Antonis Remos rose to fame as one of Greece’s top pop stars with his 1996 self-titled debut album and has shared stages with international music icons such as Julio Iglesias, Gloria Gaynor, Dany Brillant, Željko Joksimović, and the Gypsy Kings. His latest album, Spasmena kommatia tis kardias, (The Broken Pieces of the Heart), achieved platinum status within a week of its launch, solidifying the singer’s position as one of the country’s most popular artists. Monitor Engineer George Panolaskos has been working with Remos since 2017. He began using KLANG in 2019 and chose the KLANG:konductor for the singer’s 2023 summer tour.

Panolaskos had a long-standing interest in KLANG before finally deploying two KLANG:fabrik units for Remos’s band four years ago, which also marked the first time a KLANG system had been used in Greece.

“I chose KLANG because I wanted to combine the quality and sound of DiGiCo consoles with the capabilities of a great personal monitor system,” he said. “Having KLANG in my signal chain provides me with a powerful FPGA, , controlled via a DiGiCo console.”

This hybrid approach means Panolaskos enjoys freedom in his mixing, can utilize the consoles cueing, and can listen to the musician’s mix, adjusting it when needed. “By using KLANG, I’ve achieved a high-quality personal mixer system without the need for any unecessary AD/DA conversion.”

One of KLANG’s advantages, besides its user-friendly interface, lies in the system’s exceptional processing. “With KLANG’s immersive soundstage, musicians no longer feel confined within their headphones,” Panolaskos asserted.

Panolaskos also values the mobility that KLANG provides. “Mobility is important due to constant touring,” he stated. “Our previous setup required extensive equipment. Now, a simple 4U rack and some cables suffice. All of this comes with 100 percent better sound quality and the great user interface.”

Discussing his use of KLANG:konductor, Panolaskos said the product is exactly what he was waiting for. “Paired with the new DiGiCo Quantum engine, which is just a beast, I’ve achieved an ideal setup,” he added.

One of the primary challenges KLANG has helped overcome pertains to the large size of Remos’s band, requiring a considerable number of channels.

“For years, I’ve recognised a persistent issue with other personal mixer systems, which is the limitation on channel count,” Panolaskos observed. “When channels are limited, it becomes necessary to create AUX groups. This presents significant drawbacks. Not only does it impede a musician’s full control over the channels, it also mandates routing effects through busses. As a result, you don’t have the detail to manipulate the effects according to individual mix. This is not the case with KLANG. Our current setup incorporates a DiGiCo Quantum 338 console, a KLANG:konductor, featuring 64 inputs including all the FX returns, and the system accommodates all 16 musicians at 96 kHz.”

Beyond KLANG’s myriad functionalities, the system remains remarkably easy to use.

“Recognising KLANG’s potential, I was eager to demonstrate its capabilities to the band, to ensure they could leverage its full potential and understand KLANG’s philosophy. The system’s versatility was just too valuable to miss out on,” Panolaskos remarked.

As a long-term KLANG user, Panolaskos commended the support he has received from the KLANG team. “This is the most beautiful part of it all. Besides being an excellent product, the KLANG team is always willing to help and has conducted many seminars in Greece. I also appreciate the team’s attentive ear to my suggestions for enhancements, understanding the real requirements in the field.”

Since adopting KLANG, Panolaskos said the band has experienced a lot of positive changes.

“What everyone loves is that they can now hear with greater resolution and a fantastic image,” concluded Panolaskos. “KLANG has also resolved a common issue with personal monitor systems by balancing the band’s dynamics. I find that the musicians are much happier now because they no longer need to constantly adjust their mix.

“Overall, I’m very pleased with KLANG. The ease of using Snapshots and the convenience of multiple patches for KLANG’s outputs have revolutionised my work. KLANG represents an entirely new realm of in ear monitoring. It’s a complete solution that truly sets you free!”

KLANG