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Realistic Soundcheck
A recording method to ease the process
I recently caught up with Mix Engineer John Kerns fresh off the latest concert tour by No Doubt, and he provides us with the following account of how he records live shows for later assists with his soundcheck. - Keith Clark
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My goal is to simply and accurately reproduce the previous night's show via playback through the same inputs and processing, to emulate at soundcheck in case I don't actually get one on a show day. There was a large amount of gear on this tour, and the fact that we would not be closing the show every day led me to be "concerned" about having enough time to do what I needed to do.
As far as the actual medium, I considered using a (Digidesign) Pro Tools rig, and also considered Tascam DA-88s, which I'd used with great results on a previous tour. No Doubt also owns a couple of Tascam MX-2424s that I considered.
Ultimately I decided to go with a Metric Halo Mobile I/O 2882 FireWire interface running the "MIO Console" recording page, as well as a 2882 DSP, and then recorded this material to an external hard drive linked to my Macintosh G4 computer (at front of house) via a FireWire card bus adapter. (The G4 was already being used to run Metric Halo's SpectraFoo program for room analyzation anyway.)
I'd heard nothing but incredible reviews of the A/D (analog to digital) and D/A converters of the 2882, and they lived up to that reputation. And the fact that these files were saved as Sound Designer 2 files meant that they could be opened effortlessly in Pro Tools later if needed.
As far as analog goes, each 2882 offers 8 inputs and 8 outputs, with multiple units easily synched together using one as a master clock to the other. Because this is an "acquisitional-based" recording process, there isn't much to go wrong - we aren't recording into a DAW- or editing-type program.
So it operates exactly like a tape machine. The user chooses, via the MIO record page, which folder that data is to go to, then selects the sample rate and clock source. Next, arm the record tracks, and go. Easy.
For playback, you simply go to the same page, chose the folder/file you want to hear through the system, and go. And it takes all of about five seconds to chose another "show" to listen to. The 2882s are effortless to get around.
I have to say that these units performed superbly - not one issue with dropouts, glitches, artifacts on the recordings, or the like. I recorded most of the shows at 48 kHz, but did do a couple at 96 kHz. (Awesome!)
Because I didn't want any of this material laying around I actually dumped/trashed all files after listening the next day/show for the soundcheck. This way I only used the most recent material that reflected leakage from monitors, current playing styles, etc.
This particular application required just 16 "tracks" to be recorded and played back - I didn't want the number of tracks and hardware to become the focus of what I was doing, which was to provide a decent soundcheck before a show. The tracks were made up of a combination of direct outputs from the inputs of the Midas XL4 house console as well as group outputs. By storing a second program on the XL4, and returning the tracks into line inputs on the same input modules, I could assign the same EQ and processing to the raw tracks.
Perhaps the easiest way to detail this setup is to look at it input by input:
Tracks 1 - 2: The first two inputs were the dual kick drum inputs. I took both inputs of an Audio-Technica (A-T) AE2500 microphone and assigned them pre-fader, pre-EQ and pre-insert to the direct outputs. During playback, these came in the same modules (in line input),
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Track 3: Combination of the snare top mic (Shure Beta 57A) with the bottom snare mic (A-T AE3000) to a single track. Since these were combined and would be returning in one input, the EQ and processing was also "'printed." Another Drawmer 241 on the snare top - this was return for playback in the first snare channel on the console, with the EQ bypassed (already EQ'd, remember?), but still using the reverb sends for various songs on the input. (In addition, effects from Lexicon PCM-70 and Kurzweil KSP-8 as well as a stereo sub-mix to a Empirical Labs FATSO Jr. for part of the drum sound).
Track 4: The hi-hat channel, with an A-T AE5100 "pre everything" to the converters. Returned in the line input of the hi-hat channel and EQ.
Tracks 5 - 6: A stereo sub mix of the rest of the drum kit. The two rack toms were mic'd with Shure Beta 98s, and the floor tom mic'd with an A-T AE3000. The overheads were on A-T 4050s. These were assigned to two groups and recorded that way. They returned in the two overhead channels, with the EQ bypassed.
Track 7: A sub mix of the three different inputs on the bass. I took an input from a Radial DI (direct box) for the straight signal and run that through an Empirical Labs Distressor at about a 3:1 ratio. Pretty light compression. In addition, I took the output of a Bass Pod that is in the bass rack that is used for a couple of small parts in the show for a "synth-type" sound. On top of those, I mic'd the bass player's SVT with a CAD M179 microphone and ran that through another Distressor set pretty extremely - set in "Nuke" mode with the third harmonic distortion selected. This, when combined with the dry signals, gave the bass a really nice "assertiveness," definitely a rock 'n' roll bass sound. This track was then returned in the first bass channel on the console, with the EQ bypassed and inserts bypassed.
Tracks 8 - 9: The pair of stereo guitar sub group tracks. This was a fairly involved, with a lot of things done to the various guitars during the show. The tracks are recorded taking two group outputs from the console, while I took three mic inputs from the electric guitar rig. The first two were supplied another A-T AE2500 dual element mic, with the condenser side panned center and the dynamic side panned hard left. Then I added a Shure SM57 panned hard right going through a 15-millisecond delay program via the Kurzweil KSP8. This gives a nice spread even though it's really a mono guitar rig.
The acoustics ran through Radial DI boxes panned center, with the acoustic signal also feeding a "spatial widening" program on the KSP8. It widened the material without any movement that a chorus would do. All of the guitars fed through the same two groups, with an ADL Stereo Valve limiter inserted across them. This was done so that when I boosted the VCA for a guitar solo, the signal became really nicely compressed and "jumped out." This "stereo" signal returned through two of the guitar inputs for soundchecking purposes with the EQ and inserts bypassed, as they were already treated.
Tracks 10 & 11: A stereo keyboard sub mix, with the various keyboards play all bussed here through two groups. The keys were taken via an assortment of rack mounted Radial and Whirlwind DIs. These returned to the console through two of the key inputs with EQ and inserts bypassed.
Track 12: The horn subgroup, with the trumpet input (A-T ATM25 mic through a Drawmer 241) and the trombone input (Sennheiser 421 through a Drawmer 241) combined to one track. This returned through one of the horn inputs with EQ and insert bypassed.
Track 13: A sub mix of a series of sequenced loops containing various percussion and synth sounds featured in several songs. Their source was a Pro Tools rig in the keyboard rack. I returned this into one of the loop inputs for soundchecking with EQ bypassed.
Track 14: Gwen Stefani's lead vocal input, which used an A-T AE6100 capsule on an A-T wireless system. The capsule has a hypercardioid pattern, which is fairly important with the amount of noise on stage and the fact that she never stays still on stage. Gwen is always moving and has spent a good amount of time in front of the PA on both of the previous tours.
The A-T wireless, when set up properly, is just about the closest thing to actually having a wire on the mic, simply sounding great, and very durable. This input was sent out pre-fader and pre-EQ to the 2882. It returned in the line input of her module so that I could check the compression (another Distressor, set at 4:1 ratio) and various reverb and delay sends. These included a short slap delay courtesy of the Kurzweil KSP8 and a beautiful room reverb from the same unit. There was also a t.c.electronic D2 delay for the longer delay stuff.
Tracks 15 & 16: Backing vocals on Shure SM58s sent pre-EQ and pre-fader, again. Returned via their respective line inputs, then through a Drawmer 241 for light compression.
There were several advantages to this approach. Once the PA was flown and powered at a show, even if we were waiting for backline/lighting/set to be finished, I could still take a quick look at the system using SpectraFoo, and then play back the previous show to get very good idea of what was going on in the venue. Even with just a short time window, this provided a great head start. The only difference from day to day was the actual leakage into the mics, which varied a bit from venue to venue given the proximity of the PA and room acoustics.
I also don't use headphones, but rather, post a pair of JBL LSR6328P nearfield monitors on my console meter bridge to listen to anything both during the show or soundcheck to fine-tune something. This, of course, was easy because I was listening to the actual material! I've used the JBL's exclusively for a few years now and believe that they're some of the most accurate nearfield monitors available. I just run the signal through a stereo delay to line up the signal from the monitors to that of the PA.
The only thing added to my normal FOH setup was some extra cabling and two rack spaces worth of gear. (The 3rd spare unit was never turned on.)
In the future, I'll probably add more 2882s so that I can take each individual input, which would give me an even greater level of control. I'll also probably try to convince whatever band I'm working with at the time to record every soundcheck and show. With the prices of hard drives continuing to fall, and the advantage of being able to import files seamlessly into Pro Tools (or any program that will open Sound Designer 2 files) for further over dubbing/mixing/whatever, it only makes sense.
The quality of the audio is great, not only from a potential live record, but also from the songwriting point of view. It's now so easy to record song ideas, and then work on them later on the bus, in a hotel room or at home. Wherever the inspiration strikes, there you go.
Based in Australia, John Kerns is noted for his engineering work in support of numerous concert acts, such as No Doubt, Bruce Springsteen, Sammy Hagar, Shania Twain, Ringo Starr, Stevie Nicks and others.
