It’s not uncommon for those on their way to summer camp to fuss over what to pack. Daniel Rethwill, however, knew exactly what he was going to bring: An Allen & Heath SQ-6 console. At the request of New Hope Christian College, Rethwill, of Eugene, Ore.-based AGI Rain Pro Media, joined the annual migration into the woods this year in support of the school’s vibrant music ministry program. Transcending the usual sunscreen and sunglasses found in most camp-bound duffle bags, the SQ supported the audio needs of the New Hope touring band, which performed at camps in both Oregon and California.
“This is the fifth time I’ve done this,” Rethwill said recently while taking inventory of his audio gear at the conclusion of the tour and scratching a few particularly nasty mosquito bites. “Last year I did it with a larger desk, but when the opportunity arose this time to take a compact SQ-6, I jumped at the chance.”
“To be successful on something like this,” Rethwill adds, “you have to maintain a minimal footprint —everything we packed had to fit into one small trailer—and you have to consider the budget. Having the SQ-6 along allowed us to manage both quite effectively, all while delivering the same 96kHz sound and performance I get with Allen & Heath’s dLive consoles."
True to the lean spirit of the tour, Rethwill was the only member of the audio crew. “With Allen & Heath’s SQ4You app, the band was able to take charge of their own monitoring onstage so that I could concentrate more on my house sound. The SQ-6’s six layers additionally let me keep my important faders on top, then build my effects below in a fashion that followed how I logically would organize things on a much bigger desk. There are a number of consoles that provide the portability we needed, but none that could do what we did with the SQ-6.”
