DiGiCo Quantum338 consoles are supplying audio for James’s Love is the Answer Tour, providing the flexibility required for the band’s spontaneous performance style. Front-of-house engineer Chris Lynch selected the console for its power and speed, noting the generous surface area and three large screens provide everything he needs access to within arm’s reach.
James performs without set lists, drawing from a back catalog of over 300 songs. Lynch said the job requires a lot of channels to manage nine performers on stage, two drum kits, keyboards, trumpet, violin and cello. He has been touring the Quantum338 for about 18 months.
Ipride myself on being able to use any console comfortably, but this job requires a lot of channels, Lynch said. We have nine performers on stage, two drum kits, keyboards, trumpet, violin, cello, and there’s loads going on. Ineed access to a lot of faders, and the Quantum338 was the console Ithought best suited the band.
Asmaller console could house all the inputs and outputs, but Lynch said three screens and 38 faders on the surface makes the Quantum338 the ideal console to help him keep up with the band. He highlighted the Quantum Spice Rack and Mustard Processing as key features.
You have to be flexible for a show like this, Lynch said. James did songs on the tour they hadn’t even played in rehearsals, and hadn’t played for months. They just said, oh, we’re going to do this one, and they did it, and it sounded amazing.
At the monitor position, Aled Irfan is using an SD10 and has invested in KLANG and a Fourier Audio transform.engine. His company, AL Touring, supplies the control package for the tour, including microphones, in-ear monitoring and stage wedges, with the PA provided by Solotech.
During rehearsals, Lynch tested the Fourier Audio transform.engine, purchased by AL Touring from Solotech. He said the process was smooth despite having hundreds of plugins to choose from. He used three or four plugins selectively to ensure the mix breathed and the band remained dynamic.
Lynch has worked with a huge range of consoles from many different manufacturers. He believes choosing DiGiCo is likely to become a regular occurrence going forward.
There are features that Ilike from other consoles, but nothing comes close to the separation you get from a DiGiCo console, he concludes. I’ve also been impressed with the DiGiCo availability around the world, we’re able to get supplies and support wherever we go.
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