If your band feels like they are disconnected from each other and the crowd during a live performance; KLANG Fabrik might be just what you need as it brings back a more natural and authentic feel to the stage.

 Stage monitoring technology has advanced tremendously over the last few years with many bands adopting the use of in-ear monitors (IEM) which reduces the overall stage volume and makes it easier to control feedback and poor house mixes as well as allowing a tailored monitor mix for each individual artist. While IEMs are being a big part of our standard tech riders and equipment they are not without drawbacks.

The most common complaint is that artists feel disconnected from each other, the audience and the space itself. It feels like the listening experience has been flattened out by removing the closeness and the excitement of the performers in a traditional setup of stage monitors. When you remove some of these characteristics from a performance it can really impact the performers confidence and ability to perform to their best capabilities.  Looking at it from an audio perspective the use of IEMs effectively takes away the immersive experience on stage and tunnel it into a simple stereo feed.

While we’ve become good at adding room mics and putting together a good IEM mix, we are still can’t get it quite right to provide a natural sounding result and this is where KLANG Fabrik in collaboration with Digico has come in offering a fully immersive in-ear monitoring solution. We’ve been fortunate to have attended some training done on the Klang Fabrik and the Digico SD12 in Cape Town and what an experience it was.

Imagine watching a movie in surround sound and being captivated by the experience; now this is exactly the same immersive experience with KLANG Fabrik. Being able to create a fully immersive experience bringing back the traditional characteristics through the Fabrik.

Klang applies a sophisticated DSP algorithm to all incoming audio signals to process to give them a spatial property which is more complex than just a right or left stereo mix. For an example if you are on stage with the drummer behind you along with the backline, the KLANG system is able to process the drummers signals to sound like he is directly behind you rather than just providing the typical left or right stereo sound of normal IEM mixes.

The control of the Klang unit is fairly easy to use through its freely downloadable KLANG app available for both mobile platform (IOS & Android) as well as Windows and MAC platforms. The app also has a demo mode that allows it to demonstrate the DSP capability directly on your platform of choice with a supplied track. Although the effect and control capabilities are not as robust as with the KLANG device it gives you a good idea of what to expect.

The Fabrik has a range of I/o options with all audio inputs being digital it offers a choice of Dante, AES67, Madi or ADAT. Mixes outputs can also be routed through the same formats. While the unit has 16 balanced analogue outputs it supports up to eight of the allowable 16 mixes. While system setup is fairly easy and straightforward to setup it is recommended reading through the documentation as it will cut down on frustration of minor changes needs to be done to get it working flawlessly.

The end result of using the FABRIK is that it offers a more authentic and real-life experience than that of the usual stereo field we have experienced in the past when it came to IEMs. The Klang system definitely brings back the connection with the audience and the stage presence that is lost in the traditional sense.

References: Klang Fabrik, Klang Fabrik Product Manuals