KRK GoAux Trusted for Concert Series at Royal Albert Hall
Mixer Gareth Johnson Depends on the Portable Monitor System as a Reliable and Mobile Mixing Solution for Teenage Cancer Trust Fundraiser
LONDON, JUNE 6, 2023 ― Royal Albert Hall was once again the site for the annual concert series benefiting the Teenage Cancer Trust, an organization providing unique care and support for young people living with cancer. Featuring acts such as Roger Daltrey of The Who, Underworld, Wet Leg, and Jake Bugg, the task of mixing audio for the six-day-long event was given to Producer, Mixer, and Writer Gareth Johnson. Although Johnson has been mixing the Teenage Cancer Trust shows for nearly 20 years, this was the first time he relied on a brand-new solution: the KRK GoAux 3 Portable Monitor System.
“I originally wanted to try the KRK GoAux because they’re a complete reference monitor system that can fit in a bag,” Johnson explains. “A portable solution is great for me since I’m always moving between live venues, my professional studio, and my home studio. Plus, it’s good to have a system where I can have a quick listen to what was recorded from the live show. The KRK GoAux does just that. They are extremely portable, and let me know what has been recorded so I can construct mixes to check that we have everything we need.”
Mixing accurate audio for the Teenage Cancer Trust shows was crucial for Johnson. Each performance had multi-track and multi-camera recordings for live albums and other content to support the charity. “It was a full production,” says Johnson about the gigs, “and it was at one of the world’s most iconic venues with some of the biggest artists from around the globe. There wasn’t much free time because it was all systems go right from the start. The GoAux made my job so much easier; they were simple to set up, super light, and did their job perfectly.”
“When I was backstage, I was immediately able to plug the GoAux in and get a rough balance,” Johnson continues. “The KRK GoAux over-delivered in how easy they were to use and balance tracks. I streamed a 128-channel full concert straight from my laptop via the GoAux’s Bluetooth capabilities. There was no problem with bandwidth at all. When I got to my main studio and opened my mix, it didn’t sound wildly different.”
The GoAux’s features and capabilities proved equally useful backstage. “Obviously you can use headphones, but it was great to have something that I could just set up in a room and have other people listen in as well,” says Johnson. “I’ve used other portable monitors before, but none of them were as small as the GoAux. It would’ve been great to have access to something like this, at this price point, when I was first starting out. It’s so cool that these are available and exist now.”
Although the KRK GoAux weren’t available when Johnson began mixing, the now retired KRK VXT Series Studio Monitors were the first pair of professional monitors he ever owned. “As such a long-standing brand—one that I’ve had experience with for years—I’m happy to know that KRK continues to provide innovative products,” he says. “The GoAux are such a reliable and portable reference system. For a fast turnaround and high-pressure environment like the Teenage Cancer Trust shows, the last thing you want is gear that is going to let you down. I was so happy with how the KRK GoAux worked out for this project and look forward to using them on my next gig.”