quite a few miles on the road. I couldn't be more pleased with
them," says Auger of the two consoles. "I don't need any DIs; you just take
a left and right out of the mixer." Whether Auger is touring North America
or Europe, the MixWizards are available to premix his Hammond B3 organ and a
Korg SG Pro X piano, as well as a rack-mount Korg X5DR module.
The consoles also allow the keyboard player to add reverb to his monitors as
a performance aid. "In bigger halls, I use some reverb on the keyboards.
Plus, we run the organ sound through an Aphex preamp to fatten everything
up," he explains. "I'm using an old Lexicon LXP-1 reverb. It just gives the
keyboards a bit of a lift. But that's not necessarily what they want out
front, so we just send them the straight signal from one of the buses."
Fans of Auger and his current band, the Oblivion Express, will soon be able
to get a backstage glimpse of the MixWizards. "We just shot a live DVD,"
Auger reports. "We also did a section, which will be part of the menus,
where we go through every bit of equipment we have, because so many people
ask me what gear I'm using. So we did an interview with each of the
musicians in the band so people can see what each of us is using, including
the MixWizard."
In the home studio and on the road, the Oblivion Express is a family affair,
featuring Savannah Auger on vocals and Karma Auger, also the band's resident
producer and Pro Tools engineer, on drums. The new DVD is one of several
releases that he and the band are working on, Auger reveals. "We have a new
album that we have to finish mixing. That's scheduled for release later in
the year. And we've got a live album that we did at the Rock & Roll Hall of
Fame; we've got to mix that."
With a busy touring schedule the band has little time to get into the
studio. Brian Auger and the Oblivion Express toured extensively throughout
Europe earlier this year, playing venues such as the Blue Note in Milan,
Italy and a four-night stint at Joe Zawinul's club in Vienna, Austria.
"We'll be doing a West Coast tour in September for about 10 days, going up
to Vancouver," says Auger. "Then we're in Europe again in November into
December: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium and possibly Poland,
Lithuania and Latvia. It's been crazy this year."
In between shows with his own band, Auger will also be appearing in Los
Angeles with guitarist Larry Coryell's band in October. "So the MixWizard
will be going to the Hollywood Bowl," says Auger.
For further information on the entire range of Allen & Heath products please
visit www.allen-heath.com.
Established for 35 years, Allen & Heath designs and manufactures
professional audio mixing consoles for an international clientele in the
live sound, installed systems and nightclub markets. Established in 2002,
Allen & Heath USA has been set up by American Music & Sound (AM&S) to
provide U.S. distribution for the British audio mixing products
manufacturer.
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Contact Information
American Music & Sound
5304 Derry Avenue #C
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Tel: 800-431-2609
Fax: 800-431-3129
Email: info@americanmusicandsound.com
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