Every concert hall has its own constraints and peculiarities. In other words, all venues have different challenges. Therefore, conducting a residency in such a place isn’t a good way to produce a universal show… It would be akin to creating – with a pinch of salt in one’s mouth – a recipe book for people who have lost their sense of smell. There is little chance that it would garner unanimous approval. At the PARK, we offer a neutral space, ideal for preparing a concert tour.
SOUND WORK
ACHIEVING THE MOST NEUTRAL ACOUSTIC POSSIBLE
The Park is a pre-production studio with the most neutral acoustics possible, equipped with speakers designed for live shows, offering ample compression and energy.
The entire sound chain, from the source to the speakers, can be accurately worked on in an ideal setting: complete absence of reverberation across the entire frequency spectrum, a well-balanced and strategically placed system, easy communication with the entire team, and flexibility of movement.
At the end of a residency, the band can leave the studio with a mix they can be 99% confident in, making it easier to reproduce the sound in different venues. Only the final part of the sound chain needs to be adjusted from one hall to another, depending on the specific issues of each venue.
For example, during the first concert of the tour, if there’s a sensation of excessive bass in the hall, you can be confident that the issue is not with your mix because you worked on it in a well-balanced space. Instead of altering the balance or color of the bass, you can correct the PA using the matrix eq’s and eliminate the problematic spectrum zone. This correction will continue to be effective for subsequent songs as long as the initial diagnosis was accurate. This approach prevents you from making poor choices at the start of the tour, which could have arisen from a residency in a venue where you couldn’t hear everything clearly.
LIGHT WORK
3D VIRTUALIZATION OF THE
STAGE AND REAL-TIME LIGHTING DESIGN
The concept is similar for lighting. Very few venues allow you to hang lights wherever and however you want, not to mention the associated budget implications.
Instead of creating lighting designs based solely on the characteristics of a particular residency venue, we propose using 3D virtualization of the stage and working on the lighting design in real time, using a large screen.
With musicians having a screen in front of them, the creative process can involve direct dialogue with the lighting operator. There’s no longer a need to record rehearsals and then review and debrief with the team afterward.
Depending on the venues planned for the tour, a compromise can be reached that takes into account the characteristics of each venue. The resulting show will be coherent despite the differences between every hall. To enhance this concept, detailed visualizations of the larger halls on the tour could even be created, ensuring an ideal show every time.
Simultaneously working on sound and lighting saves time, particularly when it’s challenging to gather everyone for extended periods. The sound and lighting can be refined concurrently. The band can perform in front of the large screen and debrief after one or multiple songs.
Furthermore, the city of Arlon provides a tranquil environment, offering serenity during extended work periods. The onsite rooms allow non-local bands to organize their work sessions without worrying about travel logistics.