Megadeth FOH Engineer Goes Digital with Midas Pro6
BALTIMORE – Doug Short, FOH engineer for Megadeth, was comfortably on the analog side of the console divide. I've tried just about every digital console on the market, and they just don't measure up sonically. So why, then, did Short opt for a Midas Pro6 digital desk for the first leg of the band's promotional tour for the new album, Endgame?
I had done some training on
Midas digital up in Minnesota over a year ago. But when Megadeth started up, my
bid list required a Midas XL4 at front of house, Short said. The plan was to
carry control gear from Thunder Audio – consoles and processing.
Basically, Paul Owen,
Thunder Audio principal, saw my bid list, called me and tempted me to give the
Pro6 a shot. I figured a five-week promotional tour was the perfect
opportunity. As Paul says, ‘Hey, instead of taking out 1,168 pounds of XL4, why
not give the Pro6 a shot?' I mean, it is a Midas, right?
The final step was to
complete Doug Short's basic training on the new desk. Erik Rogers from Thunder
was the guy who made it happen, Short said. With no production rehearsal and
a new desk, I was out of my comfort zone. Erik literally drove out in his own
car, set up the desk for me and stayed with me for the first three gigs.
Thunder Audio definitely went above and beyond the call of duty to make this
happen. I can't say enough good things about those guys.
Short found his baptism by
fire to be fairly painless. With Erik there to show me the ropes, I was up and
running in no time, he says. By the third gig, I was really comfortable.
There was none of that ‘alien planet' vibe you get on some digital desks. In
fact, it's really just like mixing on a (Midas) Heritage. That's exactly how it
feels as a layout. But even more important, it sounds like a Midas!
Megadeth uses 38 inputs, 18
of which are drums. Short utilizes all ten of the console's VCA splits, divided
as follows: Shawn Drover's drums are split into kick drums, snare, and toms.
Guitarists Dave Mustaine and Chris Broderick each get one VCA, as does James
LoMenzo's bass. Two more VCA groups are dedicated to lead and backing vocals,
and the final two handle effects returns and playback. Two POP Groups are also
in use, one for Drover's cymbals and the other for house playback.
Megadeth is very
straightforward, so in terms of setup, it's not much of a challenge for the
desk, Short said. Which was perfect for me to get comfortable with it. Using
all 10 VCAs and two POP Groups, everything I needed was at my fingertips.
Coming from the analog world
of outboard effects, Short was concerned about relying on the Midas internal
effects engine.
I must admit, I did take a
couple external rack effects, but that was because I didn't have the prep time
I would normally prefer. But no boutique stuff, no plug-ins, he admits. And I
used everything on board for mic preamps, compressors, reverb and gates. That's
the heart of the system and it sounds fantastic.
For the same reason, the
tour used a traditional copper snake connecting the stage to the control
surface. I just didn't know enough about Cat5 yet, short explains, so it's
nice that you have the option to use copper with the PRO6. Since I was also
acting as system tech, I wanted all the patching to be familiar to me.
Asked how the band reacted
to having a digital console at FOH, Short replied, before the first show, Dave
Mustaine came out, saw the console and said, ‘It sure looks pretty. Hope it
sounds good, too.' So he was aware. And every night, I would give him a live
two-track mix of the show that we listen to for reference, and he never said a
thing. With Dave, that's practically an endorsement.
Another big change for Short
was having two large TFT screens in front of him. He keeps things as
straightforward as possible, routing the input he's working on to the left-hand
side and always keeping the house EQ on the right. In the heat of battle,
you've got to pull something from that FOH, and so it's nice to have that
always accessible, he said.
Short also credited the Pro6
for ergonomics. The first thing I noticed is that the smaller footprint means
everything is always in reach. As it turns out, I really like that. I also like
the TFT screens. They're super responsive, and easy to read in any lighting
conditions. By the third gig, I was totally comfortable with the screens, the
trackball controller and everything.
Having mixed Prince, Van
Halen, Cyndi Lauper and Joe Cocker, Short knows what he wants. But the old
analog/digital divide has changed. By about the third gig, the Pro6 just blew
me away. It's so easy to mix on, and the sound is pure Midas. I guess that says
it all.
For more information, please
visit www.midasconsoles.com (http://www.midasconsoles.com/).
Source: Megadeth FOH Engineer Goes Digital with Midas Pro6
