1&2 Steve Kallos on monitors
3&4 Ken Freeman at front of house.
HAMBURG, Germany – Toto’s FOH engineer, Ken Freeman, was a little reluctant when Bernd Wittenberg of Go Audio, the band’s European supplier, suggested he upgrade from DiGiCo’s Quantum338 to the Quantum852. Likewise, monitor engineer Steve Kallos would have been happy to continue using a DiGiCo SD10 if the Quantum338 was “thrust upon” him – and now, he’s also grateful for the upgrade.
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Toto is a band that needs no introduction and its engineers are just as well established in the music industry. When a colleague suggested to Ken Freeman, Toto’s front of house engineer, that he should swap to DiGiCo, he agreed and the switch became permanent. Starting with an SD10, then the Quantum338, he recently upgraded to a Quantum852 for the 2024 Dogz of Oz tour and has never looked back. Steve Kallos at the monitor position, could not have imagined swapping from his SD10, but when his trusted console was not available, the Quantum338 was “thrust upon” him – and he is very glad it was.
“With my previous console,” Freeman recalls, “I always had to run a Waves server for EQ and compression, but when I switched to DiGiCo, I found it was such an open, beautiful sounding desk, I was able to lose the server. I use MainStage as my host software with Universal Audio and LiquidSonics for delays and reverbs. I have a scene for each song in MainStage, which I change via MIDI from the console. I also carry a 500 Series rack of Empirical Labs outboard compressors for their color and tone!”
For the latest tour, Bernd Wittenberg of Go Audio, the band’s European supplier, suggested the upgrade to the Quantum852. At first Freeman was hesitant, such was his enjoyment of the Quantum338, but he decided to try it and was pleasantly surprised with the results.
“I was so happy with my setup I didn’t believe it could get any better,” he says. “But the transfer was really easy; you simply convert and import the session file. There was a little bit of re-patching to do because of the different sized card slots, but the speed of this new console is unbelievable.”
The larger surface has been a real bonus to Freeman, having all his faders exactly where he needs them has improved his workflow considerably, but it is the Mustard processing that has really sold him on the Quantum Series.
“Having the extra bank means I’ve always got track of my groups, or effects, or aux sends right in front of me on the small faders!” he expands. “I like to mix centrally from the DCAs, so the inputs can sit either side of my main mixing fader bank. It gives me a visual representation, which I like. I use the Mustard processing and the Chilli [six-band, dynamic, multi-band compressor/expander] all the time. I love the compression and gate, the Mustard strips are across everything. If I had to go back to pre-Quantum, I’d be sad because I would have to lose all my Mustard processing!”
For Kallos, the Nodal aux processing has been a game-changing feature, alongside practical benefits, such as the increased brightness and ergonomic layout of the screens on his Quantum338.
“The display screens are really clear, and I like that the meters are on the screen, as well as the faders,” Kallos continues. “One useful feature with the new v20 update is the addition of Mustard processing on each channel strip, the Mustard Source Expander (MSE) is particularly useful to me as it keeps stage noise on selected mics down to the very minimum.”
The pair are grateful for the positive relationship with Go Audio. The band rehearse at the company’s facility in Hamburg, and Freeman really appreciates the extra care that goes into making sure they all have what they need.
“I’ve worked with Bernd for 14 years, and the company has grown exponentially during that time,” he says. “Bernd has always gone the extra mile to support us, and not just because he loves Toto. I have never seen a damaged piece of equipment and the whole place is immaculate. The isolated control room is a huge plus; I can set up with a lovely pair of Genelec reference monitors, it’s perfect. Go Audio have been our European suppliers for the entire time I have been with Toto. I wouldn’t think of going with anyone else.”
2025 is another busy year for Toto, with dates in Australia and New Zealand in the spring, plus concerts across America in the summer already selling out. The DiGiCo consoles are at the heart of a winning combination that Freeman and Kallos are enjoying far too much to consider changing, as they both conclude.
“I guess I could say that, at this point, I can’t really picture going to a desk other than DiGiCo,” Freeman insists. “I’m locked into it. It’s always fun to try new stuff, but I love the tone of this desk. It’s open, it’s clear, and everything I need is easily accessible. I’m extremely happy in every way.”
“I feel more comfortable mixing on the Q338 than any other console,” Kallos concludes. “I can honestly say that, overall, the Quantum338 is the best digital console I’ve mixed on.”
