The Cube was developed by Concert Audio Visual Director Joe Sofo, in conjunction with Viz FX Av and Lesh FM as a recording, streaming and training space for professionals in the Music and AV industry left jobless due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Cube is located within Concert AV’s warehouse in Melbourne.
The combination of these two AV companies and a radio station has given unprecedented access to a wide variety of touring level equipment and the ability to provide a space to record, stream, express talent, practice and all while staying relevant and getting some valuable exposure during a time when everyone is locked away at home.
The audio, sponsored by Group Technologies, includes a DiGiCo SD9 mixing console which handles the front of house, monitors and the streaming audio. FOH (which usually plays to the crew and a few artists waiting to come on stage) consists of six Nexo STM Subs with two Nexo PS15s and two Nexo NX4x4 amps. Band monitors consist of four Nexo PS 15s and a handful of Sennheiser IEM systems. DJ monitors which also double as the drum fill are six Nexo Geo M10 line array modules with two Nexo MSUB15 subwoofers per side.
Whilst the lighting comes from several major brands we are not listing the specifics as The Cube is very keen to land a lighting sponsor. What we can say is that there are over 40 moving heads, 14 x LED pixel bars, Strobes, LED blinders, six colour LED pars, conventional profiles, a custom Infinity Cube, eight custom Infinity Bars, over 100 panels of LED screen, four Hazers, four 12w full-colour lasers and eight 6w full-colour lasers.
Generally, the lighting rig stays the same each week however it is always a work in progress. The staff at Concert AV enjoy variety and they don’t have far to walk to grab a few more lights or change fixtures out for something different. For example, they have just added 12 lights (six colour LED pars and static profiles) this week to better suit the bands which require a little more front wash than the DJ acts.
“The most difficult aspect of putting in this rig is space!” commented Joe Sofo, director of Concert Audio Visual. “Trying to manage the possibilities that we still may need to function for small hires, venue installations and parties while fitting a concert size stage inside the same warehouse was a little challenging. We managed to remove half of our pallet racking to fit the stage in while still maintaining forklift access to the rest of the warehouse, just in case we get a “call to duty” from any of our valued customers.”
Also challenging is deciding which acts to put on as Joe says they have had such an incredible influx of proposals and interest in using the space, however, they are trying to ensure their viewers get some variety in their streams with all musical genres and performers in our industry getting some time on the big stage.
When asked if doing this project has helped Joe and his crew to cope mentally in these crazy times, he replied definitely.
“While JobKeeper has been great at keeping some of our staff employed, their day to day tasks obviously no longer involve the type of concerts, festivals and events that they love in our industry,” he added. “This leaves a huge void in job satisfaction and the mental state of our staff as well as others within the industry.
“Many of our staff are not only AV operators but also performers in various musical genres. So this space was designed primarily to give our staff and other industry professionals a space to operate, perform and express their love for the industry at the end of a working week.”
The Cube has been very lucky to have two great sponsors on board: Group Technologies who have been assisting with some cutting edge audio gear and The Frothy Beer Club who have been providing some much-needed lubrication for staff to help bring out their inner talents each week.
