The Marvels of Saudi Tour, performed by the Saudi National Orchestra and Choir, visited the Palace of Versailles in September 2025. The show included a 64-person choir, with over 250 inputs on stage and was broadcast live.
Three DiGiCo Quantum 852s were deployed at the front of house, monitor and broadcast positions, with engineers relying on onboard features like the Mustard Source Expander (MSE) and the easily customisable surface to ensure lightning-fast access to every channel.
Formed in 2021 to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s cultural bond with the rest of the world, the Orchestra has visited some beautiful venues. In 2024, they performed with the Royal Philharmonic in London, at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, and at Tokyo’s Opera City. The musical experience is intended to create a cultural bridge between Saudi Arabia and the host country.
Each show is unique to the country of performance, with each country’s style truly fusing. In Versailles, there were two conductors and the musicians played a mix of traditional Arabic instruments such as the oud, alongside French classics like the accordion, and the 64-person choir included 16 French and 48 Saudi Arabian singers.
Audio equipment was supplied by French rental company MPM, while the engineers were employed by audio solutions company Loud N Clear, a company that has a long history with the Orchestra. Loud N Clear was brought into the project by Benchmark, the event mangers and producers of the Marvels of Saudi tour, one of Saudi Arabia’s most respected events companies.
The two companies have worked closely with the Marvels of Saudi Tour since the beginning. Founded in 1985 by Roger Bou Farhat, Lound N Clear quickly made a name for itself by delivering immaculate audio for all types of professional applications, while also providing training and hands-on experience for engineers. The company owns several DiGiCo consoles, including SD8, SD10, Quantum 338, Quantum 7 and two Quantum 852s.
“No matter the style of music, DiGiCo consoles just adapt, it’s what we love most about them,” Farhat explains. “One night we might be mixing a rock band, the next an electronic festival or a classical performance. DiGiCo consoles give us the tools to handle it all without compromise. They are flexible, reliable, and always deliver the sound quality our clients expect, which is why DiGiCo fits so well with the diversity of shows we do.”
Ellie Itief, has worked with Farhat for 24 years on a range of projects and mixed the broadcast sound for the Palace of Versailles performance, whilst Erick Deeb took up the front of house position. The pair explain that although the shows vary greatly, their methods can remain similar thanks to the flexibility of their DiGiCo consoles.
As Deeb says, being part of the project has been filled with proud moments, and visiting the Palace of Versailles was a dream come true, both personally and professionally.
“I’ve used many DiGiCo consoles and they are definitely my favourite. When we’re touring, we can easily load our show onto any of them and the sound quality is always the same,” he recalls. “I want the audience to feel the acoustic of room and the orchestra, so the PA has to feel invisible.
Using DiGiCo consoles, I can go deep into details, so the sound is as natural as it can be. I can prepare with the offline software because it’s similar to working with the console’s surface. As I’m travelling a lot, I can easily build my sessions between shows, which is a real benefit.”
For Itief, delivering the broadcast sound is about recreating the feel in the room. The Versailles show had 16 cameras in the auditorium, so she also appreciated the opportunity to get into the finer details of the broadcast mix to fully share the experience with a remote audience.
“The acoustic of this venue is incredible, we both feel so honoured to work here,” she expands. “We have huge amounts of inputs, so being able to configure the Quantum 852 exactly how we need it is a massive bonus. We don’t need any external gear, we can rely on the on-board processing, EQ reverbs and delays. This tour has visited some incredible venues, many engineers would dream of being part of it!”
Being part of the Marvels of Saudi Tour has been a profound experience for everyone involved and, as Farhat concludes, having the rock-solid reliability and consistent sound quality of DiGiCo consoles has given the engineers the confidence to perform at their best, however intimidatingly historic the venue is.
“The DiGiCo consoles have really proven their worth on this tour and for a company like ours, they just make sense. They’re reliable, flexible, and something engineers really trust. Whether it’s a small show or a massive international production, we know the sound will always be top-notch,” he finishes.
“The flexibility makes managing an orchestra setup much smoother, and the reliability gives everyone peace of mind on the road. For a tour of this scale, that kind of consistency is exactly what we need. The tour has been amazing, the strong relationship and trust that we share with Benchmark is a real privilege and seeing the orchestra connect with the crowd for the first time makes all the prep and tech work done behind the scenes come alive. It’s honestly unforgettable and reminds us why we love doing what we do.”
More information on DiGiCo 852
