Sleep’s recent tour commenced in the U.S. in June with a stage full of Heil Sound mics. John Hopkins, an Illinois native, mixes FOH for Sleep and also works with High on Fire and the Melvins.
Four full Ampeg SVT bass rigs plus one half stack are used with PR48, PR40, PR31, and PR22 mics sharing the low frequency spectrum from the furthest stage right box to the cabinet nearest the drum riser. Guitar speaker cabinets use a similar arrangement with five different mics, mostly PR30s, as a means to capture the different gains and sounds from each Orange amp.
Jason Roeder’s drums are a bit more standard microphone-wise, although the toms are all double mic’d with a PR31 on top and a PR28 on the bottom head. The kick uses a combined mix from a PR48 (out) and PR40 (in).
Speaking just prior to departing for Europe and a tour with the Melvins, John commented about the Heil Sound mics: “I’ve been a fan of Heil Sound for a while now and I bought a kit that I use on other groups. Sonically, I noticed the difference immediately, they are a game changer. The people at Heil Sound are a pleasure to deal with. They are one of the few companies who not only understand this type of music and its artists but embrace it.”
