Professional Sound - February 2017 | Page 39

PS : Speaking to gear or software , what ’ s the most recent tool that you ’ ve adopted as a general “ go-to ” for your work with various clients and how did it earn the spot ?
Rich Steeb : The Avid S6L mixing console . With a seven-piece band and 52 inputs , there ’ s a lot of mid-range information in [ Blue Rodeo ’ s ] mix . The sonic quality of the console has really helped with separation .
Jeffrey Holdip : Often , I ’ m at the mercy of the venue , but the one item that I like to use when I can is the McDSP MC4000 multiband compressor . I utilize it on my drums and love it . I was introduced to it in the studio and brought it to the live arena with great results .
My go-to vocal mic for Tamia is a wireless Sennheiser 5200 with a 5235 capsule and 3732 receiver . I ’ ve been using Sennheiser wireless vocal mics for years with Nelly Furtado , and when the artist notices the difference in their IEM and the response of the PA is great , you have a winner .
Marc Crain : I ’ ve been going back to the early days and only using what ’ s necessary – a little compressor here and a gate if needed . Mostly , I use my collection of microphones to
help get the sound I ’ m looking for . My newest addition is a Telefunken M80 for my lead vocal as I really like the flat sound and tonal quality , and the feedback rejection is great .
Melvin Godfrey : Most recent would be plug-ins from Universal Audio . These are so close to the real pieces of gear they ’ re emulating , it ’ s just incredible .
Trevor Coppen : A long list … I ’ ve been rebuilding my outboard collection and reverting to a few classics : my Avalon 737s that I link with BSS 901s for vocals ; a custom SSL bus compressor clone made by Chris Yetter ; Focusrite Producer , which I ’ m able to clock off of my console at 96 kHz ; Grace Designs ’ M103 ; an ADA 64i Digital Delay ; Eventide ’ s Eclipse , which I run on AES lines and clock at 96 kHz off of my console ; and of course to hear it all , a set of Ultimate Ears 18 Pros and [ EAW RSX89 ] nearfield monitors . The EAWs allow me fidelity to mix during the day and have enough power to use as PFL nearfields during a concert with enough gas to get atop an arena SPL level .
Whatever your software allegiance is , it ’ s essential to have plug-in licenses available and , if budget permits , a dedicated recording laptop . Using Digico and Waves ’ SoundGrid , the
software is flexible and easy to use . Apart from the recording and archiving , it also works as a powerful tool for virtual soundchecks , show building , and editing .
Phil Hornung : Although I ’ ve been using them for years , 3D drafting programs – especially AudioCAD – are a huge part of my workflow now . Practically every event I work on now is drafted and planned before it leaves the warehouse . On a tour , you rely heavily on physical measurement tools to create a model onsite and create a design while the rigging is going up – but you only have what ’ s in the truck at your disposal . It ’ s really great to be able to do this ahead of time .
PS : In your opinion , which technological trend of the last 2-3 years has had the most significant impact – positive or negative - on your work , or the live sound industry in general ?
Crain : I ’ d say the cost of entrylevel mixers has changed the game . Because of the cost on , say , the [ Behringer ] X32 or [ Midas ] M32 , a lot of smaller venues have entered the digital game , getting rid of old boards that are harder and harder to maintain . I also see that young touring bands will have one on

Rich

Steeb

Rich Steeb is currently amidst a 30-show Canadian run with longtime clients Blue Rodeo , ensuring the crowd can extract every bit of nuance from these talented players and their revered catalogue .

Jeffrey Holdip

From guitar phenom Philip Sayce to breakout pop acts like Alx Veliz , Tamia , and Blaise Moore , seasoned live sound vet Jeffrey Holdip keeps busy and sharp mixing a myriad of musical styles .
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