THIS OSCILLATOR UNIVERSE

The oscillator section has vast potential for creative sound design and is Quantum’s ace in the hole. A single voice has three stereo oscillators and each can employ any of four synthesis modes.

Wavetable mode comes preloaded with over 80 wavetables covering a diverse range of spectral movements with the display providing a visually-rich means of exploration. Wavetable position, travel, spectrum and brilliance can be set to static values or easily modulated. Select from six different travel modes to scrub through wavetables. To inject drive and crunchy artefacts, wavetables can play back either Harsh or Dirty. You can create your own wavetables by analysis of samples or even a speech synthesis function (type in a phrase and it will render a wavetable of synthetic speech). Build your personal wavetable library by importing and exporting via load/save functions.

Waveform mode generates rich-sounding virtual analogue waveforms with sawtooth, sine, triangle, square, and noise (pink or white) on offer. These waves can be further shaped in a continuous fashion using a warp parameter. Additional virtual copies can be invoked in the form of kernels, up to eight deep, which may be detuned for massive unison sounds within a single oscillator. Pitch drift can be introduced yielding convincing emulation of wavering analogue circuits. A virtual hard sync function provides additional overtones based on the amount of transpose you set.

If you’re a super-saw seeker, consider this. All three oscillators can each be in Waveform mode, each having eight detuned kernels. Not enough? In the Layer settings page you can invoke pure mayhem by generating a unison stack with eight detuned voices of the above, heaping up a crazy 192 simultaneous detuned kernels.

Particle mode plays samples either in a traditional sampler player or Granular mode. If you’re considering a Quantum, Granular mode is of greater interest! After activating Granular mode, up to eight grains are available. Different travel modes can be engaged, and the pitch, length and amplitude shape of the grains can be tailored to an immense variety of sonic textures from even simple sample material. In particular, I found much inspiration by importing vocal stems from current DAW projects and twisting them into huge fluffy pads. The particle oscillator’s Granular mode also has a live stereo input function — it can granulate incoming audio in real-time! This can then elicit all manner of sonic fodder to capture using the resampling capability.

The Resonator mode generates tones based on an exciter signal which passes through a band-pass filter bank. The exciter signal can be an impulse noise, or any sample in memory. Resonator produces sounds ranging from basic plucky basses and strum-like sounds through to ethereal bell-like pads and organic, crusty alien pianos. This oscillator type is extremely versatile and invites experimentation. From my own experiments I found it to be the gateway to adding an exotic layer of spice to my patches.

My only critique of the oscillators is that the tuning range for all types is restricted to a range of only ±24 semitones. ±48 semitones would befit the creative versatility on offer elsewhere.

MODULATION STATION

Armed with six LFOs capable of audio rate speeds (up to 100Hz), even the most demanding modulation freak will be satisfied. Six waveshapes, including sample-and-hold, are available. When synced to the global tempo, speeds as slow as 1024 bars are possible (sadly, very few synths do this). A local AD envelope shape can be applied providing convenient fade ins/outs. A Slew function at extreme values will turn LFOs from BiPolar to Unipolar. LFOs may be further shaped by a Warp function, with all LFO parameters available for modulation.

Quantum’s six envelopes are the traditional ADSR fair supplemented with two looping modes. The first three are routed to the filters and the amp section, the remaining three, freely routable. While viewing the envelope screen, the on-screen graph shows a useful animation of each voice following the path of the envelope shape. The curve type can be altered independently for the Attack, Decay and Release stages. An EnveloperVar parameter introduces random fluctuations to the Attack and Decay times to simulate drifty analogue circuits. A delay function is provided, however, it is set only in time and thus is not syncable to the master clock. While the envelopes are fine for most purposes, it would be great if Waldorf’s own Blofeld envelopes (most notably its famed ADSDSR mode and looping functions) were eventually included in future updates.

Need a touch more chaos? Enter the Komplex Modulator. A pair of summed curves (variably crossfadable) with up to 32 steps allow you to carve shapes directly on the touch screen using your finger. These curves may have an independent number of steps, with each step having various transition modes (Linear, Step, Cosine, Saw and Curve). A Warp function can be engaged to further shape the output and Entropy adds random fluctuations (perfect for creating organic sounding soundscapes and drones).

If this isn’t enough, the 32-step note sequencer within the Performance section provides four additional sources which can be freely routed throughout the synthesis engine. The expression pedal input on the rear also comes into play if you happen to have an expression pedal handy. Eurorack owners will be pleased to know this input is voltage-compatible with modulation sources in your system.

Having this bounty of modulation sources on tap would be a crime without a decent modulation matrix to exploit it. Press the MOD page button and you’re greeted by a massive 40 modulation slots eclipsing all expectations. Any source can be mapped to any almost any destination parameter throughout the engine. All slots can be multiplied/scaled via a secondary source providing conditional modulations which can be invoked by expression controls, however, only one per slot. Notable destinations include switching between Wavetables, most envelope parameters and even most parameters in the Effects section. My only critique is that the sheer number of sources and destinations is laborious to scroll through (#firstworldproblems) and abbreviations are not as intuitive as you’d hope. I’m hoping a hierarchical menu could be implemented in future updates.

FILTER FACTORY

Quantum features a superb-sounding analogue filter section comprising dual low-pass filters with 12 and 24dB/octave slopes as well as saturated versions. These filters can run with either independent cut-off/resonance settings or in modes where they are coupled and offset in different ways. It’s worth noting that signals hitting the analogue filters are summed to mono (stereo output would require double the filter circuits).

In addition to the analogue filters, there is a Digital Former block. This is the opportunity to add drive and grit (drive, gain and bitcrusher), contort sounds via comb filters or further shape sounds using a wide array of digital filters. Waldorf has a long-established reputation for coding excellent digital filters and these are no exception! These algorithms are sourced from Waldorf’s own lineage — the virtual version of its PPG Wave, Largo (the software version of Blofeld) and the recent Nave software-based wavetable synth. Where appropriate, the full complement of pole options and HP/BP/Notch/LP are on offer. Digital Former provides stereo input/output so if you’ve coaxed substantial stereo movement from the oscillator section, the filters in the Digital Former block will preserve those effects.

The Routing page allows insertion of the Digital Former block pre/post the Dual Analogue Filter block or it can run in parallel to the analogue filters. Unusually, the Routing page is where Ring Modulation is introduced into the signal path. By this point, forward-thinking sound designers should be salivating at the possibilities of ring-modulating sample-based particle cloud oscillators against each other or Wavetables.

EFFECTS CHAMBER

Rather than a feature-clipped afterthought, the effects section offers reasonable sophistication. Five simultaneous effects blocks are available (with physical controls for the first three) and eight effects algorithms are on offer (phaser, chorus, flanger, delay, reverb, EQ, drive and compressor). I couldn’t find a means to change the routing of each FX block — they appear to be routed permanently in series.

The delay benefits from 10 control parameters and syncs to external clock. It’s evident a tape-style algorithm is in play when tweaking times for the delay taps. Although the reverb offers only four parameters for control (gain, time, colour and pre-delay) it sounds lush and smooth without metallic ringing artefacts. With its time parameter at maximum, the reverb tail is infinite. The chorus effect sounds particularly sweet with up to eight stages, 10 parameters to tweak and a nifty onscreen animation showing the behaviour of each stage.

For adventurous sound designers the news is good — modulation hooks are sprinkled everywhere throughout the effect parameters! The only missed opportunity here is modulation of the phaser’s centre-point.

HANDY ADDITIONS

A local preset system is available for many of the modules within Quantum, providing useful starting points for rapid sound creation. Since you can save your own presets, you can also build your own libraries of favourite settings. In the absence of a function to copy oscillator settings from one to another, this preset function provides a useful workaround.

The front panel knob LEDs have functionality beyond simple eye candy. They are colour-coded to reflect oscillator types and are used to indicate modulation sources and destinations when making assignments using the Mod button.

On the Global page, a Scope tab provides a real-time waveform display or FFT analysis. The input source can be tapped from the main outputs or can probe different module outputs within the synth. The Pitch tab unlocks Quantum’s microtuning function. Various temperaments are preloaded which may be augmented by manually entering your own scale tunings or by importing SCALA files. For musicians working outside of Western scales, this feature will be very welcome.

In the bottom left hand corner of the display, a series of eight meters show voice activity by default. Tapping on it reveals a menu providing options for it to display either a scope, analysers (lin/log) and even a useful MIDI monitor showing outgoing and incoming traffic.

PERFORMANCE SECTION

Pressing the Perform button accesses four pages of performance features. A key feature for live performers will be the Favourites function, which provides rapid access to six sets of 20 patches with each set presented as a 4 x 5 touch-matrix. There are 31 patterns on offer on the Arpeggiator page that extend well beyond traditional arpeggiation.

The sequencer provided up to 32 steps in addition to lanes for velocity and gate, and four other parameter lanes which appear as sources within the modulation matrix. Entering notes is a doddle: activate record mode, enter the notes you want in sequence and turn it off again. The module preset function also allows you to build a library of step sequences for use in other patches. Thankfully, each patch stores step sequence data locally rather than linking to a shared library. For TB303-inspired sequences, notes can be tied or rested using the touch screen.

The Modulation Pad feature provides an on-screen Kaoss-Pad inspired means of generating control data for the modulation matrix. Each axis can independently function in either BiPolar or UniPolar mode, and a momentary mode can be engaged. You can attach as many destinations as you desire to each axis.

DOUBLE TAKE

If you invest a lot of time in vocal comping, or work with performers with limited budgets — or attention spans — it’s not uncommon to find yourself short of a suitable double track when you’re up to your neck in a mix. Not surprisingly, the Double process addresses this allowing you to create automatic double tracks by modulating the pitch and timing of the duplicate. A randomness control adds to the natural variation while a formant shift produces further tonal variation. Extreme settings can be used to achieve a range of very effective chorus effects. Create an extra double with heavier modulation settings and then ride its level in the mix as an accent or to just keep things moving. I found the processing to be equally effective with spoken and sung vocals, and monophonic instrumental parts, and comparisons with recorded doubles were favourable, if different.

I could write another entire piece on APT, alone. For me, this is the process that takes Revoice Pro to another level and perhaps more importantly makes it a useful tool for anyone working with music or dialogue. APT analyses the timing, pitch and volume energy of a Guide track and allows you to apply those control sources to a Dub. Each of the three has its own configuration settings and can be enabled or disabled. Protected areas can also be defined within a dub to prevent certain phrases from being warped, and the degree of pitch and timing control can also be automated.

Sadly, the volume controls are less switchable and so if your dub has its own solo moments you’ll need to ensure both these and the corresponding guide phrases are edited into unique unprocessed regions. APT clearly owes a great deal to Synchro Arts ADR application VocALign Pro and is incredibly effective at matching spoken passages.

I found a use for the Dialog mode on some double tracked rapped vocals and the result was impressive, even when the dub was soloed. While dialogue replacement is an obvious application, I can see many YouTube performers ‘dubbing’ the timing of their preferred audio performances to the guide vocals from the best visuals in order to achieve the best of both worlds.

STAYING IN BLEND

When used for musical recordings APT allows you to enhance the holy grail of ensemble performance; blend. I found myself disabling the pitch processing and tightening up both the timing and volume emphasis of harmonies and doubles. Just like my experiences with the manipulation of pitch transitions, the matching of phrasing and level reveals just how important these other elements are. Time can be saved using one tuneful vocal to pitch others and it’s interesting how many interesting moments can be revealed within lesser takes when this process is applied. I also tried a number of experiments, using: poorly recorded but strangely affecting demo vocals as guides to warp later studio recordings; demo harmonies and doubles from producers as guides for a different type of lead singer dub layer; and percussive synth tracks as guides for similarly phrased vocals. I’m sure I’ve just scratched the surface here.

A thorough downloadable PDF manual is available but the online help document is easier to navigate and compulsory reading if you hope to get everything out of Revoice Pro 4. I’d definitely prefer to use its tuning functions as an ARA 2 embedded plug-in but hopefully this won’t be too far away for most users. While priced at a professional level, audio demos and a free trial download have been made available to help you make up your mind.

ROLE OF DSP

Jono Bailey: We set very high goals with these amps, and were able to achieve the industry’s highest audio quality and highest output power ever produced in a multi-channel amplifier. However, this means nothing unless you are able to do it reliably year after year under the most extreme conditions. Meeting those criteria requires huge amounts of processing power to ensure the amplifier is performing optimally under any mains condition or thermal situation. Features like JTM and Cycle by Cycle filtering [more later] would not be possible without processing like this. So the processing power of modern amplifiers is not only so signal processing can make things sound better, but now also plays a critical role in output reliability. DSP is here to stay.

The problem with DSP is that under poor mains conditions, where there could be a drop in mains power for even a second, DSP amplifiers are essentially fragile because they’re a computer that requires time to reboot, establish network connections, and only then produce audio.

This is one reason why many system designers have compromised their designs with the use of old analogue amps and centralising DSP or using lower-powered DSP amplifiers that can be backed up via UPS. This becomes extremely expensive and increases rack space. But they don’t want to take the risk of being exposed to mains power-related audio disaster.

The challenge for me was to build a high performance DSP amplifier that’s able to restart its audio instantly — just like an analogue amplifier. With TGX we achieved this. So during a short term power outage the amplifier never drops its network or DSP connectivity, as a result, there’s no long reboot times. This has been extremely well received in parts of the world where mains hand-off to a generator backup supply often requires many seconds of no power at the rack side.

FULL POWER COME WHAT MAY

Jono Bailey: JTM (Junction Temperature Modeling) provides the ability for the amplifier to operate under any operating — thermal or power — conditions.

Traditionally, power amps shut down or reduce the output voltage when the temperature at the heat sink exceeds a certain temperature. The idea is you have to play it safe to safeguard the electronics.

What we do is model, in real-time, the actual junction temperature inside the semiconductor components, based on the operating parameters, such as operating voltage, housing temperature, output current and output voltage. Parameters such as current and voltage are continuously measured. This approach means you get the most out of your semiconductor components — more output; more reliability.

We also use Mains Circuit Breaker Protection (MCBP); algorithms to ensure a steady and safe operation range of the amplifier’s circuit breaker and prevent a false overload alert under normal operation. The circuit breaker’s primary protective role won’t be affected. With this process, Dynacord’s power amplifiers offer maximum power at highest operational safety and optimum availability.

BELOW 2 OHMS

Jono Bailey: ‘Cycle by cycle current limiting’ allows the amplifier to safely operate below two Ohms — it actually goes down well below that. In fact, we stop the amplifier from going too much below one ohm — 0.7Ω to be precise. Beyond that we tell the amplifier to pulse the power, as it’s quite likely that whatever’s connected to the amp is on fire at that point!

96K SWITCHING FREQUENCY

Jono Bailey: We fixed and stabilised the switching frequency at double the normal Class D frequency. That way, there’s not as many intermodulations down into the audible frequency spectrum. We’ve done blind tests with golden-eared acoustic consultants and speaker designers, they can’t believe they’re listening to a Class D amp.

Class D and switch mode power supplies have known issues with reproducing really high or low frequencies and we have both those areas covered. I believe TGX represents a new era of amplification. Class D, until now, has hit a performance ceiling and we’ve broken through that.

HIGH CHANNEL COUNT

Jono Bailey: People now expect multi-channel amps. Four channels was a minimum for us.

Of course, at the top end, immersive audio and a cellular approach to powering loudspeakers is driving the push for more channels. In the mid market, and in the install market especially, people want to drive more speakers with fewer channels — the market wants lower cost but a higher output.

Features like the cycle-by-cycle current limiting (allowing the amplifier to drive down to 1Ω), while still utilising the full dynamic range of the amplifier… that’s attractive to installers. It allows somebody to run their PA into 2Ω or below and have four speaker boxes off one channel and really reduce the total system cost. So that mid-market is the opposite of the prevailing winds of the upper market, but I’d argue it’s a larger, more important market. Which is why we’ve produced technology that meets the mid-market while still providing no-holds-barred, eight-channel systems via Dante, 96kHz, full granularity, full resolution audio for the top end. So we do both.

BOSCH BEAST MODE

Jono Bailey: I’m confident in saying this: you won’t see another amplifier like this anytime soon, because I know the engineering effort and investment required to get it to market. You need a large privately-owned multinational to underwrite a platform and technology development like this. Fortunately, we’re fully owned by Bosch which happens to also be an engineering company — Bosch understands the level of commitment required and has the thermal labs and the aerodynamic design facilities that helped us map the airflow through the amplifier. We’ve made the most of those facilities that other companies just don’t have access to. They have to guess, for us it’s all science.

Personal circumstances changed, and after 20 years Gray closed down True Form and started dreaming of a studio where the occupancy rate didn’t have to be close to 100%, and he wouldn’t have to worry about getting a frantic call from a client while on holiday.

Slowly but surely, he’s realised that vision.
It started with a garage shed on the back of the property, which now houses the foyer, kitchen, control room, machine room, and iso booth. He poured an adjoining slab and erected another identically-coloured shed; it has the main live room, a second, larger iso booth, storage, bathroom and a long corridor Gray deigned to be an echo chamber. It snakes down the side of the building, with no parallel surfaces and a sculpted ceiling line that Gray fashioned out of plywood and plaster. While Gray has opened up the doors to the hallway to capture extra ambience for drum recordings, he’s in the middle of fitting a speaker to turn it into a dedicated reamping space.

Over the years, Gray has collected some incredible instruments and outboard pieces, like a ’73 Fender Telecaster Deluxe, an untouched Ludwig snare still in its plastic case for $200, an ADR Compex F670, Kush Audio UBK Fatso, and a Neumann U87 from Richmond Recorders used on countless Australian hits. Gray also custom built and soffit-mounted his own speaker boxes for a pair of Tannoy HPD-12 dual concentric speakers that deliver pinpoint imaging. His central piece is a 1978 38-channel MCI 538B console he bought off Mick Wordley at Mix Masters, with Rob Squire giving it a good work over. It’s a legendary console, and this particular one was originally built for Devonshire Studios in North Hollywood, where it tracked artists like The Ramones, Billy Joel, and Crosby, Stills & Nash.

Gray is unabashedly in love with analogue recording. His gear list is long — check out the website for the full list — and his mic collection has a substantial number of classy dynamics and esoteric ribbons to go along with his condensers. Likewise, you’re not going to want for pedals, hardware synths, guitar gear or percussion. He has Antelope Orion converters, or a Mackie 24-track hard disk recorder, depending on how you want to track, a Benchmark DAC for monitoring and an API A2D preamp/converter for the final conversion into his print rig when mixing analogue.

It’s been a labour of love and thoughtful design. Owning a studio for 20 years and having 10 years to think about your next one means you focus on the details. Like not only mic, but instrument and speaker tie lines throughout; a wired up, flexible mic gooseneck in the ceiling; and sight lines through all the rooms.

Gray completed a lot of the construction himself, with help from friends, including fellow in-house producer Nathan Freeman. The main room is devoid of parallel walls, with plenty of height for acoustic recordings, a painstakingly erected rock wall, skyline diffusors in the roof, cylindrical diffusors on the walls, a smattering of absorption throughout and large bass traps at one end. Parts of True Form, including the framing timber and floorboards, have been repurposed in the new studio. The walls have a thick, double leaf construction, with properly constructed windows and heavy doors; all designed to isolate Big Sky from its suburban neighbours. Just as you wouldn’t notice the studio from looking at the house, there are no giveaway noises either.

Big Sky Audio Productions: www.bigskyaudio.biz

Who are you currently touring with/mixing?

I’m currently working at Novatech in Adelaide. Some of the bigger shows/projects I have mixed FOH for them are the Channel 7 ACC Carols by Candlelight, Australia Day in the City featuring Rikki Lee, the National Indigenous Music Awards, the S.A Music Awards, WOMAD, Mark Ferguson and the Marmalade Circus with the ASO, The Zep Boys with the DSO (orchestra mix), Adam Page with the ASO, ACC New Year’s Eve show at Elder Park, as well as mixing monitors for all the major festivals in SA, and a host of local and international acts that pass through. I’ve also system tech’d both FOH and monitors for major acts/tours including Neil Finn, Placebo, The Seekers, Pennywise, Midnight Oil, Angus and Julia Stone, and Elvis Presley’s The Wonder of You tour.

 What are some other acts/bands you have worked with?

Cut Copy, Gotye, The Presets, Bertie Blackman, Mavis Staples, Iggy Pop, Public Enemy, MC Hammer, Hilltop Hoods, The Tea Party, Kate Ceberano, Daryl Braithwaite, Pennywise, Millencolin, The Vandals, Fear Factory, and Gary Clarke Jnr are some that come to mind. Did I mention I toured with Elvis?!

How long have you been doing live sound and what was your path to a career in audio engineering?

I started back in 1987, literally by accident. A good friend of mine owned a ‘production in a truck’ (big PA and light show) that was working for one of Melbourne’s big cover bands, Thunderbirds Are Go! — doing a lazy five nights a week. Glenn called me one afternoon and said he had hurt his back on the bump in and asked if I could come and bump out for him. He offered me $60, so I was there!

The next day he called and told me his back was still crook, and asked if could I come and bump in? ‘By the way,’ he said. ‘You’ll have to do monitors for the band. Don’t worry, I’ll show you how.’

His instruction was a simple four-step process.

Simple!

It was the fourth or fifth show I’d done when the singer, who ran the band with her stoner guitarist boyfriend, ran off stage mid-song screaming at me, and I’m quoting directly, ‘This is my f**king band, so if you don’t make me the f**king loudest **** onstage, you can f**k right off!!!”

Meanwhile, the boyfriend was grinning at me while he had his two Fender twins, which never went below nine, pointed straight at her head! Good times!

I ended up doing this gig for almost two years. I was also a musician (okay, I was a drummer) so I bounced back and forth between doing sound and playing until my late ’20s. There was too much gear to lug around as a drummer so I dedicated myself to being a sound guy, and went from loading and unloading my panel van to doing the same with big trucks and bigger gear!

The two crew I worked with for the band were also from my hometown of Frankston. Damien Young, who became and still is a very successful FOH engineer and business owner (Pony Music) and Matt Arthur, who now lives in London, and is an in-demand LD, working for acts like Pet Shop Boys, Bryan Ferry, System of a Down, Mark Ronson and Chemical Brothers to name a few.

Not bad for some bogan lads from Franga!

What is your favourite console and why?

At the moment, it’s the Avid S6L. A very handy console to have on the big shows. Being able to have some functions automate in real time, without timecode running, is super helpful, like having the choir mics duck on a 150-voice choir standing behind a 40-piece orchestra when they’re not singing was a lifesaver! I know the Profile software has a basic version of this, but in the S6L software, it has been greatly improved and refined.

I do love all Digicos, having used the D5 when they first came out and having a couple of DS00s installed in Melbourne’s The Toff in Town (one in the studio). The SD range are all architecturally great boards, and there is the Midas/Soundtracs connection as well, so they sound great! And who can go past the lovely Midas Heritage 3k? The pinnacle of pure analogue perfection.

Favourite microphone or any other piece of kit?

My personal favourite mics, that I always use on every gig, are my Sennheiser e602 (series 1), e901 and e905. You can put them on any kick and snare and, to my drummer ears, faithfully reproduce the sound of those drums. If required, you can manipulate them to work in any genre mix. You can EQ them or not, and they always sound great!

My other ‘American Express’ (don’t leave home without it) bit of kit is my Antelope Isochrone OSX word clock. Takes the smear away from Profiles, and the bark out of the Yamahas (a 5D clocked to 96k is the closest digital thing to a Heritage I’ve heard). NB: my opinion only.

Most memorable gig or career highlight?

The last one!

But seriously folks, there have been so very many, I’m truly blessed to have the career I do. Some of the festival shows such as Lollapalooza in Chicago, Austin City Limits in Texas, any of the big European festivals, playing to crowds of 40-70,000 people are some of the biggest highlights. The tour Cut Copy did with Daft Punk through Australia was amazing! But the one that stands out for me was mixing at Red Rocks in Colorado. The venue and location are spectacular and having grown up on U2’s Under a Blood Red Sky – Live at Red Rocks, it was a huge moment for the inner-child music buff in me.

Walking up the tunnel to FOH and seeing all the drawings and graffiti left by some of the pioneers and greats of our industry was totally awe-inspiring and humbling.

 What are three mixing techniques you regularly employ

I suppose I should reveal some big secret technique or trickery here, like parallel compression, side chaining the kick gate to an oscillator running a 50Hz tone, or a snare mic that’s 47 and a half degrees off axis to the rack tom, but really, it’s just these three things:

Gain Structure! It’s not really a technique I suppose or particularly sexy, but like atoms (or quarks to those quantum mechanically inclined) are to life,

it’s a fundamental that is behind almost every great mix. I say almost, as I have seen some amazing exceptions to this (Wardy and Dave Wernham come to mind).

Mic Placement, again, not sexy, but with gain structure, are 90% of my mix.

The right mic in the right place will save you a bunch of time and heartache!

And finally, to just get out of my own way and don’t overthink it! People payed to see and hear the band, not me (or the kick drum!).

What are three pieces of gear or features that have come out and been game changers for you?

I think digital consoles are the most obvious one, for me, and the industry at large. I remember the days when people first started talking about them as being a thing. The push back was intense! Everyone was convinced they wouldn’t catch on, it was just a fad. Technology for technologies sake. But just like the CD, they quickly became (almost overnight in the scheme of things) a reality. The venerable PM5D first arrived in 2004, after its big brother the 1D (2001) was declared ‘too much mixer’ for most applications, and is still one of the most reliable and easy to use consoles out there. The first versions of the Profile (2005) were diabolical at best, and extremely unreliable at worst. I remember mixing on a Profile somewhere around 2008 and halfway through a song the PA just went berserk! The FOH graphic ceased to exist, the page was just empty! I hit the dropdown menu and inserted another EQ, and it came back with my tune on it! It was like Apple vs PC. Eventually Avid got its shit together, and as all the big American acts wanted the album reproduced live, it became the must have board for production companies. Saved on labor costs for sure, and for a while, saved on space as well.

I remember laughing at an engineer carrying his Profile through the crowd at a Lollapalooza and being told there was no room at the inn as the FOH tent was full of Profiles. What was even funnier was the festival board had prime position as the headline act engineer (me) was using it, so everyone was behind me. I told them all they could use it, but they would rather carry their console out there than a USB stick!

The Dolby Lake processor was a big one as well, and of course line arrays, and digital amps. These were all massive game changers.

But for me personally, the TC D2 was the one bit of outboard that changed things for me. It was a small, inexpensive unit, that broke on the road all the time, but there you have it. I loved it! The Pattern Tap button was gold! On a couple of fly dates, when we were in and out on the same day, and all our limited excess weight and cabin baggage went to things like guitars and the like, I would take the D2 out of my rack, leave my word clock and two Distressors behind, and carry it on my lap if I had to!

How have your working methods changed since you began live sound mixing?

The main change for me is the use of offline editors. These are by far the best part of the digital revolution. In the days of yore, you would have to nervously wait for the act before to finish, the system guy (if he was any good) to normalise the console, patch in your processors, then madly fly over the board tweaking the channels (or at least the most important ones) while your band was pushing out and patching in before your five-minute line check, which all being well, you only had to tweak the gain because you’d done everything else. Then spend the first few songs fixing everything you missed!

Being able to pre-patch your outputs, set up all your DCAs and groups, dial in EQs, comps and gates, set up your FX parameters and sends ahead of time, has made for a more civilised change over!

I have found going in as the festival monitor engineer armed only with an input list and plot for 10 acts, I can have each act’s show at a point where I’m able to just open each channel, maybe tweak a bit of gain as the touring FOH guy smashes through the line check at a million miles an hour, and quickly have each player pretty comfortable without too much fuss.

The musicians are on edge as it is and are nervous about your ability to deliver the mixes they need. If they sense you’re calm and got your shit together, that’s 80% of the battle. You know going in, especially on a Soundwave type festival with rock bands, what everyone is going to want, so being able to start there, makes your day a hell of a lot better! Things like Laneway are, ahh, shall we say a bit more bespoke, but the singer is always going to want to hear themselves, right?

I’ve got library files for different consoles, for graphics for specific speakers and sends, which get me close to done on the set-up day, giving me more time to get myself comfortable and prepared before show day.

One thing I would say about being able to create and re-use show files is that I was relying too much on the show-file I made last year, or the tour before that, or with that other act I did that time that sounded really good. First of all, it’s not doing justice to the band that’s in front of me, even if it’s the same band I made the file with. Music, especially live music, is an artistic expression and as such is greatly affected by the environment and the personalities performing it. Those two things will never be the same again, ever. So why should my mix be? Of course, I’m not going to mix my metal band dub-style, but I really feel, unless I’m in a time sensitive festival change over, I try and make a fresh mix of the band that represents who and where they are right then.

I got into the ritual of just loading the last show and running with that, because it worked last night. Eventually I started to not want to make changes to it because it sounded good last night. During a long tour, I’d start to zone out a bit during the show, and that’s not good. When your mind starts to wander when your mixing in front of 50,000 people, you have a problem!

I got in the habit of having a blank show file for tour shows that only had labelled channels. I knew how to mix the band with consistency and make them sound good, it just made it fun again and kept me on point. Above all else, it gave me something to do!

Any tips/words of wisdom for someone starting out?

The best advice I can give is to look after your health; both physical and mental.

Eat as healthy as you can, get as much exercise as you can and don’t party too much. Though it’s good to blow off steam every once in a while!

A good health tip I got from one of Australia’s doyen of touring, Mr Jon Nelson, is to carry a box of muesli (he preferred Weet Bix) in your bag. Especially for all you vegetarians and vegans, getting any kind of real meal can be a nightmare. At least you can have a bowl of something to keep you going till the next, hopefully vego-friendly, country.

Another good habit to get into is going for a walk after soundcheck to find a nice restaurant to have a good healthy meal in and have some non-work related conversations with the other crew, or locals. Eating at least one healthy meal a day will do wonders for your body, but it’s the walk that is perhaps the most important. The walk will obviously do you good, physically, but mentally, it allows you to blow the cobwebs out of your mind, release the odd endorphin and revive your spirit. This is so important. No matter how tough you think you are mentally, your mind can take you to some dark places on tour if left unchecked. Mental health has been ignored by touring professionals for far too long.

Recent studies have found similarities between touring crews and soldiers, especially when it comes to PTSD. Too many touring folk suffer from a form of this and don’t even realise it. Obviously, we’re not out there fighting a war with guns, but there is a myriad of other similarities. The mind set of being in the trenches with your squad, in a foreign country, away from your family and friends, working in what is often a high stress environment, that is relentless as it is monotonous. Failure is not an option. 22 hour days are not uncommon

You’re told when to eat, when to be in the lobby, when to load in or out, when to be where you need to be, your life is essentially mapped out for the foreseeable future, by someone else and you don’t have a say in it or even have to think about it.

Not having a healthy diet and some form of exercise, other than lifting heavy things, can leave you physically and mentally drained. Your mind slowly shuts down. Even though you’re surrounded by the same people who become your family every day, loneliness can set in pretty easily. The feeling of isolation, left untended, can eat you up. And the come down at the end of the tour is massive. You’re back home, there’s no food in the cupboard, you have a suitcase full of dirty washing and no one has come by to pick it up to be washed. There is no one to tell you what to do, or when. You’re so tired that you just sleep for a couple of days. You’ve lost touch with almost all your close friends because you’ve been away for a couple of years, you start to miss your tour family like crazy, and you realise you haven’t spoken a word to anyone in almost a week. Now that’s bad enough, eventually you venture out and reconnect with your life, but then the next tour starts and off you go again.

A lot of you may recognise some of these symptoms from a two or three-week lap around the country. Imagine now six months away overseas, a year, two or in some cases, three years at a time on the road, and you can see how, left unchecked, it can become a real problem.

Make sure you foster an environment amongst the touring party that allows each of you to talk about any issues you or they might be having. Always make time for the others on the road with you. Check in with them regularly and make sure they’re okay. No issue is too small. Avoid self-medicating as this just exacerbates the problem.

And call your mother once in a while!