LOS ANGELES – 2010 was a busy year for Kings Of Leon, who have been touring since summer in support of their new album, Come Around Sundown, with Midas XL8 live performance systems at FOH and monitors. The tour continues into 2011 with dates in Australia and South Africa before returning to Europe later in the year for more festival dates.
Britannia Row Productions provided the Midas systems in the U.K. and Europe, and Eighth Day Sound provided the gear in North America. "We decided to go with the XL8 because it offers everything you could ask for in a console," said Saul Skoutarides, a U.K.-based Australian engineer who has been mixing monitors for Kings Of Leon since mid-2009. "Most importantly, it gives us the sound we need, both out front and on stage. It's the best sounding console I've ever used."
This is FOH engineer Brent Rawlings' first tour with a digital desk, having never found one that met his audio standards. His previous console of choice was the Midas XL4. It was the automatic latency control of Midas Digital that convinced him to switch. "Sonically, the XL8 is easily the equal to the XL4, and of course, it can do so many things to make my job easier," he said. "I love being able to delay individual channels to one another, which is amazing. I feel like I've discovered a new knob after having mixed for 15 years."
In monitor world, Skoutarides is handling a mix of wedges, fills and IEMs – a total of nine stereo in-ear feeds, five wedge mixes and two subwoofer outputs. "Most of the mixes are fairly stable," he says. "I do make adjustments for everyone throughout the show, based on specific cues and songs. The nice thing about the XL8 is that I can gradually automate these as I get more comfortable with both the show and the console."
Asked about the learning curve in changing to Midas digital, both Rawlings and Skoutarides report no problems. "I've got plenty of experience on both Midas analog and a variety of digital consoles, so there were no new concepts for me to learn," said Skoutarides. "The XL8 has all the capabilities of a top digital desk, but with the sound quality of a classic Midas analog board. After a little training, I realized that it is actually more like an analog board than any of the others. It's fun to mix on, and it has an analogue feel to it that other digital desks can't match."
Skoutarides also credited the XL8 for flexibility. "I'm currently using the POP Groups for instant access to groups of instruments. However, I'm now considering making some of the groups specific to the individual musicians. The great thing about the XL8 is that it accommodates your preferences and thought processes on how you like to lay out your show," he concluded.
Rawlings mixes Kings Of Leon primarily via his VCAs, putting everything else into POP Groups for easy access. He automates his mutes, effects and some panning throughout the show, and uses Area B on the console's right-hand side to keep his outboard compressors handy, routing them through the system's DL451 I/O box. "These are master quality compressors that sound great and are very smooth," he said. "I like the fact that my FX stay put and are always on top. But maybe the best thing about Area B is that the system tech can do anything he needs without affecting anything I'm doing."
Both engineers use Midas' snapshot automation to ease their respective workflows, using scene changes to call up his optimized setting for each song. "At the moment, I mainly automate mutes and use the scene memory for notes and cues," said Skoutarides. "I also save the show file for every venue so that when we return, I'll be at a good starting point, even if the show has evolved. Over time, that will give me a preset library for EQs and other settings."
Another feature used by both engineers is the dedicated preamp system, precluding the need to share preamps or carry a split. They also benefit from the daylight-visible video monitors. Rawlings noted that the elimination of copper snakes has cut his post-show packing time in half. Skoutarides is a big fan of the AES 50 link between the two consoles. "It gives us a lot of flexibility in sending signals between consoles," he said. "We really like having the ability to route signals to outputs without assigning them to desk channels. It's something that other systems cannot do."
"It's fun to mix on, it does anything I ask of it, quickly and easily, and I love the way it sounds," Skoutarides added. "The guys in the band definitely noticed how good it sounds in the monitors, and that's really what it's all about for me."
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