Los Angeles, CA (March 8, 2023)—Lizzo could have received Record of the Year for her “About Damn Time” single, however her present tour is a couple of good time. The singer, at present rolling by way of Europe, made headlines when she threw in an unlikely R&B cowl of German nu-metal act Rammstein’s “Du Hast” to the tour’s Berlin area present, however the sudden is just about what one ought to anticipate relating to the singer/flutist. Since the beginning of Lizzo: The Special Tour final September, Solotech has offered manufacturing for the worldwide journey, with FOH engineer Nick “Gauge” Todd and monitor mixer Rico Gonzales tackling reside sound mixes all through the tour.
The two engineers have been utilizing SSL Live L550+ consoles to deal with tour sound; Gonzales moreover makes use of an SSL Fusion processor and an The Bus+ compressor and dynamic EQ, whereas Todd has additionally just lately added a Fusion at FOH. Gonzales has blended Stevie Wonder’s displays on an SSL Live console since 2017, so he recommended they each go along with the identical desk for the Lizzo tour.
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Todd, at front-of-house, shared, “I discover myself utilizing much less EQ with this console,” he stated. The FOH professional has been with Lizzo since 2021 and has additionally labored with Doja Cat, SZA, H.E.R., Normani, Vince Staples and others. Sometimes, issues going straight by way of the desk and the preamps with no EQ sound nice on their very own.” That stated, he added, “The console does a lot. There’s lot of onboard processing—and I take advantage of quite a lot of it. You actually don’t want anything however the desk. And I truthfully love the best way the faders really feel. They give me actual good suggestions.”
Meanwhile, Gonzales was clear about why he made the change: “My essential purpose is the sonics. Then, the onboard processing and all of the EQ.” He was beforehand utilizing quite a lot of outboard {hardware} however has been eliminating a few of it in favor of the SSL Live’s onboard processing. “The dynamics don’t really feel ‘laborious’ until you need them to. They’re very, very easy, very analogue feeling. I’ve been utilizing the Blitzer on the bass,” he stated, including, “and a little bit bit on kick and snare and the drum bus. Before, I used to be utilizing an outboard dynamics processor, however I’m attempting to see how a lot I can get away with utilizing on the console, as a result of it makes life simpler.”
Gonzales does carry some outboard along with his Live console, although, and two key items are the SSL Fusion and The Bus+. He introduced one explicit mixing follow that he developed whereas working with Wonder to Lizzo’s reside manufacturing, the place he generates 10 mixes for the artist, her five-piece band and the manufacturing crew from about 72 stage inputs. For Lizzo’s in-ear combine, “I combine off the left/proper bus. I discovered this from Stevie, as a result of I combine solely his ears,” he stated. (Wonder’s reside manufacturing employs a second monitor mixer only for the band.) “I make a band bus—a mix-minus—and I course of that with an SSL Fusion and SSL The Bus+, then it goes right into a {hardware} limiter.”
With that processing chain, Gonzales continued, “It retains every thing good and agency in her ears, like she’s singing to TV tracks. Then, her mic and the viewers reside on high of that blend. If the drums or something hit a sure peak that limiter retains it below management, so every thing stays across the similar RMS ranges.” On the Fusion, he added, “I’m utilizing just a bit unfold and colour. I’m utilizing the Vintage Drive and the Stereo Image a little bit bit. That’s all within the chain that’s on simply the music bus. It retains it good and in-your-face.”
