At the centre of that setup was in-ear engineer Julien Vouillon. He integrated FLUX:: SPAT Revolution into AIR‘s monitoring system to recreate the studio character of ‘Moon Safari’ inside each venue. Working alongside teammate Florentin Convert, Vouillon built a MIDI-controlled infrastructure. The rig automated instruments and outboard processing, letting the band play with the same gear used on the 1998 record. However, faithful recreation was only half the story. Vouillon also wanted the players to feel the actual acoustics of every room.
To achieve that, he designed three independent virtual rooms inside SPAT Revolution. A main room, a stage room, and an applause room fed the in-ear mix, powered by mobile 5.1 surround microphones. As a result, the monitor feed carried real spatial depth. “The most important thing in adding an immersive aspect to in-ear monitors is not to create an exaggerated effect, but rather to stay realistic,” Vouillon said. “The goal is to make the mix feel completely natural to the brain.”
The ‘Moon Safari’ tour hit the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens, Sydney Opera House, Hollywood Bowl, Red Rocks, and Royal Albert Hall. It closed at Le Grand Palais in Paris with a 43-piece orchestra as part of the Collector series. Notably, Vouillon’s monitor mix also became AIR‘s first-ever live album. Recorded at the Odeon and out earlier this year, it is a rare case of a live release built directly from an in-ear feed. Meanwhile, the ‘Moon Safari’ tour itself now stands as a fitting endnote for a record built around detail. More on FLUX:: at flux.audio.
Source link
