Front of house engineers for major touring rock bands have adopted the new Crest Performance series CPS-1203 processor to beef up live performances around the world.

The popular spectrum enhancement system is currently on the road with Sevendust and Default, and can be heard on the new Sevendust live album, Southside Double-Wide: Acoustic Live. Sevendust FOH engineer Andy Meyer of E-Tech Systems Inc. cues the CPS-1203 to punch up bassist Vince Hornsby's rhythmic wallop during the band's shows.

"I have the CPS-1203 set up on an aux box so I can blend it into his overall sound," he says. "It has a solid, fat bottom end, and it gives me some additional low, low sub energy that I really like. I drive it hard during breakdowns when he's playing soft to get a nice underneath, sub-harmonic bass--very deep and rich and flowing."

In operation, the CPS-1203 spectrum enhancement system tracks the existing bass line and generates additional bass frequencies one octave above and below without the muddying the mix. It also dramatically increases the clarity and stereo image of the material--whether program or live, single instrument or entire mix--to add dimension, atmosphere and detail to musical performances.

Russ Giroux with multi-Platinum rock band Default uses multiple CPS-1203 systems in his FOH rig and runs separate units on aux signals for bassist Dave Benedict and drummer Danny Craig. Giroux says that the CPS-1203 adds an "album-like" quality to the mix through its low end boost and spatial imaging.

"It's nice to have that full low end on a big rig," he says. "The CPS-1203 gives me versatility and allows me to really exploit the low end of a good P.A. The Frequency Shift control really lets me tailor the sound."

It also doesn't hurt that the CPS-1203 is built in the Crest Audio tradition--that is, like a tank. "We need something to be roadworthy or it's not going to work," adds Giroux. "Crest has a solid name in live audio."