Colombian artist Juanes is on tour in support of “P.A.R.C.E.”, with Robert “Cubby” Colby utilizing a DiGiCo SD7 for his house mix and much more. Colby, who met Juanes while mixing the Latin Grammy’s in 2002 and again in 2003, signed on with the artist 2004/05 and has toured with him over the past several years.
Joining Colby on the P.A.R.C.E tour is Eighth Day Sound systems engineer/crew chief, Edgardo “Verta” Vertanessian, along with monitor tech Fabian Quiroga and PA techs Vince Buller and Clinton Reynolds. Verta has worked in sync with Cubby for over a decade on various tours, first with Shakira and later with Luis Miguel.
Verta started with Juanes on the “La Vida es un Ratico Tour” back in 2008 and the pair have enjoyed a tight bond both on the road as well as off. “Cubby and I are always in contact even when not touring together, talking about different approaches to PA configurations, new technologies, new equipment, and sharing our experiences from different tours.”
That synchronicity has made for a symbiotic working relationship and workflow when the two are paired on the road. “Working with Cubby is fantastic as we know each other very well,” says Verta, “and we have worked together enough so we both know exactly what results we want from the PA. I believe that the goal as a systems engineer is to understand what the mixer/engineer expects from a PA and try to meet that expectation with a technical approach on a consistent basis.
“Every engineer is different and prioritizes goals in different ways, and the work method used to communicate and achieve that goal is essential. While on tour, there are many ways to approach consistency: matching target curves, EQ techniques, keeping a consistent relationship between tops and subs cabinets regardless of the venue size, keeping the same array heights, keeping the same SPL for the same master fader level, for instance.”
“I usually time-align the PA and balance the different sub-systems according to a target curve I know works well for Cubby’s approach to mixing,” Verta continues. “We look very carefully at our signal path and make sure we are using all the devices in the system at their optimum range. From gain levels at the pre-amps to drive level into the amps, it all has to make sense and give Cubby enough headroom for mixing.
“Working with Cubby is always a learning experience, too, as he has a huge background of mixing under very different circumstances. He has used many different PAs and consoles, mixed many different bands, and I believe he has always been a perfectionist with great attention to detail.”
That attention to detail in particular includes the Colby-specified DiGiCo SD7 at front of house, a console he’s been using for a host of high-profile tours. “The Stealth Digital technology that DiGiCo has embraced has truly taken the product line of SD consoles to a new frontier,” Colby offers. “It’s got impeccable, pristine sonic quality. I’ve been using DiGiCo products now for the last 5-8 years, and they’ve made great advancements in that period. I’d have to say for me it’s the console of choice. The SD7 offers me the best sonic quality as well as onboard features.”
