For a live sound engineer, few gigs are more challenging than mixing an old-school audio aficionado, but for veteran Front of House Engineer Wayne Trevisani, it’s just another day at the office.
When R&B superstar Maxwell kicks off his BLACKsummers’night tour this month, Trevisani will be mixing the 10-piece band at the helm of a VENUE D-Show System.
“This time out, Max really wants to go back to a true old-school R&B vibe,” says Trevisani, “and you don’t get much more R&B than the guys in this band. They’re all such subtle players, and there’s a huge dynamic range to deal with. I mix [the band’s sound] very dry, like a ’60s R&B record, so everything’s very punchy, very in your face.”
Maxwell’s audio standards are also exceptionally high, notes Trevisani. “Max has great ears, and he knows exactly what he wants to hear. Sonic quality is a top priority for him.”
Trevisani’s whose diverse FOH credits range from Iggy Pop and Ted Nugent to Julio Iglesias, Dolly Parton, and John Hiatt. Between tours he spends his time mixing records in his Pro Tools-equipped mixing/post production facility near Philadelphia.
“I’m an old-school engineer who came up on analog—live and in the studio,” he says. “I’ve mixed on most every analog console, and I know the sound I’m looking for. So when we made the leap to digital, we did some really critical console comparisons. And VENUE won, hands-down.”
This analog traditionalist has adapted nicely to the VENUE system’s digital benefits. “In the analog world, I was a real minimalist,” Trevisani admits. “I’d never daisy-chain multiple devices. But in the digital domain, I can put four plug-ins on every channel, with no degradation of signal.”
Trevisani favors the Waves Renaissance and C4 Multiband plug-ins for Maxwell and the band. “And I love the fact that I can install new plug-ins, and get new features via software upgrades, without having to buy a whole new console. To me, it’s exciting to have that kind of control over my sound.”
