Elemental techno band, Howling, recently purchased Allen & Heath‘s new GLD-80 Chrome digital mixer to manage its audio requirements on tour.
The brainchild of singer/songwriter, Ry X, the band wanted A consistent mix at every gig, and has just completed a tour across Europe with the mixer.
“I’ve engineered for Ry X for a number of years, including his other projects, The Acid and Howling. Howling is an interesting band to mix – there are live elements and electronic elements, which need to be combined seamlessly with FX and processing to create a homogenous sound,” explains front of house engineer, Tommy Williams.
Ry X and Williams work together to constantly refine the set.
Williams makes a multi-track recording every night enabling him to recall that footage at the next gig. He uses Scenes to record songs in the set, and also recall FX parameters that alter within each song.
“There are lots of changes within the set, which Ry used to control on a pedal but it’s now my job to recall all those changes. That’s why it’s important we have the same desk every gig to do this seamlessly,” says Williams.
“What’s really great about the new GLD Chrome is the new plugins, including Space Echo and Stereo Tap Delay effects, and the new Compressors, offering a selection of new tools to get our hands on. When you dial them in it’s like using the real gear, and it feels like a more expensive desk because of the tactile nature of the faders and knobs,” he continues.
“What I’ve always liked about A&H products is it doesn’t feel like you’re working inside a computer. You feel like you’re controlling the mix – it’s a tool helping you.”
The band is also impressed that unlike most desks, they can fly with the GLD-80. As flightcased it weighs in just under 30kg.
