Neal McCoy has been a mainstay in country music since his breakout hits in the early 90s. For 18 years, FOH engineer Daryl Johnson has been behind the board, crafting McCoy’s live sound for countless performances. With years of experience mixing on different consoles, Johnson recently transitioned to the Allen & Heath Avantis – citing the value, sound quality, intuitive touchscreen workflow, and expandability as primary reasons behind his decision.
Johnson recalls of his first experience listening to the Avantis: “We were just like- ‘Oh my goodness’…It sounded so clean. Just straight out-of-the-box with no EQ. Nothing done.” Johnson, who mixes on an Avantis Solo at front of house, appreciates the small footprint without sacrificing features. He manages the 41 channels in McCoy’s show with the six fully customizable layers available on the console, assigning instruments and vocals to dedicated layers while keeping key outputs visible at all times.
Although he came up in a world of analog consoles, Johnson adapted to the touchscreen workflow of the Avantis in short order. “It took about two shows,” he says with a laugh. He highlights the responsiveness of the touchscreen, allowing him to make nuanced mixing adjustments on the fly. “I like that you don’t have to make a big change to hear a difference. It has great sensitivity.”
Johnson’s monitor engineer mixes on a dual-screen Avantis, connected to a GX4816 stage box and a DX168 expander at the monitor position in a digital split. This setup streamlines their signal flow and setup, eliminating their previous bulky analog snakes for a more efficient load in and teardown. “People in touring know it’s all about ‘the out’,” Johnson says. “It’s about after the show, getting it packed up and getting to bed. Our new system has made that a lot quicker.”
The dPack upgrade, which adds powerful processing tools from Allen & Heath’s flagship dLive platform, is also an integral part of Johnson’s workflow. He uses the Dyn8 dynamic EQ on McCoy’s vocals to control harsh frequencies, while also experimenting with it on the kick drum to add warmth and punch. For gigs when McCoy’s guitarist can’t use his amplifier, the Two Stage Valve preamp from dPack helps recreate authentic tube tones and saturation directly from the console.
McCoy maintains a busy touring schedule of approximately 100 shows a year, playing a variety of venues and events. Johnson remarks that he is happy to be mixing these shows on the Avantis. “We’re very happy with it and look forward to mixing on Avantis it for many years to come.” With its pristine sound quality, flexible architecture, and intuitive operation, the Avantis is proving to be a reliable and powerful workhorse for Johnson as he works to elevate performances for Neal McCoy.
