So, I got to mix on an EAW ANYA rig the other day. For those of you who live under a rock, or do not know how to work the interwebs, here's what it is: Anya Lives
EAW claims to have broken the rules, and created a new beast, unlike any other product on the market thus far. I was intrigued to say the least.
So, I finally encountered the beast in real life. It was a warm, sunny California day when I woke up, walked off my bus and saw her hanging there. 2 columns of 10 boxes each per side. The venue was a nice outdoor amphitheater, with a very high rake to the back. I was on a profile, with a handy dandy lake. Never got a chance to see what they ended up with for system EQ, but it was set up by an EAW ANYA guy, so I imagine it was done right. Out of the gate, they seemed very timid sounding. Not in your face, not RAWK, but timid seems to be the word that comes to mind. They reminded me of an EAW KF650 on a UX8800. A little honky in the 400-500hz range, but very smooth, almost dull mids & highs. Granted, the rig was behind a scrim, so that probably had an effect on the top end. I guess you could say it was like listening to a "nice" home stereo. I ended up adding quite a bit in the top end to give me that "sparkle" I like live. The low mids were a little disappointing. They were missing that meat in the guitars and snare. I want to say the low mid section of the box was "weird," but I don't know if that describes it accurately. That big 'ol hang of boxes reminded me of mixing on a small 3-way club box(650 for example). It sounded nice, but I just couldn't get that meat I was looking for. The low end was also a little disappointing- it wasn't there. I don't know if they had the boxes high passed, but it didn't seem like they were doing much below 80.
Ok, but enough about the sound for a second- how about this magical beam steering system EAW came up with? Well, I gotta say, I was impressed. It works, as advertised. I walked the ENTIRE venue during different acts all day. Top to bottom, side to side. The horizontal coverage is impressive! Down below the hang, everything is still there, and 300' away up top, it sounds like it should. There wasn't much above 5k up top, but again, for having a flat hang of boxes, I was impressed. Side to side was a slightly less impressive story though. At the "seam" between the 2 columns, there was a nasty 5k beam. It was about 3' wide and very focused. I randomly noticed it walking out front, and it scared the shit out of me. Toward the outside of the coverage, you lost the mids & highs quick. But, again, I think these are things that can be worked out over time. EAW is on to something here, and I like where it's going.
Show time: Came out of the gate at 101dBA at FOH. Vocals sounded nice, and present(with my added EQ). I had no issues at all keeping the vocals on top of the mix. The guitars again sounded "nice," but were missing that low mid beef. Toms & cymbals sounded good. Kick was punchy enough for the terrible subwoofer deployment/lack of subs I had. My only issue was- I just couldn't get the snare to pop like I wanted. It was certainly there, but it just was wimpy sounding. Again, missing that low mid grunt. When I really laid into the boxes on the last few songs, they held together just fine. The same issues persisted at louder volumes, but it held together and no new issues popped up. I think I topped out around 106dBA briefly.
Overall:
-The box does as advertised- it's a little rough around the edges right now, but I think some DSP tweaks will solve the issues.
-It wouldn't be my first pick for a rock show, but for "lighter" material, I think it will excel.
-It's clean, and "hi-fi." Reminds me of listening to a home stereo.
-A little honky, almost "weird" in the mids.
-Comparable to a KF650 SQ wise(IMO)
Here's a little video clip I found from the gig:
All Time Low - Weightless Live @ Epicenter 2013 - YouTube
And a comparison to another gig where I was much happier
All Time Low - Outlines - Towson Center Arena, MD - YouTube
Annnddd that's it!
Evan
EAW claims to have broken the rules, and created a new beast, unlike any other product on the market thus far. I was intrigued to say the least.
So, I finally encountered the beast in real life. It was a warm, sunny California day when I woke up, walked off my bus and saw her hanging there. 2 columns of 10 boxes each per side. The venue was a nice outdoor amphitheater, with a very high rake to the back. I was on a profile, with a handy dandy lake. Never got a chance to see what they ended up with for system EQ, but it was set up by an EAW ANYA guy, so I imagine it was done right. Out of the gate, they seemed very timid sounding. Not in your face, not RAWK, but timid seems to be the word that comes to mind. They reminded me of an EAW KF650 on a UX8800. A little honky in the 400-500hz range, but very smooth, almost dull mids & highs. Granted, the rig was behind a scrim, so that probably had an effect on the top end. I guess you could say it was like listening to a "nice" home stereo. I ended up adding quite a bit in the top end to give me that "sparkle" I like live. The low mids were a little disappointing. They were missing that meat in the guitars and snare. I want to say the low mid section of the box was "weird," but I don't know if that describes it accurately. That big 'ol hang of boxes reminded me of mixing on a small 3-way club box(650 for example). It sounded nice, but I just couldn't get that meat I was looking for. The low end was also a little disappointing- it wasn't there. I don't know if they had the boxes high passed, but it didn't seem like they were doing much below 80.
Ok, but enough about the sound for a second- how about this magical beam steering system EAW came up with? Well, I gotta say, I was impressed. It works, as advertised. I walked the ENTIRE venue during different acts all day. Top to bottom, side to side. The horizontal coverage is impressive! Down below the hang, everything is still there, and 300' away up top, it sounds like it should. There wasn't much above 5k up top, but again, for having a flat hang of boxes, I was impressed. Side to side was a slightly less impressive story though. At the "seam" between the 2 columns, there was a nasty 5k beam. It was about 3' wide and very focused. I randomly noticed it walking out front, and it scared the shit out of me. Toward the outside of the coverage, you lost the mids & highs quick. But, again, I think these are things that can be worked out over time. EAW is on to something here, and I like where it's going.
Show time: Came out of the gate at 101dBA at FOH. Vocals sounded nice, and present(with my added EQ). I had no issues at all keeping the vocals on top of the mix. The guitars again sounded "nice," but were missing that low mid beef. Toms & cymbals sounded good. Kick was punchy enough for the terrible subwoofer deployment/lack of subs I had. My only issue was- I just couldn't get the snare to pop like I wanted. It was certainly there, but it just was wimpy sounding. Again, missing that low mid grunt. When I really laid into the boxes on the last few songs, they held together just fine. The same issues persisted at louder volumes, but it held together and no new issues popped up. I think I topped out around 106dBA briefly.
Overall:
-The box does as advertised- it's a little rough around the edges right now, but I think some DSP tweaks will solve the issues.
-It wouldn't be my first pick for a rock show, but for "lighter" material, I think it will excel.
-It's clean, and "hi-fi." Reminds me of listening to a home stereo.
-A little honky, almost "weird" in the mids.
-Comparable to a KF650 SQ wise(IMO)
Here's a little video clip I found from the gig:
All Time Low - Weightless Live @ Epicenter 2013 - YouTube
And a comparison to another gig where I was much happier
All Time Low - Outlines - Towson Center Arena, MD - YouTube
Annnddd that's it!
Evan
