Headliner Magazine - Issue 1

ISSUE 1

MARCUS MILLER KEZIAH JONES / CENZO TOWNSHEND / X FACTOR USA FOREIGNER / CHRISTIAN POULSEN

SD7

SD7 / SD7T / SD7B

SD5 SD5 / SD5B

SD10 SD10 / SD10B

SD8 SD8

SD9

SD9 / SD9T / SD9T

SD11

SD11 / SD11i / SD11T

SD Range.

From 256 channels to 32 channels, live, theatre or broadcast - the choice is yours.

Live sound mixing is the art of combining and processing a number of audio signals together to create a ‘mix’ that the audience, or performers, at a live show hear.

This can be extremely challenging, whether you are at a festival, a stadium or a small club.

Skill and the right equipment enables an engineer to achieve this. DiGiCo consoles are chosen the world over because of their superb sonic performance, combined with ease of use and proven road reliability.

www.digico.biz DiGiCo UK Ltd. Unit 10 Silverglade Business Park, Leatherhead Road, Chessington, Surrey KT9 2QL.

ISSUE 1 | FEATURES

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ST UFF

S W I V E L O N T H IS

KEZ IAH JO NES

Headliner's brief guide to the technologies that are making waves today.

New York-based Grammy-Award winning producer, Jordan Young, reveals how today’s artists can guarantee they make the grade.

The Nigerian-born artist delivers a blufunking spectacular performance in Paris.

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LO R E N Z O BANDA

S O UND A DVICE

Foreigner's monitor man chats with guitarist Tom Gimble about the advantages of using Lectrosonics on the road.

After 35 years in the business, Tony Moore, arguably the hardest working man on London's music scene, offers 10 top tips for live performance.

18 R O A D BLOG Jerry Gilbert regresses to the Louisiana State Fair in 1972 where he was held at knifepoint searching for Bill Withers.

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A N D A LL T H AT JA Z Z . . .

MARCUS MIL L ER

DiGiCo is the dominant force at the Salle Garnier this year for the prestigious Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival.

Headliner joins the Grammy-decorated musical maestro in Monte-Carlo to talk stage, session, studio... and Bruce Lee.

ISSUE 1 | FEATURES

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12 KEZIAH JONES

ERIC L AVANSCH

26 | AR E THE K I DS A L R I G H T ?

30 | BA N GO K & BACK

38 | T H E IEM FACT O R

Two acclaimed US-based live engineers

After responding to countless dead-end

X Factor USA's monitor engineer, Jason

join a pair of first-year students from West

‘drummer wanted’ ads, 23-year-old Eric

Batuyong, talks about the challenges of

London University to discuss the impor-

Lavansch finally strhuck gold. Ten years

live broadcast and the wonders of in-ear

tance of analogue, despite its impending doom.

27 | T H R OUG H THE P U N T E R ’ S E YE S Heading to Brixton anytime soon? Check out Headliner’s guide to getting the most out of a gig at East London’s landmark Academy venue.

on, he’s banging a djembe drum for fun.

34 | CH R IS T IAN PO UL S EN We head to Copenhagen to talk with DPA's enigmatic CEO, Christian Poulsen, whose Apple-esque ethos has transformed the company.

monioring.

40 | WH AT A MES S Colin Pigott gives a death-defying insight into how life on the road with a touring band can lead to much more than changing strings and shifting amps.

42 | G RUMPY O L D RO A DIE

28 | CE N Z O TOW N SHE N D

36 | C LI V E G O O DWIN

The UK-based mix master invites Head-

The Audio Prodcution Network's Paul

a sideways look at the grim underbelly of

liner into his delectable studio facility

Mac talks to theatrical sound designer,

our industry... and comes up smelling of

located deep in the Suffolk countryside.

Clive Goodwin, about making it on stage.

canapés.

Our very own tame tour technician takes

-W E LC OM E -

6

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of Headliner is 'the principal performer'.

We've chosen to look at the audio industry from as many new angles as possible, and with a lifestyle approach, guaranteeing our partners good value, real content, and a little TLC along the way.

Headliner uses the talent to get into the technology – after all, isn't the artist the ultimate end user? Whether you're a pub rocker or superstar, roadie or session musician, guitar tech or system tech, we want to know how technology impacts your approach to your craft.

Furthermore, it's about education as well as innovation; whether you're mixing in your bedroom or you're Cenzo Townshend (check out page 28), we're equally keen to hear your tales and techniques. We talk to music technology students honing their skills at the console; grass roots bands climbing the circuit ladder; and those

that have gone full circle in the most humorous of ways purely for the love of music (Eric Lavansch reveals all on page 30).

Like any 'good idea' we've ever had, it inevitably started in a pub; and as the pints flew down, we soon found ourselves misquoting Oscar Wilde, performing dreadfully executed Churchillian prose, and, dare I say it, discussing inevitable world domination. We still do all that, of course, but we hope we're a little more focused when doing so...!

In creating Headliner, we wanted to be at the heart of something fresh, something exciting; but we'll leave you, the reader, to decide whether we've got it right.

“I have the simplest tastes; I am always satisfied with the best” Oscar Wilde, PAUL WATSON, EDITOR.

WELCOME TO HEADLINER.

CONTACT

PAUL WATSON

NICK BECK

PAUL MAC

paul@headlinerhub.com +44(0)7952-839296

nick@headlinerhub.com +44(0)7912-315139

paul@audiopronet.com Editorial Consultant

T W I T T E R : @Headlinerhub F A C E B O O K : w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / H e a d l i n e r H u b

S T U D I O Q U A L I T Y S O U N D O N

S TAG E

SET IT FREE

Wired or wireless? You decide!

With the DPA adapters you can connect your DPA d:facto II to all major wireless systems

w w w. d p a m i c r o p h o n e s . c o m / d f a c t o

Made in Denmark

Meet us at NAMM 2013, stand number 7119

STUFF. WAVES IS IN ITS ELEMENT

WIRED FOR SUCCESS DPA's d:facto II condenser mic has been designed to bring studio quality sound to the live arena. Suited equally to live and recording applications, d:facto II boasts a supercardioid pattern that provides high definition as well as high separation and a truer sound colour.

The mic has an inbuilt, robust, three-stage pop protection grid to eradicate unwanted noise, and provides an improved audio performance thanks to truly linear frequency and phase responses, both on- and off-axis. All of this ads up to high definition audio, and the accurate reproduction of a singer’s voice.

Artists and engineers can also benefit from the manufacturer's state-of-the-art adapter system which seamlessly integrates it with professional wireless systems from Lectrosonics, Sony, Shure, Wisycom, and Sennheiser; the user can opt for either a wired DPA solution or the wireless system of their choosing, with no loss in of sound quality.

Element is Waves' first ever synthesiser. This analogue-style polyphonic instrument has been engineered to deliver classic old-school tones with all the precision, ease, and flexibility of modern-day, digital synths. Powered by Virtual Voltage technology, Element boasts a number of convenient features and functions: There's an array of integrated effects (chorus, delay, reverb, distortion and bit crusher); a 16-step arpeggiator/sequencer; MIDI Learn for all controls; and a vast, tweakable preset library to choose from.

All parameters are carefully laid out, so users don't need to scroll through multiple pages when customising sounds. Whether you're after dynamic leads or thumping basses, ethereal pads or electropercussion, sequential motions or special effects, Element will deliver.

Price: $200 (Native)

ELEMENT ROUND-UP: Virtual Voltage technology • Integrated delay, reverb, and low-fi FX16-step arpeggiator/sequencer • Plugin and standalone components

D:FACTO II ROUND-UP: Natural sound • High separation • Extreme SPL handling (160dB) • Low handling noise • Flexible adapters for wireless systems

HH DIGITAL HYBRID WIRELESS Lectrosonics' versatile HH Digital Hybrid Wireless handheld transmitter is equally suited to live, broadcast, AV, and house of worship applications.

An advanced feature set delivers high quality speech and vocal reinforcement, as well as a wide frequency response and dynamic range in native 400 Series mode; and HH is also compatible with the manufacturer's 200 Series, 100 Series, and IFB receivers.

In addition to Lectrosonics' own thread-on HHC cardioid condenser capsule, additional thread-on capsules are also compatible with HH from manufacturers including EV, Shure, Blue, Earthworks, Heil Sound, and Telefunken.

HH ROUND-UP: Digital Hybrid Wireless Technology • Standard thread-on capsules Membrane switch and LCD interface • Selectable RF power at 50 and 100 mW

ROXANNE'S A REAL SIREN Roxanne is JH Audio's most impressive custom IEM offering to date, direct from the brand new Sirens Series. Equipped with SoundrIVe technology, it boasts the latest proprietary mini quad drivers, an extremely wide frequency range, and the first adjustable variable bass control IEM cable, enabling artists to shape their perfect low-end sweet spot.

Roxanne boasts Quad Low, Quad Mid and Quad High balanced armature drivers per side; user controlled low frequency drivers with adjustable bass (0-15dB); and a flat bass response up to +15dB (10Hz100Hz). In addition, it is triple bore with an integrated three-way crossover, and benefits from -26dB noise isolation.

Accessories include a personalised carbon fibre and aircraft aluminium carrying case, and a custom moulded carbon fibre earpiece tray which fits nice and snug inside the carrying case to hold the IEMs in place. Price: from $1,599.00

ROXANNE ROUND-UP: SoundrIVe technology • Variable bass control 10Hz-23kHz frequency range • High-end armature drivers

SD9 IS OFF THE HOOK DiGiCo's SD9 is a lightweight, versatile, small-footprint console, powered by Stealth Digital Processing and floating point Super FPGA technology. Designed with a 15-inch, high-res touch screen at the heart of its worksurface, it is equally suited to life on the road or as part of any fixed installation.

The SD9 has 24 touch-sensitive motorised faders and 48 Flexi Channels (configurable as either mono or stereo at 48kHz/96kHz) with comprehensive processing on each channel. Additionally, it benefits from eight Dynamic EQ processors, eight assignable Multiband Compressors, and eight DiGiTubes.

The master section incorporates 16 gangable 32-band graphic EQs, eight stereo effects (selectable from a palette of 33), and eight control groups (VCAs). There are also 16 assignable Flexi busses, dual solo busses, a 12 x 8 output matrix, and a Master buss.

Local I/O constitutes eight mic inputs, eight line outs, four mono AES/EBU, one MADI port, and two dedicated D-Rack Ports. The D-Rack is a 32-input, eight-output remote I/O rack which comes standard with the SD9.

An optional DiGiCo SoundGrid module can be fitted to both engines for full redundancy when linked to two external PC servers (such as a SoundGrid or DiGiGrid interface) to provide instant access to 16 fully integrated low-latency Waves stereo Multi Racks.

SD9 ROUND-UP:

NEXO'S KILLER COMBO

48 Flexi Channels • 48/96kHz Sample Rate • Waves Integration • Huge I/O capacity

If you're looking for high SPL at an affordable price point, the combination of Nexo's LS18 subbass enclosure and GEO S12 line array might be just the ticket. The versatile, lightweight LS18 boasts a single 18-inch long excursion driver and is compatible with any of the GEO S12 accessories: it can be flown with the S1230 and S1210 line array modules; and is equally at home anchoring a ground stack of S12 boxes. Thanks to a steel stand fitting on top of the cabinet, LS18 also allows for pole mounting of GEO S12 or indeed Nexo's PS15-R2 full-range speakers; it can be flown in tandem with PS15s, which might raise an eyebrow or two in the installation sector. Suggested applications for this combo include touring, installations, music clubs and nightclubs, houses of worship, and corporate AV and presentation systems.

LS18 ROUND-UP: Lightweight and easy to handle • Frequency response 30Hz-130Hz (a) High power system (137-140dB peak SPL @ 1m) • Integrates with GEO S12 and PS systems

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- D J S W I V E L -

My name is Jordan ‘DJ Swivel’ Young. I’m a writer, but not a journalist. My writing tends to be in musical form, so this is a bit of a new medium for me. Most would call me a producer, a songwriter, a mixer, or an engineer; I call myself an ideas man, a creator.

My story is not dissimilar to most in the music business. I grew up in Toronto, loved music, decided to pursue it as a career, went to school, moved to New York, started climbing the industry ladder, had some successes and failures, and here I am, still climbing eight years later; that’s the short, heavily redacted version.

The longer version I’m sure will unfold as this column develops, but some of the most notable elements include interning for Ken ‘Duro’ Ifill, one of the best mix engineers in the business; recording with one of my musical idols, Jay-Z; multiple Grammy nominations, including one win; and travelling the world working with one of the most iconic singers of our time, Beyoncé.

I want to keep this column pretty lighthearted, and I plan to touch on a wide range of topics and issues. It might be various trends in music, in technology, the industry, gear, artists, or something else I haven’t quite thought of yet.

Most of my friends say I’m very opinionated, and can be a contrarian. I think that’s probably true, so this will be a great chance for me to focus my nature of debate onto something more constructive, as opposed to trying to argue with someone why Kanye is not an asshole, just misunderstood. Which leads me to my first topic, since it’s been widely talked about lately…

Kanye West.

Well, not necessarily Kanye West, but more the issues he’s brought to light with his comments recently; specifically, the marginalisation of artists. I happen to agree with most of what Mr. West has to say on the issue.

Creative people are marginalised all the time;

when someone has success in one area, people want to keep that person in a box, usually for their own selfish reasons: it could be the executives not wanting to take the financial risk on something new; the fans wanting more of the same music; or the peers not wanting to let someone else into their group.

Artists should be free to create anything they want, any way they want; if I did great work in one area, what makes you think I can’t apply that same energy into something else and expect similar results? I think most of us can agree on that.

But here’s the thing: nobody owes Kanye, or any of us, anything. I hear the word ‘no’ ALL THE TIME in the music business; it’s something we get used to. Not everyone is capable of seeing our vision, or maybe they see it and don’t like it; but regardless, as creatives, we’re not entitled to a ‘yes’, as much as we think we are.

The key here is, do it yourself!

We’re in the Kickstarter age. There are so many different opportunities available to us, but it takes a certain type of personality to go and execute on those things. Whether it’s building a business, creating music, or designing a clothing line, all take a significant amount of effort; and nowadays, the idea alone isn’t enough.

Nobody in a position of power wants to risk their own job on investing in something that’s unproven, so the onus is now on the creators to come up with the business plan and execute.

For a company, it’s basic risk management; weed out the lazy ones, weed out the untalented ones, and what do you have left? The winners.

Then those winners can go and get the deals they wanted in the first place.

So take a page out of Macklemore’s book: do it yourself; build the audience; and eventually you’ll get the ‘yes’ you wanted. The thing is, by that time, you may not need it anymore…

'Artists should be free to create anything they want, any way they want'

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- KE Z I A H J O N E S -

BLUFUNKING AT THE BATACLAN P H O T O G RA P H S: FR A N C IS VE RN H E T | W O R D S: PA U L WAT S O N I've decided that Paris is like Marmite – you love it or you loathe it. This was my 10th visit to the French capital, and I'm forever changing my mind. It's aesthetically stunning, especially at night, yet if you're planning a romantic stroll along the Seine then you'd better bring a mask – the stench is genuinely staggering. But I can get past this; and even (at a push) the inevitably languid reception that you know is coming the minute you utter the words 'excusez moi' in a desperately British tone.

But what Paris does have in abundance is character and history; there's a certain je ne sais quoi about the place that does kind of 'have you at hello'. A fine example of these qualities emanates powerfully from the four walls that house the city's most esteemed music venue, the Bataclan, which has been entertaining punters since the late 19th Century.

Headliner popped inside to check out Nigerian-born Keziah Jones' guitar-slapping 'blufunk' that's been gripping capacity crowds across the globe.

Jones moved from Lagos to London when only eightyears-old, and has lived in the UK ever since. He got his first break whilst busking in London's Portobello Road in 1991 after being spotted by Culture Club's keyboard player (who penned Karma Chameleon), Phil Pickett. Rather charmingly, Pickett's son, Harry, is now Jones' tour manager.

This artist uses a plethora of [US-manufactured] Lag Signature guitars, and it takes five channels to generate the right tone from various DIs and mics that capture the sound from his two Vox cabinets (one muddy, one clean), as well as his cool percussive style.

Because all of the low mid from stage is coming from the guitar cabinets, it's a very loud stage, and FOH engineer, Darren Connor chooses not to fire any of it through the house system. He's also very busy riding the vocal fader.

“I use an Avalon 737 on Keziah's vocal and do some parallel compressing: I send it to a stereo group, then send a mono signal to the PA, which is then compressed using the

737; and I've then got a stereo group which is also compressed, and I send that to a stereo bus,” he explains. I try to process the information, then thankfully he summarises. “Basically, I end up with three channels of vocals, one heavily compressed and a grouped stereo pair.”

Connor then adds colour to the vocal using “a smooth plate reverb from the house rack”. He'd normally bring his own rack, he tells me, but for this trip he was flying Ryan Air... Enough said.

Jones' monitor engineer, Daniel Paine, actually started out as his guitar tech. He cites that as a great foundation for any monitor engineer, as he believes it helps build a trust with the artist.

“It definitely gives me an edge, and for Keziah in particular, as his tone is so unique,” he explains. “I studied music technology and audio systems design at the University of Derby as I wanted to find out more about mixing and the tech behind it; but as a musician, I can see it from a perspective of the guitarist. For example, if someone shouts to turn up the wedge, I am aware that sometimes it isn't necessarily volume they need; it helps when you understand the guitar tone.”

Jones' monitoring setup centres around Nexo's 45N-12.

"It's gobsmacking how stable the N12s are at high volume; it's the least volatile wedge I've come across.”

He uses four of them: two per side configured in an inner and outer configuration. A pair of Nexo PS15-R2s are also used as stage sidefills.

“It's mainly vocal and guitar through wedges, and it's extremely loud - one of loudest mixes on stage for monitoring that I've ever come across, which was partly the reason for going with the N-12s; they're so stable and have mountains of headroom,” Paine reveals. “We've been experimenting on this tour, and currently we are using a harmoniser on his vocal, which makes it more spatial rather than attacking; Keziah's guitar sound is actually louder out of the wedges than his backline sound in some situations, so it's very important to get the tone correct.

“What we've been able to achieve using the N-12s is the equivalent of tilting his Vox amps in front of him, because the wedge is flat enough sounding for me to do whatever I want with it, therefore we can replicate not only the tone, but the volume too; I've got a lot of bottom end in there, yet I've also got the cut from the vocal without it sounding too harsh. It's gobsmacking how stable the N12s are at high volume; it's the least volatile wedge I've come across.”

On the night, Jones and his band had the 1,500-capacity crowd jumping. His two-hour set at times reminded me of the early and funkier side of Lenny Kravitz, and his unique

CAPTAIN RUGGED When Keziah Jones approached long-time friend, Native Maqari, about a collaboration project which would fuse his music with Maqari's artwork, he accepted... mainly out of antagonism! This led to an intense period in Nigeria's capital, Lagos, where 'Captain Rugged' was born...

In this multimedia graphic novel, Captain Rugged, you've ultimately captured Lagos as a city in art form, right?

Native Maqari: Yeah. Keziah called me and asked if he could create a soundtrack to my visual art, which is pretty unusual, as it's normally the other way round. It was a weird experience; we spent three months cooped up together in Lagos with his Dad, who is a vegan, which was even harder for somebody like me who loves his red meat!

Inspiration was drawn from the two of you interacting, then?

Yeah, we used the character Captain Rugged to visually capture Lagos – and with 17 million souls living in it, it's not easy! Because there's so much African and English history in Lagos, Keziah, and I had a removed, almost bird's-eye view, which allowed us to capture a lot of its dynamism.

So what does the book represent?

I'm still so close to the project so it's hard to say, but it's ultimately a creative dialogue between me and Keziah.

We do not necessarily agree with the ready-made constructed African identity; a lot of this is about showing people if you've got something to say as a creative person, you're going to say it. It's like Oscar Wilde said: 'there is no morally right or wrong story – there is either a good or a bad story'. 'blufunk' technique was something to witness. He changed guitar almost as often as he changed key, each time offering a new tone, which also showed the true magnitude of the job Paine holds at monitor position.

“Music is all about communication, and I have a fantastic relationship with Keziah,” says Paine, post-show. “The artist and the crew are all in one bus on this tour; we're a tight group on and off stage; and thanks to the wedges, he's always in his comfort zone, too. Capturing the vibe of the band is everything, and our setup is perfect for doing that.” www.nexo-sa.com

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- LORE N Z O BA N D A-

SMART THINKING Lorenzo Banda has been riding faders for three decades for the likes of Ronnie James Dio and Black Sabbath. For the last six, he's been in charge of monitor world for Foreigner, and thanks to a cute approach to digital wireless, the band are able to replicate the classic sound they developed back in the '70s and '80s.

It's primarily a Lectrosonics setup that you use with Foreigner, but that's not always been the case...

That's right. We've almost phased out the rest of our wireless kit, and we're switching everything to the [Lectrosonics] 400 Series. Tom Gimbel (guitarist/saxophonist) was already using Lectrosonics kit on his sax and for his guitar wireless stuff, so when Lectrosonics came out with the new Hybrid Venue series and receiver we decided it was time to get everyone onboard, and we haven't looked back.

How did you hear about the Venue Series?

Through my great relationship with Karl Winkler [Director of Business Development at Lectrosonics]. My only initial concern was capsules, but then I was informed that a string of quality manufacturers including DPA, Earthworks and Telefunken all had compatible offerings. We spoke to Kelly [Hansen, lead singer] and we ended up going with the new Earthworks wireless capsule.

What are the main benefits you've realised since you made the switch?

The Venue Series is a six-channel receiver, but I have modules in it, so I have a spare and a backup just in case there's too much going on in a certain bandwidth; I can just switch to a spare receiver on a different frequency range.

We never have dropout issues, either; and we've travelled across North and South America and Europe many times.

Also, it has great functionality: normally I have about 20 channels of wireless in monitor world and I use Smart Tune, which scans the whole bandwidth of the receiver you're using and automatically gives you a frequency that you can lock into. You can even custom tune - shorten up the range so you're not getting all the other stuff on top. It gives you a full readout of what's going on, too. I don't know of another single unit system that does all of this.

What are the key things to remember when working monitors?

Listen to what the instruments are doing. You have to crawl before you can walk, so get good tones from the outset. Experiment with mic placement, and pay attention to the band members. If they look at you and you happen to look away and they wanted something then you've had it!

Also, talk to the band before and after the gig. Foreigner don't do soundchecks - they just walk in and line check; soundcheck is the first song and you have got to have it down.

They need to know that I'll have them dialled in right away.

Tom Gimbel on Lectrosonics

Before discovering Lectrosonics, I was not crazy about how guitars sounded through any wireless rig; I could hear the highs and lows were getting 'lost in translation'. I mentioned this to my friend Ricky Phillips, the bass player/guitar player in Styx. He told me about Lectrosonics and that he and Slash and others had starting using their wireless systems on their guitars. On his recommendation, I did a comparison test with a guitar on a cable, versus the same guitar through the Lectrosonics wireless. I was completely amazed how close the sound was; in a blindfold test, it would be very difficult to tell the difference!

So, ever since then, we have used Lectrosonics wireless units on all my guitars – that's dirty and clean. Additionally, we've used a Lectrosonics wireless rig with an AKG 414 on our saxes as well, which works fantastically well.

The frequency flexibility is a huge benefit and the sound is absolutely pristine, and we've never had any technical issues; they are sturdy, well built, extremely high quality units, and have handled numerous world tours with us.

If it wasn't for these guys, I'd still be using cables! www.lectrosonics.com

Any Stage. Any Musician. One Monitor.

The revolutionary NEXO 45ºN12 brings all the benefits of line array technology to stage monitoring. Incorporating a number of groundbreaking technologies, the 45ºN12 provides musicians, contractors and rental companies with a single, scalable solution to all their monitoring requirements.

Alongside the obvious benefit of a ‘one box’ inventory, the 45ºN12 also delivers extraordinary directivity and consistency of coverage up to 2.5 metres back, plus very high level before feedback. And if you need more SPL and wider coverage, just lock cabinets together to create ‘monitor arrays’.

Find out more at www.nexo.fr

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-T O N Y MOORE -

SO U N D AD V I C E P H O T O GRA PH S : RO B BL ACKH A M

Over his 35 years in the industry, Tony Moore has played some of the biggest shows in the world, as well as some of the worst dives on the circuit. In 1977 he joined a group of musicians that claimed they’d one day have a stage show as big as Genesis and would be one of the biggest bands in the world. Understandably, Moore stuck around, but left when he felt it wasn’t working – that band went on to become Iron Maiden...

In 1983, he penned Fool which hit the number one spot in Holland; and in the mid-’80s, embarked on a world tour with The Cutting Crew on the back of the band’s number one single, I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight.

Fast-forward about 10 years, and it had become apparent to Moore that there was nowhere for young and emerging singer-songwriters to be seen and heard in London, so he launched a cosy basement venue just off London’s Baker Street called The Kashmir Klub. “It reflected the spirit and ethos of the Nashville idea of respecting and celebrating songwriters,” he says.

Quite by accident, he found himself at the leading edge of a new musical zeitgeist: the brit pop and indie rock generation were ready and hungry for something new.

Over the next six years, Moore discovered and promoted debut London shows for acts such as Damien Rice, KT Tunstall, Imogen Heap, The Feeling, Tom Baxter, and Ed Harcourt – acts that no-one had heard of previously, but which would go on to be part of the mainstream music business.

Since 2003, Moore has repeated and developed that success in one of the country’s most beautiful and loved venues, The Bedford in Balham. Here, he has played a pivotal role in the careers of many of the UK’s biggest current artists including Paolo Nutini, James Morrison, Amy Macdonald, Newton Faulkner, and Ed Sheeran.

“I have been treated like royalty and been looked down on as an annoyance,” he tells Headliner, with a wry smile, “And I know what it’s like to have a full road crew as well as having to battle with shit PA systems operated by engineers who don’t care. Along the way I have experimented, observed, and learnt just what it takes to make a lasting impression in live performance and have distilled all of that down to a ‘Top 10 Tips’ that can help anyone who wishes to make a career in music and be a compelling and successful live artist, but especially for those just starting out who need some help, guidance and direction.”

1. Give a ‘Wembley’ performance every time you play, even if there are only three people (and the obligatory dog) in the audience. You never know who one of those three people could be, and your life may change overnight if the right person sees you and ‘gets’ you. I have known it to happen many times.

2. Learn your instrument, perfect your craft, and be the best you can be (that includes vocalists!) Don’t be afraid to take coaching - Olympic athletes don’t win Gold medals on their own; they never stop practicing, developing, and learning. The Bruce Springsteens, Elton Johns and Ed Sheerans of this world have done more gigs than most artists imagine.

3. When approaching venues, write an email that includes your best live videos plus well recorded (and in tune!) studio recordings. Never write a mass mail out letter (we can tell), but worse still, never cc in all the venues you have sent the same thing to - many will instantly disregard the email without even listening. Research the venue, find out who the booker is and address it to them personally. Check out the history and add flattery!

4. Have your own website. Social media comes and goes – look at MySpace and Bebo. Don’t be cheap, it’s your career; Tony Moore (centre) with The Feeling

5. Don’t ever be self deprecating and put yourself down onstage. You may be shy and feel humble, but audiences want to see confidence and charisma and will be put off if you apologise or appear to not believe in yourself.

6. When you have the microphone, the stage is yours; you are the boss, enjoy it and use the power wisely and effectively. Every gig you do will teach you something new, so practice, experiment with what you say and how you move and refine your performance. Keep what works and discard that which isn’t so successful.

7. Mistakes make friends. Aim for perfection in all you do, but realise that it is the unexpected accidents, challenges and problems that show your human side. Audiences love to see vulnerability exposed and often you will get a bigger cheer after you forget the words and start the song again to get it right than you would have done if you’d played it correctly the first time.

8. Enjoy yourself on stage: tease, flirt, and lead the audience. Classic ‘call and response’ always works if done with the right song and in the right frame of mind, and will enhance your reputation.

9. Never say ‘I hope you like it’ after you introduce a song. That is shorthand for “I am nervous and not sure if I will get your approval, so here is a disclaimer at the beginning of the song”. It is the sign of a beginner and will lead audiences to think you lack confidence in what you do; if you have nothing to say, say nothing!

10. Be a star.

12

1 8

- ROA D BLO G-

BUSTED FLAT IN BATON ROUGE W ORDS : JERRY G IL BERT

In the Fall of 1972 I was sent by A&M Records to add some UK media muscle to a newly discovered soul singer called Bill Withers, recently signed to its short-lived Sussex Records arm.

The previous year Booker T. Jones had produced the debut album Just As I Am which had yielded the hit singles Ain’t No Sunshine and Grandma’s Hands.

I was flown into LAX to capture his mercurial rise to fame for pop weekly, Sounds, and arrived at A&M’s 80,000 sq. ft lot on Sunset and N. La Brea (originally the famous Charlie Chaplin Studios) to await further instructions.

A&M were flying me on to Baton Rouge where Withers would play Louisiana’s State Fair — a mission that had disturbing overtones of the legendary Thompson/Steadman ‘gonzo’ assignment to cover the Kentucky Derby. These fears were quickly substantiated...

The flight to New Orleans is running 90 minutes late, and when I eventually arrive at Baton Rouge there is no sign of the Withers party — only swarms of rednecks converging on the State capital for their annual outing.

I am first to board the 12-seater hotel courtesy bus, but soon three neo ‘necks off the local Shreveport plane slalom across the track towards the bus, beer gripped in one hand and the other draped around their weekend squeeze.

We’re deep into Burt Reynolds country by the time I refuse to do their bitching, and return their ‘empties to the trash’.

Suddenly, I find myself staring down six inches of blue steel, hovering menacingly at my throat — desperately trying to convince them that I am genuinely British and not trying to rip it out of their ridiculous hick accents.

On arrival at the Holiday Inn, with no Withers party waiting, I am forced to join the 18,000 other good ol’ boys making the trek on foot. I've no accreditation, my only passport is an English accent which I am now polishing to within an inch of its life. But no dice.

I head backstage, where two armed sentinels twitch on their gun holsters as I ask whether these goons honestly think a Brit would fly 5,000 miles to the Louisiana swamp unless for professional reasons. But then the prayer to the man upstairs is answered as from somewhere inside the compound a voice bellows out, “Hey, that sounds like the English journalist we were supposed to meet at the hotel.”

At last I am in. Withers and I exchange pleasantries and

head for his trailer for the interval break. He pours himself a large bourbon, and starts into a philosophical riff on his new lifestyle before taking to the stage again for the second half.

The band hits that slow plodding intro to Ain't No Sunshine, and the screams begin; the rapport soon intensifies as the mellow Let Me In Your Life makes way for Lean On Me (Bill relocating to the grand piano) before closing with the mighty Harlem.

Post-show he is exhausted, and far from comfortable in his new skin. Remember, this is a man who had fought to cure a seemingly permanent stammer with the use of speech therapy; a man who had spent his adult life thus far as a navy veteran and aircraft assembler. It’s been a fast track from mechanic to megastar.

The aftermath of gigs can be strange places. Driving the after-party trend back in 1972 was ‘the groupie’. Withers has them aplenty though is clearly uncomfortable.

Last girl standing is dressed in some kind of military cadet uniform. To the singer she is invisible — an impediment to the cathartic conversation we are about to have. We talk about bachelorhood and why he considers himself to be the loneliest man in the world when he's up on stage, how he is facing up to the realities of readjustment and hoping to remain true in the eyes of his friends.

Suddenly the romantic story surrounding his discovery as a blue collar worker seems to be of little import – Sussex had the good sense to sign him and put him with Booker T. Jones, who in turn hired the right studio musicians, and Ron Moseley singled out the right tracks from the albums.

Withers himself is the gift that keeps on giving.

We talk long into the night, until one of us falls asleep something of a blessing as I have an early morning flight.

As I check out at some stupid hour I am about to leave a note of gratitude at the desk, asking the receptionist to pass it onto Bill. The reply almost floors me. “You’re too late — they already left.” It seems that he and his retinue are already bound for Chicago, and their next gig.

Years later, I returned to the A&M lot, now it with new owners - the Jim Henson Company. As a lasting memory of all the muppets I had met in the Bayou, staring down at me from the front gate was an iconic 12ft colour statue of Kermit the Frog … dressed as ‘Chaplin’s Tramp’.

"SUDDENLY, I FIND MYSELF STARING DOWN SIX INCHES OF BLUE STEEL, HOVERING MENACINGLY AT MY THROAT."

- M O NT E - CA RLO J A Z Z F E S T I VA L -

20

{ A N D

A L L

T H AT }

/JAZZ/ W O RDS : PA UL WAT S O N

P

Picture this – it's mid afternoon, the sun is shining; I'm relaxing in the lobby of the prestigious Hotel de Paris, sipping on a chocolate-coated cappuccino, admiring the décor and soaking in the chilled-out atmosphere... That's not quite true – I'm milking their free WiFi, praying the stunning waitress won't charm me into another 11 Euro coffee before I set off for soundcheck. I'm actually staying in the Novotel... in Nice.

Nevertheless, with a spring in my step, I make the short walk across the square to the festival venue – and it's no ordinary venue. The Opéra de MonteCarlo is more like a palace; its 150-yearold walls house a plentitude of very regal looking rooms and corridors, as well as the 900-capcity Salle Garnier.

As I walk in, I notice Alain Courieux walking out for a smoke. This man is a true gent, and a magician at FOH. Last time I saw him, he was juggling about 20 keyboards for Jean-Michel Jarre at Wembley Arena on his DiGiCo SD7, and this time round, he's mixing on an SD10, which I can't seem to locate...

Where's the desk?

“That's because front-of-house isn't actually at front-of-house here, you see,” he explains, with a smile. “We're in the dressing room – we call it the studio, actually, as we have a pair of Genelec 1031s to monitor the audio - and we're located two floors below the arena; it sounds crazy, I know, but it works beautifully for this gig.”

The reasoning for this setup is threefold: to respect the building's character and aesthetic; to save battling the venue's acoustics; and to keep all of the seats available. “As a punter, you don't need to be punished by the acoustics of the room; and what we get out of the speakers here is the exact sound that's coming from the stage mics,” Courieux explains. “Then we send that via MADI to the [DiGiCo] SD9 in the main room, where Olivier Moreau [of Arpège, the audio provider for the event] controls a stereo feed, the volume of the subs, and the announcer mic.”

The FOH console is packed out at 96 inputs running at 48kHz; audio is being distributed via three DiGiCo racks on site: two SD Racks and a DiGiRack, the latter is for the SD9, the former are shared between FOH and monitors.

“The monitor board is in charge of the level of the preamp - the master - and we adjust the level of the SD10 in the dressing room with the digital trim,” Courieux continues. “The SD10 is very versatile, like all DiGiCo boards, and plenty powerful for a show like this. Also, we've connected DiGiGrid, which is great; we only got the unit two days ago, but it's easy to use and it's running like clockwork.”

Introducing DiGiGrid

Using DiGiGrid, Courieux will record 92 tracks of audio tonight for Marcus Miller (bass player extraordinaire-cumGrammy Award-winning producer): a two-hour set with a 52-piece orchestra and full band; everything's going down dry so Miller can work on the material himself, post-show.

Courieux has copied the outputs from the two SD Racks to the MADI output of the main SD10, fed audio to the DiGiGrid, then sent the signal via RG45 cable to his MacBook Pro, which is running Logic 9.

“I'm using the internal effects from the SD10, which are all excellent – the only outboard I carry these days is a Lexicon 960,” he says, booting up a second MacBook Pro. I ask him what he's doing. “I

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- M O NT E - C A RLO J A Z Z F E S T I VA L -

"The SD10 is very versatile, like all DiGiCo boards, and plenty powerful for a show like this."

am taking care of the orchestra on this Mac. Using both laptops, I have control of the DiGiGrid and the remote DiGiCo control; this one is giving me extra channels.”

Woman on a mission

Backstage, Rebekah Foster, Miller's tour manager, production manager, co-monitor engineer, and pretty much anything else she sets her mind to, seems to have multi-tasking down to a fine art. “Walk with me,” she insists, so I scuttle along after her like a stage hand, concluding that she is not to be messed with.

“This is jazz – we're a family here, and we look out for each other. If I'm needed somewhere else, my stage manager will hop onto the monitor board, as he's also an engineer; and Alain has one of Marcus's audio crew mixing with him - Marcus has his own audio team as well as the core crew. We all pull together for each other here.

“Having DiGiCo consoles makes life a whole lot easier, especially with an orchestra. I love the snapshots, the control groups, the I/O racks; and DiGiGrid allows us to record the shows very easily.”

Foster uses no outboard whatsoever – she gets “all the processing she needs, and more” out of her SD10, and her channel count stands at 98.

“Our relationship with DiGiCo is great,” she insists. “Basically, we say the word and Webby makes it happen. In fact, if you're listening Webby, we need a pair of consoles to take on the road next year, OK?” And with that, she's gone – no doubt to conquer another set of challenges. Next port of call is the man at the top of the festival tree, Jean-René Palacio, artistic director of the Société des Bains de Mer (SBM), promoter, and booker.

“We have several roles here, really,” Palacio explains. “First

and foremost, it's about bringing new and exciting artists and new technology into this historic venue with the most respect we can. Secondly, it's an economic thing - when you put a big mixer in the middle, you lose seats – and you don't expect a positive reaction from your sound guy when you tell him that's not going to happen! However, Alain's come up with a great solution that everybody is now comfortable with.”

“Alain was the one who introduced me to Webby and James [Gordon, DiGiCo's managing director]. We get on great and they are now our partner here. DiGiCo is on all the riders, and we use them all year round. They're a standard for us; we always know that every artist and crew will be happy.”

Razzle Dazzle

As soon as the show begins, one thing is clear: the musicianship is entirely world class. Miller may be renowned for his bass playing, but he is one mean saxophonist too; and let's not forget his outrageously talented guests including Columbianborn harpist, Edmar Castaneda, and harmonica player, Gregoire Maret. The sound in the room is superb, and it's interesting (and bloody knackering) flitting between the auditorium and FOH to compare the two; as unusual the setup is, it's a winning one!

As I exit backstage, I ask Courieux what kind of relationship he has with Miller in terms of artist/engineer. He turns to me, stubs out his cigarette and offers a wry smile: “Marcus knows exactly what he wants; he sends us his three bass feeds – DI, mic, and amp - and we take it from there. We don't discuss sound so much; to be honest, we much prefer to talk about wine...”' www.digico.biz

MARCUS MILLER P H O T OG RA PH S : PH IL IP DUCAP

Headliner talks to Brooklyn-born Marcus Miller backstage at the Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival after the 端ber-talented multi-Grammy Award winner showed a packed house what being a musician is really all about...

O 24

- MA RCU S M I L L E R-

One thing that struck me tonight, aside from the mind-boggling levels of musicianship, was the stage sound; it sounded pretty quiet to me up there, which must be great from an engineer’s perspective, but what about for you and the band?

Right – for this particular house, which is a classical opera house, and was built to amplify natural voices and natural issues, you’ve got to be really careful because if the volume gets too big, it overpowers the house and it becomes a mess, but if you just gently place the sound into the house, it takes it and it makes it nice and big, so we really had to work very hard to focus on that and resist temptation to really hit it, you know what I mean? And it worked well, I think...

It did. And I notice you’re just using wedges on stage – is that always your preferred setup?

Yeah I’m just using wedges man, and there’s only a touch of bass in there, too; the problem was that I had to make sure I didn’t play too hard, because when you’re playing soft, you look at that energy and you sometimes stretch, looking for too much – you just have to calm down, you know what I mean?

You’ve been proficient and beyond from a young age on the piano, the bass, the sax – the list goes on... When was it that you realised music was your natural path?

Well, my father played the piano, his father played the piano, my father’s cousin played the piano [smiles]. He played with Miles [Davis] in the ‘50s - his name was Minty Kelly - so I come from a very musical family, so it wasn’t like I had a choice! I wanted to be a baseball player, an athlete, and I kind of pursued that, but at the time I was 11-years-old, so there’s only so much pursuing you can do!

And besides, music had taken hold of me by then and it felt so natural, so simple; my father was showing me chords, and every Sunday I would perform for my family; then eventually I got into a funk band, you know – it was just all very natural.

Your father was also a choir master, right?

Yes, my father was in a black episcopal church – an African orthodox church – but in my neighbourhood growing up in Jamaica (Queens) and Brooklyn in the ‘70s man, it was all about souuuuul music! [closes eyes and smiles] It was just enormous – but I’ve got a whole lot of other influences too though, man; I played in African bands, I played in salsa bands, I played in calypso bands, I played all sorts of music – a lot of straight-head jazz. I think the two main influences for me are funk and straight-head jazz.

You then became a very successful session musician.

Do you think that’s somewhat of a lost art these days and is that because of the advances in technology and the ease of programming drums and sampling instruments?

Oh yeah, definitely; it’s almost impossible to do what I did in today’s industry. I mean, I was working at least 16 hours a day in studios, all week long – in fact, come to think of it, all year long, because everyone needed musicians. Now, the only people who actually use live musicians in the pop world are people who are doing live shows where you want to see the actual energy, but with the records, the computers are doing the majority of the work, so there’s no way that you could do what I was doing, or a guy like Steve Gadd (acclaimed NY-based session drummer who’d sat in with Dizzie Gillespie by the age of 11) was doing – we just went from studio to studio and it was an amazing experience. I don’t think it’s even possible to do that today.

And we’re talking about a range of genres and indeed stars that you were playing for at this time, aren’t we – not just the jazz fusion stuff that you now live and breathe?

Oh yeah – I mean, the fusion and funk records are the ones that people noticed our names on, but I was playing on Mariah Carey records, Elton John records, Carly Simon records – everything. As a studio musician, man, you played on everything, so it was a very well-rounded education you got back then.

"his head’s come off, his arm’s come off, his leg’s come off – and we just get him back together and sit him right back on."

Then you formed your band in the ‘90s. Tell me about that.

Yeah, basically that was after Miles passed – suddenly there was nobody to be a side man with [pauses]. I’ve been a side man for David Sandborn, Miles Davis, and Luther Vandross; I’d done a lot of work with all three of those guys and I thought to myself that maybe it was time for me to step out on my own and see what I could do.

And you were with Miles for 10 years...

Yeah, off and on it was about 10 years. I started out in his band in 1981 as a bass player for two years and I left, and told him I wanted to develop as a composer and as a producer; and then I actually got the chance to come back to

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- MA RCU S M I L L E R-

J AN |14

MARCUS MILLER MONTE-CARLO JAZZ FESTIVAL him as a composer and a producer. We did an album called Tutu, which was a pretty popular album, and that was the beginning of my second relationship with Miles; it was really incredible because I got to spend so much one-on-one time with him, you know? We’d just talk all day about the ‘40s and about his life - what he liked what he didn’t like; it was kind of beautiful, man.

When I started my band, I was basically playing music that I’d written for Miles. It was all from that catalogue and then eventually I began to develop more of my own sound; I’d developed the sound for Miles, which people kind of recognised I had a huge hand in, so I started from that and then began to build on it.

Is there anything you carry with you when you’re on the road - something that you absolutely cannot be without? I know how musicians can be superstitious...!

You mentioned Luther Vandross – I know you produced many of his albums; I’m intrigued... what was his vocal chain in the studio?

Bruce Lee; and my roadie put it on the amp, and it was so cool, man, as Bruce was kind of overseeing the festivities!

But, you know how it is, this was 2005 man, so it’s been sitting on the amp for eight years – his head’s come off, his arm’s come off, his leg’s come off – and we just get him back together and sit him right back on; Bruce presides over everything...

His vocal chain was pretty simple: I used an [AKG] C414 microphone and just some compression – Ray Bardani was the engineer for most of the stuff we did, and he did a great job. The C414 is traditionally a pretty bright microphone, but because his voice was so round, it just accented the airy part of his voice which he was a master of utilising... Then I’d just EQ it based on whatever the song was.

I didn’t use too much compression on Luther – it was more a case of riding it, you know? When we first made the records there was no automation, so we just had like, choreography! I was the youngest guy so I was the one that had to run from track 24 and bar 17 to track one and bar 105, and I was running around catching all of these things, plugging in the compressor right in the middle of mixing [laughs]. Put it this way, when automation came along, it made the recording process a lot easier!

[smiles] You know what, I do. I have a Bruce Lee doll! I have a song called Bruce Lee on an album, Silver Rain, from 2005, and a Japanese fan gave me this action figure of

"I’ll never move from Fender... it was my sound and it always will be."

What’s the one piece of kit you just can’t be without?

I’ve been playing the same bass since I was 17-years-old: my Fender Jazz 1977 with the Bartolini pick-up. It’s got a bad-ass bridge, and everything else is stock. I’ll never move from Fender; a lot of people did, but for me, it was my sound and it always will be. And all my favourite bass players have always had one kind of bass that they played, so it has never appealed to me to switch it. I use that with my EBS amp and two cabinets, and for me, that’s perfect.

A nice, natural sound is what I’m all about.

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-AR E TH E KI D S A L RI GH T ? -

ARE THE KIDS ALRIGHT? As analogue consoles continue to fade away, are we in danger of losing our technological roots? How can the next generation benefit from the digital evolution when some of them don't know their patch bays from their elbows; and can you really EQ a show using only your eyes?

Digital technology has got much better, and things now sound much warmer and natural, which is what the musicians want,” says US-born live engineer, Don Holder, who studied electronics and has worked with artists as diverse as Whitney Houston and Busta Rhymes. “Having the house EQ or monitor EQ all in one console with quick access really is the most amazing thing, but the main problem is seeing young kids trying to learn digital that have no concept of how analogue is set up.”

This is a view shared by Rebekah Foster, who founded her own firm, Ujima Sound Productions Ltd., in 1987, and has worked monitors and tour managed for a string of international artists since.

“We were doing a show at Cologne Music Hall, and the venue only had analogue consoles. The day before the show, the engineers working with a big group that I won't name, both in their late 20s, had no idea what to do with the console,” she explains.

“They'd never used analogue before, so couldn't operate anything. We had to walk both of them through it; and for me, that is a massive concern.”

So what's the answer, then? Holder claims that in five years, nobody will use analogue, yet believes there's still value in youngsters getting hands-on with the kit where possible; and “if a console lays stuff out similar to how a rack piece would, perhaps they would understand it better”.

“Or take away the visual, then they'd have to use their ears; now there's a novel thought,” adds Foster, with a chuckle. “But if you can't hear how to EQ something, yet you can look at it and think you can EQ it, then there's something fundamentally wrong there. Signal flow has to flow; from a to b, b to c, c to d, and so on.

“My company is all about collective working responsibility so we have a lot of interns and young kids; we bring them out on the road from time to time, and if they freak out we say 'hold on, stop the sound; count to where it has to go, and find out where the bad link in the chain is.' They have to learn you can't go from b straight to z.”

On the flip-side, two potential 'next generation' engineers with their heads firmly screwed on are Adel Hossien Zadeh Nasser (pictured) and Harmeet Rajbans, first-year students at West London University. Both

are studying a three-year music tech course (roughly 300 people, 70% male), and year one concentrates solely on analogue technology.

“At college it was all about digital, but now we're working with a range of analogue desks; I know it's dying out, but it's still really important, as the people that have been in the industry for so long learnt on analogue,” says Nasser. “The first semester was about the fundamentals of sound and now we're onto studio techniques; the course isn't cheap (£8,700 per annum) – actually it is for me, as I got in on a scholarship! But whatever the case, I think it's worth it.”

Rabjans concurs, and explains that one major benefit is that the course's lecturers and mix engineers are all still active in the industry.

“It makes you want to go to university, which you can't say about every course,” he says, with a big smile. “We work with real examples of engineers' past production scenarios as well as future ones, which is really rewarding to know; and although ours is a studio-centric course, the university is bringing in another one to focus on live, which is fantastic.”

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-T HR O U GH A PU N T E RS E Y E S -

THROUGH THE PUNTER'S EYES

ALL RISE FOR THE ACAD EMY

Nick Beck surveys what's great and what's not at one of London's most famous venues.

My first trip to the Academy was well before Brixton had a village, a refurbished underground, and a reputation for a hipster hang out. Although it has kept some of the grime and grit that gives the area character, as with many inner London areas, gentrification has occurred and brought in a different vibe. Whether that is a good thing or bad is a different matter, however there are a few things in Brixton that do still stand tall: Ritzy’s cinema, St Mathew’s Church, and Brixton Academy.

Sitting upstairs in the theatre-style landscape watching The Roots was a glorious experience as a young impressionable person - and impressed I was.

Over the years, I have encountered many of my favourite artists donning the stage with a façade that would not look out of place in a Venetian square, which is a charming aspect while beer is thrown all over your head as you jump all over the place listening to Hot Chip!

My love for the Academy became an infatuation after my first experience downstairs on the floor during a One Nation event. I am not sure if it was the music, the atmosphere, the superbly designed sound system. or whatever was in the water that night, but from 11pm until 5am, I raved with other revellers in a Mecca of sound.

Here are a few pointers about Brixton Academy:

1. Don’t take a coat unless you are going to wear it throughout the gig or tie it round your waist; the queue for the cloakroom is longer than the one that develops outside the venue. Someone who works at the venue once became the owner of a lovely Parker jacket, as I couldn’t be bothered to queue after watching Razorlight.

2. Who let the dogs out? Security is present; it' s fair, and they do have dogs, depending on the event, so just

take necessary precautions if you’re that way inclined.

3. Beverage selection. Similar to most venues, it’s OK, and prices won’t break the bank, but you don’t go there for cask ale and fine wine.

4. Bars. Be prepared to queue. Or push in. Both happen very regularly and you either get annoyed by people pushing in or annoy people by pushing in. Either way it will take about 15 minutes to get served.

5. Food. Apparently they serve food but food is not something I have ever desired whilst being there.

6. Toilets. This is one of those times when it helps to be a bloke - or woman who has no issues walking into the gents. The ladies queue runs parallel to the cloakroom queue and is of similar length where as the mens has barely any queue except for one of women waiting for a cubicle. A ‘no sharing cubicle policy’ is in place, but overlooked.

7. Where to stand. Avoid upstairs because it’s all about being downstairs!

The floor has a rake which means even at the back you can see clearly, but the best places are to left or right of FOH, a touch forward where railings run along.

8. Getting home. Brixton is well connected by public transport and there are plenty of watering holes to fall into if your gig doesn’t go on all night.

I stood watching Disclosure recently and started to think about this piece. I watched two guys, 10 years my junior, living the dream and playing to a full house, looking out at a crowd of about the same age. Many of them were clearly experiencing the Academy in full swing for the first time - some were certainly regulars, perhaps getting more involved than they did the last time; but not one wasn’t having the time of their life for two hours of escapism. So, whether its Faithless or Florence and the Machine, Basement Jaxx or Jurassic 5, experience the Academy for what it is: one the best, biggest intimate music venues London has to offer.

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- C E N Z O T O WN SH E N D -

MIX MASTER

Paul Watson talks to Cenzo Townshend - the master of mastering, talks tricks of the trade with Headliner.

Although Cenzo Townshend won't need an introduction to many, for those that aren't aware, the man is arguably the go-to mix engineer this side of the atlantic.

His career began in the late '80s at London's Trident Studios where he worked as assistant to Mark 'Spike' Stent, who he still hails to this day as “the best mix engineer on the planet.” Then, after working independently with Ian Broudie for eight years, he teamed up with Stephen Street (Blur, The Smiths) at The Bunker in Olympic Studios, where he retained residency until it closed its doors in 2009.

A two-year stint at Metropolis followed, but today, Townshend works out of his own Decoy Studio in Woodbridge – a quite delectable facility, acoustically treated by White Mark Limited, which boasts stunning views of the Suffolk countryside. He's even got a lake. Jealous? Yes. On my arrival, he is busy editing a passage of audio on Pro Tools, so I'm handed a brew by his assistant of four years, Sean Julliard, and offered a seat on the sofa, from which I study in awe the bundles of analogue kit that surrounds me. Kid in a sweet shop.

Cenzo is in the zone; he's sitting at his 56channel SSL G Series console listening to the same four bars over and over, switching between a pair of Focal SM9s, his trusted Yamaha NS10s (“they'll never go away,” he insists), and a little digital radio. Evidently, this is a proven routine.

“I can listen to the radio for long periods of time; it's for balancing and putting the shape of the song together,” he explains. “Then I can go

onto my Focals to check the bottom end is all fine; they are very accurate, non-fatiguing speakers, and much bigger than they look. If I need to check out any really low frequencies, I've also got my big ATCs.” Townshend has two Pro Tools 64 HDX systems as well as Logic. Often, files will be sent to him in Logic, and are then bounced out to be mixed in Pro Tools.

“If I'm only sent the raw files and something's happened in the process and caused a problem, it's often difficult to find someone to re-bounce it, so it's safer this way,” Townshend reveals.

“Also, it gives us much more control, and it helps us keep the integrity of the track.”

I spy Pultecs, Urei 1176s and LA3As, Distressors, three Neve 33609 stereo compressors, Summit EQs, NTI EQs, SSL compressors – you name it, he's got it. But how much does he still use?

“Oh, 90 percent of it, but I'm also a big fan of Waves plugins – I use them daily and on every song,” Townshend replies, pulling some up on his monitor. “What I like about the Waves philosophy is there are lots of plugins that people will immediately recognise, like a clone of an 1176, or a Fairchild, but there are also plugins that don't exist in hardware form that do specific jobs. You can be almost surgical when using Waves, as opposed to merely colouring the sound.

“Waves is just a very astute company. Their bass management plugins are amazing, so are the de-essers – in fact, all of the dynamic plugins are

phenomenal. But I really love the Manny Marroquin [Signature Series] plugins; they're just revolutionary in the way they work. What I embrace about them is that it's not an analogue feel; the EQ is very musical, and there are all sorts of incredible multiband compressors. You don't have that level of control and flexibility with analogue.”

According to Townshend, mix engineers have “never had it so good” as analogue can still be used for what it's best at, and for everything else, he's got his Waves gear. Interestingly, he uses the SSL G bundle all the time, even though he's got the console in his mix room! “Why?” I ask.

“Because it's so good,” he replies, with a smile. “Although it sounds very similar, I really don't care that it doesn't sound exactly the same; I'm not going to sit there and A/B between the two of them. As long as you can do things fast, you can manipulate the sound as I would with my SSL G, and that's all I ask for.

Cenzo on recording...

I love setting up the band before recording; any interaction with them will set you on the right road. It's also about the sound, of course, but if you've got a drummer sat there for

"WORKING WITH PEOPLE LIKE STEPHEN STREET, IAN BROUDIE AND U2 TAUGHT ME TO BE QUICK AND NOT MESS ABOUT." two days while you're trying to get a drum sound, by the time it gets to day three he's not going to play it very well!

Snare drum sounds are rarely life or death, trust me!

It's the same with a vocalist. Don't sit there trying 17 mics over two days; don't even spend two hours on mic selection. Get two good mics and decide together what sounds best. As long as it doesn't sound horrendous, then it'll work.

And don't labour it, because a) you'll knacker the singer's voice, and b) the singer really won't want to give you a good performance after that!

Working with people like Stephen Street, Ian Broudie, and U2 taught me to be quick, not mess about. Don't indulge your quest to find the perfect vocal sound; it's all about keeping people happy and translating what they want to play and put it to tape – or to DAW, I should say! Capture the performance, make good decisions, and commit.

Cenzo on mixing...

Mixing is a much more personal thing. You're on your own a lot more, so you can spend more time visualising and seeing what will and won't work. If it doesn't work, that's OK; scrap it and start again.

These days, people try new things purely because they can – if the mix isn't working then fine, but don't get stuck on

revision eight, just because the artist is exploring avenues.

You want them to be happy with the record, but at some point you have to draw the line as it will have a knock-on effect on your other projects. Listen to the song first, then keep it simple; get the balance right and get it to work, and do as little as possible to the sound to start with. From there, get creative!

The bigger the song, the more challenging the mix. Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol was a tough one, because of the size of it, the dynamics, and because so much was going on.

One recent track I loved mixing was Another Love by Tom O'Dell – that sounded amazing to me.

Cenzo on re-amping...

I've got an Audio Kitchen reverb which is fantastic, an Audio Kitchen Little Chopper, a Fender Champ, a Marshall, a Radial Workhorse. I send signals from the DAW to any of these pedals amps or tape delays and then back again. I also use a lot of '70s Hi-Fis for tape slap too. Experimenting is always a good thing!

Cenzo on MP3s...

It concerns me that it's the standard, but sales of top-end Hi-Fi keep going up so there is a market for better sounding files. I hear people talking about the availability of 48kHz files, 96kHz files; I think it's the convenience though. It used to be a cassette in the car and record at home, and I do hope people will eventually buy better file formats; it's sad, but MP3 gets the song across at the end of the day and that's what it's all about.

I couldn't be without...

My dongle with my Waves plugins on, my radio, and my Analogue Tube at-101 – it's a stunning copy of the Fairchild designed by Simon Saywood, who was the maintenance engineer when I was at Metropolis. www.waves.com

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-ERI C L AVA N SC H -

- E RI C L AVA N SC H -

31

BANGKOK AND BACK Eric Lavansch tells a tale of small beginnings, massive middles, and djembe lessons in his living room.

After responding to countless dead-end ‘drummer wanted’ ads, 23-year-old Eric Lavansch finally struck gold.

Just weeks after a bizarre audition opposite Holloway Prison, Lavansch found himself cruising in a limo on one of Bangkok’s elevated tollways sat alongside Thailand’s biggest rock star, Sek Loso. That was 2003 – a three-month trip that would lead to 10 wild years on the road, countless recording sessions with legendary producer, Owen Morris, who now cites him as ‘the greatest drummer he has ever worked with’, and nine million record sales.

Not bad for a lad from rural Hitchin....

It’s 4pm on a Thursday, and we pull up a pew in a quaint little Hertfordshire pub. Lavansch orders a pint of Greene King IPA, claiming that “it’s a good session beer,” before immediately slugging about a third of it. I can see where this is going already.

Before we delve into the weird, the wonderful, and the bloody bizarre, we talk a little about Loso, Sek’s band, and without doubt the most successful of all time in Thailand: to give you an idea, the first record, Lo Society, sold 1.5 million copies, and a further eight followed, each selling at least one million, some three million. This new project was to be Sek’s first solo effort, and being a fan of Western music, he wanted a Western band, with a Western sound.

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“It was a little ad in the NME that said ‘established Thai artist seeks drummer and bassist’, and to be honest, most of the time you know it’ll go nowhere - but this one was different,” he smiles, swallowing a fist full of chilli & lime cashew nuts ‘to line the stomach’. I order the beers. “I just got lucky, and being so young, I didn’t even bother researching Sek [Loso], as I still didn’t think anything much was going to happen, even when we were put on our first plane to Los Angeles. “I really had no idea what I was getting into, but it all became pretty clear when we touched down in Bangkok and I saw a massive image of Sek endorsing a product beamed onto a skyscraper!”

The Bangkok adventure began after a quick-fire stint in the US; and then it was off out East for a string of sellout shows... in Bangkok restaurants! “These are huge 2,000-seater restaurants with a load of happy, very drunk Thai people dancing on tables; and if I think about it, it’s definitely the way I’d want to see my favourite band: tanked up on whiskey after a nice meal, and sitting at a table,” he says, very matter of fact. “The other thing about Thai musicians is they’re particularly clinical – technically excellent, but you’re not going to get them jamming. Everything is done to click, whether there are backing tracks or not; that’s what Sek wanted to get away from, keep it a real Western rock ‘n’ roll band – and that’s what we were.”

Up The Tempo Then came the stadium gigs. Like any man, nerves got the better of him at the beginning – one particular incident he recalls almost resulted in the most bizarre of overdoses.

“We were playing to 25,000 people and I was entirely crapping myself – they’ve got this energy drink out there that’s owned by one of the Red Bull founders, and there was a giant crate’s worth of the stuff backstage that you could probably fit five people into, so I grabbed a handful, and started downing them,” he says, his expression starting to change for the worse. “Within a few minutes, my heart was beating like it would in a cartoon – I’m sure it was coming out of my chest at one point; and when I told Sek’s manager what

I’d done, he showed me the health warning on the side of the can: apparently, you must not exceed more than two of these in 24 hours! I would say that was probably the worst performance of my life!” There were highlights though, of course – playing to 80,000 people is not something that many people can say they’ve done in their career, but Lavansch can – yet he remains grounded, largely because since returning home, he’s struggled to get back into the scene.

“I think a fundamental problem we have here in the UK is that with regard to live music, it’s bloody hard – close to impossible even – to make a decent living; my CV is pretty great reading, granted, but no-one’s heard of Sek over here, so that kind of makes it null and void, therefore it’s extremely difficult for me to get back into the depping scene,” he reflects, finishing off pint six. “That scene is notoriously cliquey anyway, so that doesn’t help; people don’t like change, therefore don’t like a newbie. If I was in London would it be different? [pauses] Maybe, but probably not much different; I just think we could learn from other countries sometimes, the way we handle our musicians.”

Into The Studio After the touring came the recording, and Lavansch didn’t have much studio experience at the time, so being told he had to cut all his drum takes quickly with no other than the legend that is Owen Morris (Oasis) came as quite a sur-

“THE WORST THING IN THE WORLD IS TRYING TO DO SOMETHING AND THEN YOU DON’T, BECAUSE SOMEONE TOLD YOU THAT YOU SHOULDN’T.” prise. “Again, I was crapping myself; I had great admiration for Owen’s work – Definitely Maybe and What’s The Story, Morning Glory? are classic records of our time; I mean, he is essentially responsible for the biggest band since The Beatles,” he smiles. “So, I do the first take, and he says ‘yep – got it’, and I’m relieved; then it was ‘OK, next one’, and I found myself doing 12 demos in quick succession. Thankfully, he rated me, and that meant a trip to Singapore to its equivalent of Air Studios.” Lavansch refers to Singapore’s Audio Plex Studios – a luxurious facility set bang in he middle of an industrial estate which boasts a 1970s Neve console as well as a more modern SSL offering. “I did the drums for 17 songs in two-and-a-half days,” he laughs. “We did a few takes of each song, and then Owen would do some comping onto Pro Tools.

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I then spent the remainder of the two weeks in Singapore enjoying it all, watching Sek do his stuff. Owen wanted the rhythm section out of the way to get the best out of Sek, and when we were done, Owen took it away. “We got home in December – this is 2004 - and in January 2005 I was at Real World, Peter Gabriel’s studio, to do one more song that Sek had written. Owen then had all the recordings and put it onto reel-to-reel, four-inch tape to warm it up a bit.”

Morris Major According to Morris, the Loso shows that he witnessed in Bangkok were the closest thing he’d seen to the big Oasis gigs back in the UK. Of Lavansch, he quotes: “Though the bass players varied throughout my time with Sek, the drummer, Eric Lavansch, was present and very correct on every session we did; in fact, Eric became a good friend and is probably my most favourite drummer I’ve had the pleasure of recording. He is a seriously good player.” I read it out loud.

Lavansch is quiet, momentarily – he’s thinking. “It’s quite emotional thinking back to those times – and they weren’t all good; Sek had some personal problems a few years down the line that I still find it hard to talk about now, and it changed everything; he went through rehab, and although we got him back into playing, it would never be quite the same,” he says, with a hint of melancholy. “That’s made me think back to leaving Bangkok for the last time. I was sat on the plane, knowing that I would probably be sitting in first class for the last time! [laughs] I remember it was pouring with rain and the sky was gloomy – and to be honest, that’s how you want to leave a place that you love; it will hold lots memories for me, many of which I’ll treasure, none of which I’ll forget.”

Full Circle I skip to present day, as it’s getting late. We talk about his current working situation, playing drums in pubs and clubs - and rather brilliantly, teaching kids of all ages how to play the djembe drum and the ukelele on behalf of the Hertfordshire Music Service: “It’s a great organisation - they do workshops and have music teachers for all of the schools in the county. I do a lot of family music workshops, which gets parents to interact with their kids all in a room together. It’s not about becoming brilliant, it’s about families spending quality time together.

“Some are underprivileged, some have everything they could ever want in life, but when they walk through my door, they’re all on a level playing field; parents and kids jamming is pretty cool!”

I put it to him that it’s admirable that he’s gone full circle, musically; and ask him what advice he has for any young

wannabes that get the opportunity of a similar break. Would he do it all again? He shrugs his shoulders and says: “Of course; I’d be mad not to! Look, nine-and-a-halfyears living out of a suitcase is enough to send anyone crazy, but you never lose the bug, and I will go back at some point; it’s bizarre... This time last year, I was playing to 50,000 people regularly, and now I’m there with my djembe drum and 24 little people are staring at me and only me only for two hours - and I know which is scarier!

“The worst thing in the world is trying to do something and then you don’t, because someone told you that you shouldn’t. My advice is, don’t try and get technically amazing; spend your time learning how to play songs. Being fantastic is one thing, but if you can hold a beat as well as people like Ash Soan, Steve Jordan and Steve Gadd do, all of whom sound incredible, then you’ll go far.

“Don’t get me wrong, you’ll come unstuck eventually if you can’t play, but a good attitude is essential. I was told that I got the Loso gig not because I could play, but because of how I approached the music: you respect the song, and you respect everyone’s space, and that’s what it’s all about.”

-C HRI ST I A N P OU L SE N -

34

WIRED FOR SUCCESS DPA's Christian Poulsen is one seriously driven CEO. With a hint of the Apple ethos in his approach to business, he is firmly at the heart of everything productive in his company – and he wouldn't have it any other way...

It's quite rare to see someone at the top of the tree so clued up on the technology behind the products – how do you keep focus?

to be efficient; and if I take responsibility, any wrong decisions are always on me, which relieves pressure from the rest of the team.

I think I've taught myself over the years to take a step back when necessary and say, 'OK, if I was coming into this fresh, what would I actually do?'

I mean, when you're involved in daily things, it's exciting and it's fun, but it's also difficult; I find if you force yourself to think like that then it's a good way of keeping on top of things.

I try to involve myself a lot because when you're trying to deliver so many products to multiple markets, there will always be plenty of decisions and compromises that need to be made. If you want to get a lot of things accomplished in a company, then you need

DPA and Apple are clearly worlds apart, but DPA is a product management driven company and Steve Jobs was probably the best product manager the world had ever seen; he drove the company and put himself at the centre of everything.

I think most management and consultancy firms would say that this approach ultimately hinders growth, having to participate in all decisions, but personally I think it's the opposite way round.

I

I know you don't want to be tagged as 'the Apple of microphones', but there are some parallels, no?

How much of your business structure is focused on products?

It's all about the products for us. If you have management meetings every two weeks with lots of administrators then you think your business is administrating, and that is not DPA's business; we would die if we start to administrate. You don't need to talk about finance strategy every two weeks; it's product strategy and communication strategy that we need to talk about all the time. We need to innovate and bring in new products, and we need to do this with end users and technology leaders.

Your d:facto II mic looks like being a real breakthrough for DPA; although it's analogue, users can also use the d:facto capsule with a string of leading wireless systems using your wireless adapter. What was the thought process there?

We would never have have brought out a vocal mic unless we felt we could

DPA KEEPING

MKS SWEET

P H OT O : W UN M I ON I B UD O beat a mic as good as the Neumann KSM 105, which we thought was the world's best condenser mic.

A lot of our industry now is driven by wireless and the investment in wireless is so heavy due to the high cost, but it annoyed me that people were locked with a wireless system and a capsule, as there are some very big differences in capsules.

I wanted to break that up, so we carried out some serious tests with all of the leading wireless systems across various different parameters; and then we found out that because of the way wireless works, there is capacity to choose some of those.

We deliberately limited some of the amplifiers because some of them will distort a lot, even though a mic capsule can take high sound pressure; that's why we made probably the most thorough test of sound quality through wireless systems that any-

body has ever done – and we don't even do wireless systems! [laughs] It was important to us that our capsule could work with as many of these preferred wireless systems as possible.

Will DPA ever go down the wireless route?

I was tempted a couple of years ago, but it's not part of our plan, no. If you're ambitious, which I am, then you very often sit down and say to yourself, 'let's be the new Sennheiser' or 'let's be the new Shure', but luckily enough, I got to rethink and realised that our real strength is that we are a 'one of a kind' microphone manufacturer. Nobody else can do what we can do, so why not get the most out of that instead?

We will never be the new Sennheiser or Shure, and actually I don't even want to be; what we think now is: 'let's be champion of our own field'.

The original Sugababes, now under the guise MKS (Mutya/Keisha/Siobhan) have been benefitting from the versatility and low off-axis noise of DPA's d:facto II on their recent UK tour, according to FOH engineer, Charlie Dale: “All three girls have very different and distinct sounding voices, and d:facto II handled all of them with ease; it allows a vocalist to hear the nuances of their vocal and gives them more control even through loud stage wedges.”

W W W.DPAMIC ROPHONES . C OM

-C L I V E GO O DW I N -

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CLIVE GOODWIN P H O T O GR A P H Y: MANUEL H ARL AN & FRA NK O KENFEL S The theatrical Sound Designer needs a full palette of tools and a head full experience and knowledge.

He needs enough of both to make a show work creatively and technically, and in the context of the permanent venue, and on the tour.

Clive Goodwin has depth of experience. He has come from a busy music touring and festival schedule, systems specification and product development, and a range of high profile TV sound design and engineering. The touring and technical work continued while Goodwin moved into the world of theatre sound design, which he says felt like "coming home."

It didn't take long for Goodwin's mainstream theatrical Sound Design credentials to get the big endorsement - a Tony award for the sound design of Once The Musical, in 2012. He has continued to do great

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things in theatre, currently busy in and around the broadway scene with an ever increasing credit list.

Once The Musical

Once The Musical got 11 Tony Award nominations in 2012, and won eight of those, including the one for Sound Design. When asked what he thought it was about the show's sound that deserved recognition, he says: "I think I was able to achieve a very natural sound."

Once starts in a bar where a busker is mourning a love lost. A girl hears what he maintains will be his last performance but encourages him to try and win back his ex with his music. Unusually, the show features an on-stage orchestra made up of cast members.

Goodwin notes that most of the creative direction for the sound design simply came from the show itself: "It is a very gentle plot in many ways - a gentle story. It really shouldn't have a brash sound... It's set in an irish pub, so it can get raucous when everybody is singing and drinking, but there's also natural, gentle conversation.�

Where 'natural' is the key word, dynamics are an important aspect of the realism. Fortunately, Goodwin had help: "Martin Lowe is a wonderful Musical Director - I worked with him on how to make things dynamic.

If we wanted to turn something up, we'd actually first ask 'can we get them to play louder rather than just push up a fader?' Most of the work

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was done acoustically by the musicians and the cast."

Too Loud Man...

Clive Goodwin's quest for the 'natural' in theatre requires care over the whole signal path. One contributing aspect is the overall volume and quality of the output - something that Goodwin thinks is pushed beyond the limits too often, resulting in shows that are simply too loud: "It's weird for someone who has worked in rock and roll in the past," he notes, "But I always hate 'crunchy' sound that gets harsh... Even some well-recognised shows still do it and I don't think it's necessary; with the equipment we have it shouldn't need to be to get harsh or loud�

"Some broadway shows can end up a bit like that. They want it loud so they turn it up to make it more of a spectacle. I'm not entirely on board with that. I think it's something that should be used where appropriate rather than just purely to cause sensory overload throughout a show. I like a dynamic through the project in music and in a production.

"It was gratifying for me that Once The Musical is actually a really quiet show and people love the sound it got a lot of compliments on the sound. I kind of rebelled against that loud Broadway thing and I felt I was vindicated in my opinion of what sound should be by the support I got from the audience and my peers - who were the Tony voters. I was honoured that my idea was accepted by them and voted on by them."

The suggestion that these kinds of issues might be solved by following the broadcast and (lately) games industries with loudness policies is not, according to Goodwin, the answer: "I think it would be unfortunate if we had to go there. I think you're then relying on rules and regulations rather than your own ideas and judgements."

"It was gratifying for me that Once The Musical is actually a really quiet show and people love the sound - it got a lot of compliments on the sound."

Clive Goodwin's web site: www.clivegoodwin.com

In the UK Once The Musical is currently playing at the Phoenix Theatre in London's West End. The Phoenix Theatre: www.phoenixtheatrelondon.co.uk

Once The Musical (UK): www.oncemusical.co.uk

The Audio Production Network The complete version of this article includes Clive Goodwin's take on the essence of sound design, more tips on staying 'natural', Goodwin's favourite gear, and discussion on orchestra pit/on-stage sound levels. www.audiopronet.com

-X FA C T OR U S A-

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THE IEM FACTOR

Headliner talks to Jason Batuyong, monitor engineer for X Factor USA, about the challenges of live broadcast whilst introducing untrained artists to the wonders of in-ear monitoring...

How did you first get involved in X Factor, and what’s your mixing background?

I’ve been with X Factor USA from the beginning. I’ve mixed freelance with ATK Audiotek for many years, and the first season was my chance to prove myself in live broadcast. The opportunity was incidentally negotiated on the golf course!

I began like most, as a musician. The group I was playing with was subject to a horrendous studio experience. Sound familiar? [smiles] I decided I needed to know as much about audio as I could and I haven’t been back in the studio since. I found that I enjoyed the high-adrenaline pace of live mixing more than the studio as I still felt like I was performing. One shot to get it right. I honed my skills at the largest theme park in California, Disneyland. There, I was exposed to every facet of the audio world from rock and roll to Broadway, corporate event to permanent installs. I even designed the audio systems for a major parade.

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What are the main challenges from an audio perspective?

Fairness. I have to keep an unbiased opinion and I have to make sure each contestant has my undivided attention. I never want to hear the dreaded words ‘I couldn’t hear.’

The tracks are ever-evolving right up until show time; that keeps us on our toes. Punctuality is also paramount. I have to make sure I’m early enough to get my favourite doughnut from craft services!

What’s a typical week for you in camp X Factor?

Monday is soundcheck only with the contestants on stage, without their choreography and blocking. Tuesday is more orientated towards the choreography and staging, however

they are still singing and rehearsing full out.

Wednesday is show day with a full dress rehearsal and the live performance show; and Thursday is cut show day where we typically have one to two guest acts to rehearse before another dress rehearsal, and finally the live cut show.

I have a talkback microphone that feeds directly into the contestants’ ears and nowhere else. We can have private twoway conversations and that helps the contestants convey what they need without me needing to be on the stage with them.

I also have three monitor assists that make up the monitor department. These three gentlemen are the best in the business; they handle everything from the distribution of the in-ears and making sure the sometimes 24 contestants have the correct wireless receiver as well as the correct in-ears.

This is not easy when they all look the same! It allows me to focus my attention on programming the console and the needs of the contestant. We all play therapist from time to time; we are always encouraging.

You use JH Audio in-ear systems on the show; which products, and how are they deployed?

This season, JH Audio took its top of the line JH16 with freak phase and added an ambient filter with a 15dB attenuator.

Jerry [Harvey, company owner] retuned them to make sure there was no loss of low end due to the ambient filter, and the result was absolutely stunning. The product is called the JH Ambient FR; I have a Hot Rod Sparkle gold set.

How easy is it for artists on the show to adapt to using these in-ear systems, especially when many must be doing so for the first time?

None of the contestants have had experience with in-ears, which is a blessing in disguise. I get to start them from scratch, and the JH ambient FR allows them a transition from

wedges to in-ears that has proven to work entirely flawlessly.

Our contestants never pull one or both in-ears out during a performance or even during the judging session that follows.

JH went to great lengths to help me design the perfect in-ear monitor for the conditions at the X Factor, and I literally can’t fault them.

You work from a DiGiCo console; how many mixes and snapshots are you creating and how complex is that process?

I use the DiGiCo SD10 and frankly I don’t know what I would do without it. I have 12 stereo in-ear mixes and 24 mono wedge mixes. I also have a pair of three-way flown side fills and a pair of upstage downfills. I have wedges hidden all over the stage, though I rarely use them due to the efficiency

of the JH in-ears and the fact that a lower stage volume makes for a better broadcast.

I use one snapshot per song; I build on the previous snapshot, saving the old song for reference which saves me a lot of time. We start the season with 16 contestants so I start with 16 snapshots, though by the finale I’ll have up to 20 snapshots for a two-hour show.

DiGiCo has made the whole process so easy, allowing me to place certain critical production elements such as the host mic in safe so they don’t change as I’m switching into the next contestant’s scene. We typically have a two-minute video package before the performance where we do a continuity check with the performance tracks and the contestants mics, however sometimes there’s only a matter of seconds between acts and that’s when the DiGiCo really shines.

What kind of added pressure do you have on you when it comes to live broadcast?

I love the pressure from a live broadcast! When 5pm hits we are live, ready or not. I am surrounded by people who feel the same way and after a while it actually starts to feel normal. I find that the worst part is the sudden burst of adrenaline you get at the top of the show and then standing at a console with nothing to do with that burst. By the end of the show I am

“The JH ambient FR allows contestants a transition from wedges to in-ears that has proven to work entirely flawlessly...”

ready for a nap!

Finally, what advice would you give to anyone wanting to work in the live broadcast sector?

It’s not too late to go to school and be a doctor or lawyer!

[Laughs] But if you still feel compelled to follow this path, bear in mind that I am one of a small handful of live broadcast monitor mixers; and none of us took the same path to get here. I didn’t even know this world existed when I was 18.

There is no direct path to live broadcast; the trick is to go out and find the smartest people you can and learn everything you can from them. I suggest to anyone who is interested in the fast-paced world of live broadcast to contact your local sound company and start working! Start in their shop loading trucks if you have to. Be around the gear, learn all about it.

Be around other audio professionals; learn from their wisdom and tribal knowledge. Then contact your local broadcast audio union. In the US, it’s IATSE 695. www.jhaudio.com

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-A ROA D I E ' S TA L E -

WHAT A MESS {A ROADIE'S TALE}

BY CO L IN PIG O T T Being a full-time roadie for a touring band involved much, much more than restringing guitars and lugging amps for Colin Pigott – especially on one long night in the Welsh Valleys...

Six hours after leaving London, we arrived at the University of Lampeter, only to be informed that we couldn't play in their superb Student Union. Instead, we would have to “make the gig work” in the poxy cafeteria next door. As was so often the case, we had to make the best of a bad situation. As a roadie, you want the band to prepare for their performance without even having to get on stage before soundcheck. I wanted to be good enough so they would always be comfortable leaving me to it, knowing everything would be in place come showtime. Although I became adept on the guitar and its mechanics, the most important item of all was my silver kit case, packed full of essentials.

That case was a life saver. Within it would be anything that might be needed to help with setting, cleaning, tuning or tweaking before or during a gig. I had guitar strings, leads, tuners, batteries, a torch, a Leatherman, screwdrivers, pliers, spanners, guitar polish, Fast-Fret, Vocalzone pastilles, cloths, tape, picks, a soldering iron, even a tub of Vaseline... but that's a whole other story!

Anyway, the gig went great, and sounded good too, considering the unusual set up, but the real problem, as usual, was lurking at the bar in the form of a man necking

pints like no tomorrow.

Throughout the night there wasn’t a moment when he didn’t have a glass in his hand. Unfortunately, that man was Jeff, who travelled with us on many gigs disguised as a roadie; he shifted pints well, but sound equipment less so. His only contribution that night was to put his hands on the last amp to go out the door; and when he let it slip after five paces, it was clear he was already three sheets to the wind.

At any level, the object of a roadie is not solely about lugging equipment and setting it up – you need to be on hand during the performance - anything from a broken string to a guitar strap malfunction, or even a mic stand falling over; you have to be able to remedy any situation.

Although if the drum riser's broken, don't lie down and hold the bass drum for two hours; it buggers your back and your ears, trust me! Being on the road with a band, knowledge is king. I studied the whole stage, the drum positions, who stood where, guitar setups, I learnt about EQ and compression; every little detail I thought important. I made notes and sketches of the drum layout, the guitar pedal boards, amp settings that way I could study and memorise it all between

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-A RO A D I E ' S TA L E -

"THE OBJECT OF A ROADIE IS NOT SOLELY ABOUT LUGGING EQUIPMENT AND SETTING IT UP – YOU NEED TO BE ON HAND DURING THE PERFORMANCE; ANYTHING FROM A BROKEN STRING TO A GUITAR STRAP MALFUNCTION..." gigs until I knew it off by heart. Anyway, we were staying overnight in the halls, but as things turned out, the events manager invited us back to her place after the show for a bit more revelry. It had been a long day, but not wanting to be rude and also hoping to increase our chance of another booking later in the year, we accepted.

On arrival, Jeff was already there - wedged into a window frame, indulging himself in whiskey... A lot of whiskey. Now I’m not going to dress it up, the flat was an absolute pit; the sooner we got out, the better. 'Mess', however, as Jeff was commonly known, had other ideas.

Because he could still smell alcohol about the place; he had no desire to leave, so we had no choice but to leave him to it. We'd just made it back to our rooms for some shut-eye, and as my head hit the pillow, a call came through informing me that Jeff had taken “a pretty big tumble down the stairs.” I had to see this, so we all hurried back, laughing on the way trying to imagine what sort of a state we were going to find him in.

It didn’t disappoint.

He’d staggered out the door and then nose-dived down the whole staircase crashing into the wall, a good 20ft of it too. He was out cold lying on the floor resembling a sleeping seal, and adding to that, the animal had soiled himself in the process! A couple of the lads posed for a few pictures alongside his stricken body; it was hilarious!

Unfortunately, it then became apparent that he was in a bit of trouble. Matt, one of the band's management team, was quick to his aid and pretty much saved the guy's life, for he had swallowed his tongue and wasn’t breathing.

At one point we were really worried he was a goner; all we could think about was what the hell we were going to tell his wife!

Luckily, it was just a close call, and we breathed a sigh of relief when he produced a huge river of liquid vomit,

accompanied by noises that resembled some rampaging wild boar. Let me tell you, that sick stunk; I swear if you’d put a match to it, it would have gone up in flames.

When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics couldn’t believe that anyone would be in such a state hrough drink alone. They kept asking what drugs he'd been taking and said they couldn't help him until they knew what he’d had. What's he had? Well let’s see, how about 16 pints of Guinness, half a litre of Glenmorangie, and a load of this shit that looked like washing up liquid and smelt like drain cleaner that he found festering under the sink!

“With all that lot going down his neck he doesn’t have time for pills, needles or powder my old son; trust me, it’s all booze!” I told one of them. The first thing the paramedic did was open the window, as the smell of our cargo was worse than a tramp's blanket. Then, halfway into our drive, the heart rate monitor flatlined and that tone started ringing out 'beeep'.

We looked at each other both thinking “Christ, we’re losing him!” The paramedic casually turned round and said: “Oh don’t worry, the Pulse Oximeter's fallen off his finger!” Phew...!

The next morning, after some stomach pumping and a slightly battered boat race, he came swanning out of the hospital grinning like a court jester, a brace wrapped round his gregory, and a cigarette on the go; he'd somehow lived to fight another day. Remarkably, he was back on the booze the next day as if nothing had happened, and quite what he told his old lady, well to this day I still don’t know. What Jeff did do was make me much better at my job though, and for that I will always be grateful!

4 2

- G R UM P Y O L D RO A D I E -

I'd like to consider myself a pretty sussed person, the sort of guy that can easily spot a scam a mile away. For instance, these touring competitions, the Battle of the Bands type things, where the (normally shit) bands generate their own ticket sales.

It's a brilliant scam; Mum, sister, auntie Nellie, uncle Ted, plus all the mates and

shows. Just think about it. It's exactly the same scam: “you've been nominated, come and see if you've won; only a few tickets left!” So we all buy tickets, the more corporate buying tables, we turn up (some dressed as kippers), eat crap food around a table of 12 that's meant for eight, sit through hours of awards such as "Best Toilet In A Previously Flooded Field”; “Best Venue In A Country Previously Known As The USSR”; “Best Very Small Singer's

So

Setup For Someone Who Is Effectively Totally Deaf ” category. He was gutted that he didn't win, although he might have missed the announcement? Either way, sadly he's no longer with us.

And talking about death, whilst I'm on the subject, isn't it amazing how many people are dying right now? Not only my mate above, but in general.

And don't you think it's equally amazing how when you're brown bread, you automatically become the best

"A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE WAS RUNNER UP LAST YEAR IN THE 'BIGGEST FRONT OF HOUSE AUDIO SETUP FOR SOMEONE WHO IS EFFECTIVELY TOTALLY DEAF' CATEGORY." their other halves; they fill the venues and buy the tickets. They applaud by section, all very neatly segregated. You won't see an independent punter in the place! A great moneymaking scam, manipulating people's egos by putting them on a stage and making money out of it to boot. I'd never fall for that.

Then there's our industry's awards

Mother With A Slight Limp”, etc. The more awards, the more nominees, the more potential winners and so the more seats sold. Maybe I have fallen for that one on a few occasions...

Have I ever won anything? Now that'd be telling, although a good friend of mine was runner up last year in the “Biggest Front Of House Audio

person that's ever lived? It's worked for so many people in music! And they've not only increased their popularity since passing from this life to the next, most of them have sold more product!

Who's next, I wonder..? Hopefully not me...

Until next time,

ROBERT THE ROADIE

C U S T O M E R. L I F E S T Y L E. T A L E N T. T E C H N O L O G Y. T O J O I N T H E H E A D L I N E R F A M I LY A N D RECEIVE YOUR PRINT AND ONLINE EDITIONS, S I M P LY G O T O W W W. H E A D L I N E R M A G A Z I N E . N E T AND CLICK 'JOIN'

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