“The N-12s are VERY exciting,” reports Williams. “Each day when I pushed the faders up, we were already there. They really are excellent.
“I’d get the gain structure set up out front, send to the monitors to match that gain structure, run down to the stage and bring the amp up to the required level. I found out on the first day that turning the amp up full and starting from there was way over the top; I’d have affected local air traffic! I ended up running the amps at about 50-60% and I always had plenty of headroom.”
With four musicians on stage, needing just two mixes for vocals, mandolin, acoustic guitar, 12 string guitar and snare, Williams points out that “ahab is not an angry sound but I have absolutely no doubt that these wedges could handle a lot more than I was throwing at them. The two mixes were separated by a little more than a metre and the isolation was incredible. Given room to breath, the wedges really shine. Absolutely perfect for the job in hand. This trial has left me with the impression that the N-12 represents VERY joined-up thinking.”
The N-12s won over the performers as well. Callum Adamson (12 string gtr & vocals) called them a revelation. “I never knew it was possible to have so much directional control and clarity of my monitor mix on stage until we used the NEXO wedges, they are the best I have ever had the pleasure of using.” And guitarist and vocalist Dave Burn warned, “don’t take them to the pub or you’ll end up having to pay for a new roof!”
NEXO’s 45°N-12 monitor loudspeaker brings the benefits of line-array technology to thestage. It draws on the company’s patented Hyperbolic Reflective Wavesource which is used throughout the GEO range of high-performance loudspeakers. The design works by wavesourcing, creating virtual acoustic sources behind the enclosure itself and below the stage, using reflection rather than coercion to determine the shape of the wavefront. Unlike a conventional high frequency waveguide in which the exit is rectangular, the NEXO monitor’s waveguide forms a ‘smile’, enabling cabinets to be linked together to form arrays without interference between wavefronts.
Monitor engineers find that the N-12 design produces a very sharply defined dispersion pattern at the same time as offering a huge improvement in terms of level before feedback. The focused coverage results in lower acoustic power on stage. SPL and frequency response are consistent up to 2.5 metres back.
An ingenious magnetic locking system joins multiple monitors together, allowing scalability for both coverage and SPL level. The compact, low-profile design is less conspicuous than conventional monitors (ideal for live TV production), and the 45°N- 12 features a non-slip base with a skid system and ergonomic handle for easy repositioning on stage.