SEATTLE — In support of their recent release, Backspacer, Pearl Jam is touring with gear from Rat Sound Systems. For monitor speakers, Karrie Keyes, monitor engineer, chose MicroWedge MW12 Stage Monitors. The band members include Eddie Vedder, (lead vocals, guitar), with Mike McCready (lead guitar), Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar) and Matt Cameron (drums).
Keyes met the band in 1991 as she was working for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, whom Pearl Jam was supporting as an opening act at the time. She has been with them ever since and knows their needs extremely well.
Among the challenges she faces this tour are the sheer volume on the stage, small stage space and each band member’s different sound needs, including individual monitor mixes or occasional crossfire sound patterns.
The goal is to have no pockets on stage without sound, with Eddie Vedder being the loudest and the clearest, as he is said to thrive on the volume.
To fulfill that need, Keyes chose to once again use the EAW MicroWedge MW12s, which she had previously used for Vedder’s and Ament’s mixes in 2008.
Keyes noted that for Pearl Jam, the monitor system is straightforward, elegant in its simplicity, and devoid of gates, compressors and elaborate effects packages.
She added that, in the past, she used previous MicroWedge models to a limited extent, but that’s changed given the significantly upgraded performance of the new EAW MicroWedge Series.
“I am using the MicroWedge MW12 for Ed’s guitar mix,” Keyes said. “They are wonderful and I can get them to sound very close to his guitar rig’s sound without much EQ or trouble. So far I have found no other wedge that comes as close.
“The small footprint helps as well, as we have limited stage space,” Keyes added. “We are also using MicroWedge 12s for Matt’s drumfill, with a left and right mix plus a sub.
“We have had challenges in the past with Matt getting his drumfill world right, so finding the right combo has been a crucial hurdle we have overcome. Large drumfills and in-ear systems left him fatigued and with ears ringing,” she said.
Of the MicroWedge 12s, she added, “they need very little EQ, and the smooth high end does not add to ear fatigue. The band thrives on the stage volume, which provides the energy to rock. We are all very happy!”
After the U.S. and Canadian leg of their tour, Pearl Jam will head to Australia and New Zealand, where EAW MicroWedge MW12s will again be the stage monitor of choice.
Keyes added that “there are two types of wedges: those that are loud, and those that sound good. Usually a wedge is not both, but the new EAW MicroWedge is the exception.”
For more information, please visit www.eaw.com.
