Chris Hewitt of CH Vintage Audio, a vintage audio collector and dedicated Pink Floyd enthusiast, who showcases his personal collection that includes nearly all of the original complete backline from Pink Floyd’s ‘Live at Pompeii’ and the original 1973 Dark Side of the Moon PA system at live audio events around the world, even showing up to Nick Mason’s Middlewick House Open Garden charity event, has recently published Volume 4 of his acclaimed series, The Development of Large Rock Sound Systems, which this issue prominently features the story of the Allen and Heath Mod 1 quad mixer made for Pink Floyd, as well as other Pink Floyd stories.

Similar to Chris’ previous works, this book is rich in detail. The first half of this volume specifically delves into the narrative of Pink Floyd’s original Allen and Heath quad mixing console. Chris, who meticulously recreated the original last year, recounts the story of how Peter Watts, Pink Floyd’s road manager at the time, connected with engineer Andy Bereza, founder of Allen and Heath to build the mixing desk, which eventually came to fruition and was first used in October 1971 when Pink Floyd were filming ‘Live at Pompeii.’

The book features a wealth of photos and anecdotes, including contributions from Pink Floyd’s road crew, original Dark Side engineer Alan Parsons, and an archival interview with Peter Watts from May 1973. It also documents the history of Allen and Heath, detailing their collaboration and development in conjunction with Pink Floyd.

The second half of the volume also covers the IES (International Entertainment Services) which supplied live audio equipment to touring acts in the early 70s, anywhere from T-Rex to David Bowie, and Elton John. Providing an extensive overview of what this book contains would undermine its value for readers, whether they are fans of Pink Floyd, live audio enthusiasts, or both. The book is sure to engage even the most dedicated aficionados with its rich and informative content of live music history, and Chris lays it all out there perfectly.

You can order your copy here: https://www.deeplyvale.com/wem-pa-book

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Click here to see our reviews of past volumes: Vol. 2 | Vol. 3