6K UNITED! Uses KLANG For Arena Shows

Monitor engineer Christian Gubalke is using KLANG immersive in-ear mixes alongside an SSL Live L550 Plus console for 6K UNITED!, a German music programme that brings thousands of children together for arena performances.

The programme draws participants from schools and choirs across Germany. After rehearsing their songs, more than 6,000 young people perform with a 19-piece professional band at each regional show. Founder Fabian Sennholz is also the project's musical director.

Gubalke, known as Gubi, runs 16 immersive mixes using a KLANG:konductor connected to the Solid State Logic console via two MADI cards. The equipment is supplied by Melodus, the company responsible for co-ordinating and delivering the events.

Melodus managing director Olli Tschotow joined 6K UNITED! as front-of-house engineer in 2019. His company became the project's general contractor in 2024, while he continues to mix front of house.

"The band can hear exactly what they need with KLANG's immersive in-ear mixes, so they play with more confidence, tighter timing, and better dynamics," Tschotow says. "That has a direct impact on the overall performance. From the FOH position, you notice that the musicians are more relaxed and make fewer requests for monitor changes during the show. Soundchecks are generally more efficient, and once the mix is dialled in, it stays consistent from show to show. In the end, better monitoring leads to better performances, and that's something both the audience and the engineers benefit from."

The productions require technical teams to bring together rehearsals, staging and arena performances for thousands of participants and their audiences.

"Every production has its own challenges, but with a show like this, the biggest one is bringing together all the technical disciplines into one seamless experience," Tschotow explains. "Lighting, audio, video, rigging, automation, and stage management all have to work in perfect sync. Since we are responsible as the general contractor, our role goes far beyond supplying equipment. We coordinate all technical trades, manage the interfaces between different teams, and ensure that everything runs according to schedule. Another challenge is maintaining flexibility. Productions evolve throughout the rehearsal process, so we need to react quickly to creative changes without compromising reliability or safety. That's where experience, clear communication, and a strong team really make the difference."

Gubalke joined the team in 2023. During the 2026 season, his work included managing mixes for 19 musicians, crew and guest artists, as well as the sound of the children. Band members sometimes move into the audience and perform in front of the PA system.

"We are dealing with a huge number of channels," he explains. "Aside from the fact that 6K UNITED! is a truly fantastic educational project, I especially enjoy working with the band, it's a blast to develop a new programme every year, especially during rehearsals. Working with 19 permanent musicians, crew mixes, plus rotating guest artists also makes the work exciting and challenging!"

The children sing from tiered seating around the arena, with the audience on the floor and the band on a central stage. Rather than fitting every child with an individual microphone, the team uses Austrian Audio CC8 condenser microphones with custom-built parabolic reflectors to reduce ambient noise and improve clarity.

KLANG's integration with Solid State Logic, introduced as part of the SSL Live V6.2 updates, allows up to 16 independent mixes to be controlled through the L550 Plus. Switching the console's auxiliary buses to KLANG mode incorporates the mixes and controls into the SSL workflow.

"KLANG was a massive help in separating each signal and creating much more space in the mix. I am using 16 mixes within KLANG, which fits with our SSL integration. The bassist and backing vocalists have stereo mixes. Our conductor and choir director Fabian likes to hear the 6,000 kids as naturally as possible, so he uses his in-ears only during rehearsals and occasionally during soundchecks. I mix everything from my console and rely heavily on the groups within my KLANG:app. The Relative Group Mixing feature is something I have always liked, and I was able to put it to very good use for 6K UNITED!" Gubalke says.

For the engineers, the monitoring setup helps them manage the demands of large-scale shows while allowing the musicians to hear what they need on stage.

"I like compact setups without too many distractions, and I think the integration with both SSL and DiGiCo is excellent, even though they differ slightly," Gubalke adds. "KLANG's SSL integration gave me the option to control KLANG's own Tone Tilt EQ directly on the console surface for each channel connected to KLANG and separately for each KLANG mix. That feature is available in the app too, but I liked having direct access so much that I simply kept other channels in KLANG even though I only mixed them in stereo mode. This allowed me to quickly respond to the musicians' requests and needs. For a show like 6K UNITED! it makes perfect sense to have greater spatial separation for everyone on stage. The six lead vocalists, in particular, were thrilled not to have to fight against one another anymore, because everyone had their own space in the mix."

"I'm always happy when a production uses KLANG because whenever it's part of a project, I know we're giving the artists the best possible monitoring experience and that's a win for everyone involved," Tschotow concludes. "When the musicians have a great monitoring experience, they're more comfortable on stage, communication is smoother, and I can focus on delivering the best possible mix for the audience. I would definitely recommend KLANG, not just because of the technology itself, but because of the impact it has on the overall production."

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