Well known South African audio engineer and owner of Audio Logic, Marius Marais, recently purchased eight Allen & Heath ME-1 personal monitoring systems. Marais has been the man behind the audio console for many high profile events including Idols, the MK Awards, the South African Music Awards (SAMAs) and Skouspel.
The Allen & Heath ME-1 is a networkable personal monitoring system that is compatible with MADI, Axiom, Dante or Ethersound Audio-over-Ethernet (AoE) protocols. It features 16 customisable user keys, 16 user presets, a group facility that enables the user to mix up to 40 sources with 16 stems, an OLED screen for clear operation in low light, custom naming, one-knob control, a master control with dedicated three-band EQ and limiter, a built-in ambient mic, solo and mute keys, an aux input and it can be used free standing or surface mounted.
On why he purchased the ME-1s Marais said, “I have been working with the MyMix systems of which I own 24 units, and they’re great, but after doing some research I found that the ME-1s support Dante and up to 40 channels that can be grouped into 16 sub-mixes directly at the unit. Also, it has a built-in ambiance mic, which is really useful. However, more importantly, now that Soundcraft consoles – consoles that I own and use most often – support the Dante protocol, it made sense from a flexibility point of view. This has the knock-on effect of a more efficient workflow that allows me to get down to business a lot quicker.’
“Audiosure is thrilled that an engineer of Marius’ calibre has seen the value and quality of this Allen & Heath product,’ says Gareth Edwards, account manager at Audiosure. “The brand is gaining massive traction in the marketplace, especially with the new QU-series digital desks, with which the ME-1 systems are also compatible (they work with QU,GLD and iLive, and are also MADI, DANTE or ETHERSOUND compatible systems). Allen & Heath offers our customers a very high level of quality in terms of build, quality of pre-amps and features for highly competitive pricing and it’s clear that the SA market has responded well to that. Given how brand loyal the AV industry can be, it’s quite a compliment that so many, including some heavy hitters like Marius, are embracing the products.”
