TAHITI – The Paul Gauguin Cruise Ship may be able to accommodate 320 people in luxurious style, but it doesn't have the luxury of a lot of extra space to stow a big console along with outboard effects racks. Soundcraft's Si2 Digital Live Sound Console proved a better fit with the ship's entertainment needs.
"The Grand Salon is one of the focal points of the Paul Gauguin," said Jean Jacques Canot of systems integrator Total Vidéo. "It's the ship's entertainment venue, where the crew performs cabaret shows in addition to appearances by guest artists and musicians. On occasion, bands also play when they have dance events.
"Before installing the Soundcraft Si2, the Grand Salon was outfitted with an analog console and a lot of external effects processors, compressors and equalizers," Canot continued. "Everything had to be done manually. Nothing was automated. We needed to bring the system up to modern day standards, and the sound of the Salon's audio system had to be improved."
In addition to the Soundcraft Si2 console, the Grand Salon system was upgraded with four JBL AC18/95 loudspeakers, installed in the stage ceiling as monitors.
"The Si2 provided big improvements in many ways. The stage manager and performers say their jobs are a lot easier now, thanks to the Si2's ability to store scenes and instantly recall them," Canot said. "The Si2's Virtual Si offline editor program lets users set up and manage complete shows offline, for later download to the console. "Also, we no longer need to deal with outboard effects racks, and their space, complexity and expense.
"Everyone is also impressed with the sound of the system now, especially the incredible quality of the Si2's built-in digital effects, and the ability to tailor the sound with the board's EQ and compression," Canot continued. "The crew and performers are really satisfied with the improvement in the sound. With its 64 mic inputs, 24 faders and logical layout of controls and display screens the Si2 can easily accommodate the show's present and future requirements, and is a pleasure to use."
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