Plant is a patron of MAS Records, which was set up to provide expertise and resources for the development of music, and has close ties with the community in the Kidderminster area, where Midas is based. Although Plant has attended the annual MAS event in the past, this was the first time he'd performed. This year's event was being filmed for a DVD, with proceeds being donated to the Artist Legacy Fund, an organization that provides talented musicians with support to promote and develop their work.
"Because it was being filmed and recorded, and featured such a high profile singer as Robert, MAS needed high quality equipment, and this is where Midas came in," says Kevyn Gammond, who co-founded MAS in 2001. "We have a relationship with Midas and Klark Teknik which goes back many years, and they were able to step in and provide us with one of their brand new Siena consoles for use as a recording console."
Engineer Phil Savage was recording the show from backstage. "I was conscious that I had just one shot at getting it right as it was a one off show," he says. "I was running a 24-bit multitrack hard disc system and needed a console that had guaranteed reliability coupled with high quality microphone amps. The Siena, although designed for live sound, proved flexible enough to fit the bill perfectly, and with channel outputs that can tap direct from the mic gain I would be equally confident about multi-tracking from front of house in future. Suffice to say that the recorded sound is as warm, transparent and detailed as one would expect from a high-end studio desk. Another winner from Midas."
A further Midas console, this time a Verona, was provided for front of house by PA company Stage Audio Services of Dudley. Over 700 people attended the event, which was a co-promotion between MAS Records and Kidderminster College. Other artists appearing included Backwash, Girls Love Ponies, The Murmur, Richard Pollott, King Rich, Melo DJ, Blue Juice, Carlisle Egypt and, of course, Plant who performed a set of jazz/blues classics based around the Ray Charles catalogue.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
