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Immersive Klang monitoring chosen for forthcoming Hans Zimmer tour

“The World of Hans Zimmer - An immersive Symphony: The Theatre Experience” is an orchestrated concert series, touring Europe in 2025 and 2026. Featuring many soloists from Hans Zimmer’s team, the requirement for individual monitor mixes was high. Monitor engineer Thorben Stroehlein turned to DMI-Klang to deliver all the immersive mixes required.

“We started planning in December 2024, and going straight into rehearsals was intense”, Stroehlein explains. “Creating a show from scratch meant we had a lot to cover. We knew the orchestra would be large, with many soloists. Choosing DMI-Klang reduced the channel count, but the customisable console integration made it worthwhile.”

The show connects audiences with Hans Zimmer’s music in an intimate way, due to the theatre settings, the size of the orchestra and the accompanying visual effects. Stroehlein uses a DiGiCo Quantum 338 and manages four groups with twelve immersive in-ear mixes for the band. There are also ten stereo mixes for the orchestra, delivered directly. With so many soloists, it is not possible to simply duplicate mixes. The Klang system offered a consistent listening environment for the band and individualized mixes for soloists and vocalists.

“Once we started working out the input list, we knew sound checks would need to be fast and efficient”, Stroehlein continues. “With a high number of soloists, rehearsal time is tight. They don’t have space in their schedule for long soundchecks. Usually, we’ll get the main orchestra, who are using a separate stereo system, first, then move on to the soloists. But with Klang everyone was happy quickly, making the whole experience much smoother. Our process is much more like a theatre show, it’s a much more organic experience.”

“The World of Hans Zimmer - An immersive Symphony: The Theatre Experience” is a new show that presents Zimmer’s scores in a fully orchestrated format in a more connected and intimate format. Stroehlein had used Klang before and welcomed the chance to work with it again. He encourages engineers to immerse themselves in Klang and take time to explore its characteristics.

A benefit of Klang’s immersive mixes compared to a stereo mix is how they affect instrument processing. Each source responds differently, often needing less EQ and gain adjustment. Stroehlein has noticed this across the board, but the improvement is most dramatic with drums and percussion. “Shifting positions of the individual parts of the kit in a mix improves clarity and presence, but you lose the harshness”, he says. “Placing the kick drum behind the player’s head makes it clearly audible, but less punchy, this worked really well for the bassist. It blended naturally into the mix while retaining its natural impact, meaning that you also gain space for other drums, without changing levels or EQ. I noticed that if there is EQ or compression on the kit in a stereo mix, you won’t need that in a Klang mix.”

Stroehlein’s musical background helps him understand the score and create base-mixes for his artists. “I love the tactile feel of working with faders”, he concludes. “It’s easy to implement Klang because so many German musicians have used Klang before and are happy with it. For this show, the mixes have settled in very quickly, we set them once and never touch them again. With a show this intimate yet cinematic, that is a very big tick from me.”

(Photos: DiGiCo/Klang)

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