Goldfrapp engineer Annette Guilfoyle with her RME MADIface USB
Annette Guilfoyle is just the latest monitor engineer to invest in an RME MADIface USB, to help with a number of live applications. Annette, a native Brisbanian, was the long time monitor engineer for Paul Weller and has worked with many artistes including Editors and Mick Harvey (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds).
I went and met Annette at RG Jones in Wimbledon, where she was setting up to run monitoring for the upcoming Goldfrapp live dates starting in Cologne on the 23rd May 2014.
“I have a previously recorded show which I am playing back in order to do some homework” explained Annette. “I’ve just walked in on this gig and taken over from someone else, so the playback allows me to get familiar with the show and check my cues, amongst other things.”
Annette is using Reaper for playback on her Mac Book Pro. The RME MADIface USB is used to output the 56 channels to the Digico SD7 via 2 coaxial cables (MADI In & Out) where she has the ability to rehearse the show in the same you might do with a virtual sound check.
Annette continued “The MADIface is perfect as it’s very easy to set up with the Digico desks, which I use wherever possible”.
In fact, many engineers comment on how easy the RME MADIface USB and MADIface XT are to set up and carry around, making it the essential interface for recording, playback and virtual sound checks.
The RME MADIface USB also gives you MADI I/O on optical which allows up to 64 channels of I/O, and sample rates of 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 and 192 kHz. The Included TotalMix offers an incredibly versatile 2048 channel mixer with 48-bit internal resolution, which is why it’s able to deliver unrivalled routing capabilities along with latency-free submixes and perfect ASIO Direct Monitoring. And as the MADIface USB is bus powered, there are no cumbersome power supplies to get in way.
Annette makes use of RME’s TotalMix FX software to perform virtual soundchecks with material recorded from previous shows
Simply open your laptop, connect your MADIface USB and within seconds, you’re ready to rock ’n’ roll….. Well, record, playback, monitor, virtual sound check, set up countless sub mixes or convert optical/coax (stand alone). I think you get the idea!
As well as an established monitor and front of house engineer on the touring and festival circuit, Annette can also be found on the South Bank and the Festival Hall working on various shows and with a number of orchestras.
Annette finished off our conversation by saying “I wish I had bought the MADIface a while back. I’ll definitely be using it for virtual sound check and recording duties on other projects in the future”.