I’m pleased to report that I survived the Stone Knives and Bearskins present, i.e., the one the place I needed to combine utilizing an analog console. I’m additionally pleased to report that the blending desk — a Midas H3000 — was in fairly good working situation. It seemed like hell, although. I’ll by no means perceive why individuals who personal costly gear can’t take a clear paintbrush to it as soon as per week to mud it off.
The solely technical problem the desk had was one non-working VCA group, which was annoying resulting from the truth that it was VCA 5—smack in the midst of my VCA fader financial institution. When I sat behind the desk, I used to be shortly reminded of how simple it’s to see each console setting with out paging by way of menus, and the way the controls are immediately accessible (taking a taxi to get from one finish of the desk to the opposite however!). Much to my shock, I even remembered the way to program the VCA and Mute teams.
The venue had loads of outboard gear, all of which I wanted after which some. There was a pair of Summit DCL200 tube compressors, which I used for lead vocals and bass, eight channels of Drawmer DS201 gates for drums, 12 channels of Drawmer DS241 comp/gates, two Yamaha SPX2000s, tc digital D•Two and M2000, and so on. I needed to borrow one other pair of DS241s from monitor world as a result of I wanted extra compression at FOH, however the monitor engineer didn’t miss them as a result of he had a digital desk. Hey, wait a minute… how come the monitor engineer will get a digital desk?
The H3000 sounded positive, however I didn’t precisely roll my eyes in ecstasy uttering, “Oooooh, analog audio…” What irked me in regards to the setup was that the genius who put in the gear positioned a lot of the outboard gear in a rack beneath the console, the place it was tough to succeed in and inconceivable to see. The the rest of the outboard gear was in a rack to the fitting of the console, someplace round knee-high. Really? Not as soon as throughout the complete night time was I in a position to alter the outboard gear whereas listening to the outcome. Instead, I’d bend down, make a change, then stand up to listen to the distinction. I’d gladly have sacrificed all that outboard analog processing for a display, mouse and keyboard that I may truly see and alter whereas listening to the combination. Mix positions designed by individuals who’ve by no means blended a present of their lives—greater than mildly annoying.
The different factor that difficult the day (and this was a day filled with tour managing-related problems) was that, in fact, I needed to construct the combination from scratch. We had been underneath a time crunch to finish soundcheck earlier than doorways opened, and I had different TM duties ready, like counting in merch, submitting the visitor record to the field workplace, coping with settlement, and making certain that the entire visitors could be taken care of. It may additionally have been good if I used to be in a position to eat dinner, however no such luck (we’ve all seen that film).
It’s the sort of scenario the place the deficiencies of engaged on an analog system rear their ugly heads. Analog gear is nice in case you have the time, and use the identical gear on a constant foundation.
The scenario jogged my memory of a few of the early competition exhibits I blended for Blue Öyster Cult within the Nineties, the place “throw and go” actually meant beginning your present at zero on an analog desk. Nowadays, after we say “throw and go,” we’re nonetheless in a position to load a digital desk with a present file that has some form of combine dialed into it, even when there’s no time for a soundcheck. I’ll take that over the nice ol’ days of analog in a heartbeat.
