4th Sep 2012

Robert "VOiD" Caprio has been manning Front of House for Cee Lo Green’s 2012 shows, with two BlackBox Players used to provide multi-channel playback.

“With an artist like Cee Lo, playback is of paramount importance,” says VOiD. “For the most part, the material being replayed is drum loops, samples of various types, string and horn parts, plus some additional background vocals and FX. We are all very impressed with the fact that you can play back 24 channels using a system of only one rack space. The solid-state nature of the unit is compelling, being steadfast and roadworthy. I've found that the DB25 connector with XLR fan-outs makes things quick and easy to patch, even in a festival situation. That, plus the fact we're using small solid state HDs, means that they are easily connected and within minutes the units are ready to go.

Our setup is quite simple. The main and back-up units reside in a road case along with power and disk drives. We place the case on the drum riser, so the drummer (who's also MD for the band) has access to the unit in case of set changes. He triggers the units via footswitch. The set lists change almost every show and I am the one responsible for making the changes to the playlist.  We normally have a pre-show briefing where we discuss changes and I then implement them.  If a change occurs during the show, the drummer/MD will select the next song manually.

We've had an outstanding experience with our JoeCo Players and I for one would be very interested in getting the MADI recorder and using that to archive and virtually soundcheck shows."