LE KAR, INNOVATIVE DESIGN IN HIGH RESOLUTION
Le Kar, an OB truck comprising of a HD 21 m2 video editing studio and a 20 m2 recording studio came about from a joint venture between Audio Pro, RAS and Kozoom Productions.
Audio Pro, based near Bordeaux, has a long history with Midas with a rental inventory comprising of Heritage 1000, XL3, Verona, Siena and Venice consoles which has recently been increased with the acquisition of a Midas PRO6 Live Audio System and the Klark Teknik DN9696 hi-resolution recorder.
Fabrice Vella, Audio Pro’s managing director, explains the concept behind le Kar:
“During our involvement in the le Kar project we had a number of technical responsibilities. We’ve naturally been in charge of the entire audio section’s installation but we were also involved in the video studio for which we’ve designed the patching. This partnership between the three companies, all from different backgrounds, was not only motivated by a financial aspect but foremost by our joint vision of the project, an “all-in-one” system without any compromise on functionality or technology. The result is a working environment where all elements are perfectly integrated into a coherent and homogeneous network.”
“The PRO6 is perfectly suitable for all our applications; live or recorded broadcast. Its small footprint, the audio connectivity via fibre optics and the ability to generate a 5.1 mix are genuine assets for its integration within le Kar’s structure. But foremost its outstanding audio quality was the deciding factor, we’ve tested other digital consoles and the PRO6 is truly unrivalled in this area. Plus, coupling the PRO6 to Klark Teknik’s DN9696 recorder allows for recordings without any loss in the dynamics of the audio and the result is astonishing, similar to hi-end recording studios. The PRO6 and DN9696 are the perfect tools for those clients who require a hi-resolution digital copy of the recording from which they can work on straight away.”
“Since le Kar’s start, we have been working for the classical TV channel Mezzo but also MTV, the Drums Addict Festival, the classical choir ColCanto and the Arte Flamenco Festival to name but a few of our French clients. Needless to say the job specifications have been as diverse as the events themselves! Thanks to its ergonomic work surface and its intuitive operating system, the PRO6 has handled all applications from recording a string quartet to a 200 piece classical orchestra. The POPulation group function is a fantastic feature, especially in the case of large orchestration, and the 56 inputs patch bay is perfectly suited for any applications. The user defined colour-coding of the POP groups, VCAs and graphics on the TFTs is a great help with navigation.”
“Having had a long experience with Midas analogue consoles, I have always relied on their build quality and attention to detail, all of which I have reassuringly found in the PRO6. The redundant power supplies, for example, allow peace of mind when operating the console without the usual fear of losing the audio signal. The hardware is also exemplary! The quality of the connectors proves that it is a console tailored for the harshness of touring conditions. Finally being passionate about sound, I have found the same typical Midas colour and equalisation accuracy in the PRO6 as in its analogue predecessors. It sometimes feels like this console was custom made for Le Kar!”
Photo: Le Kar’s PRO6