As the eighth headlining foray from Keith Urban, this year’s ongoing Light the Fuse tour is a heady and eclectic mix featuring new music, A-list openers Little Big Town and Dustin Lynch, and all-new production based around audio guided by a pair of industry veterans most known for battling from within the smoke-filled trenches of hard rock and metal.
Admittedly not your average kind of “Nashville guy,” Light the Fuse front of house engineer Tom Abraham is calling the Music City home these days nonetheless, bringing with him decades of experience with the likes of Alice In Chains, Marilyn Manson, Velvet Revolver, Garbage, Rage Against the Machine, and Metallica, a gig where he served with mixing legend Big Mick Hughes.
Given his divergent background, it may be hard for some to imagine any similarities between his hardcore work and what he’s doing now. But, “there’s really little difference in how I mix,” Abraham is quick to point out. “I was specifically hired for this gig because of who I was and what I do. That’s what management wanted. The only thing worth noting in comparison between this and what I’m widely known for is that when you’re playing to a hard rock or metal crowd, you’re playing to a very specific demographic.
“When you’re mixing for Keith Urban, it’s a really wide demographic from young to old,” he continues. “Accordingly, I try to ride the line here a little bit more conservatively. But that doesn’t mean I won’t get as loud as a rock show, just that I’m concerned at certain levels that I don’t fly so far over the top that I leave 50 percent of the crowd behind.”
Giant Controller
Seemingly omnipresent these days in so many applications, an Avid Profile desk serves as Abraham’s direct interface to the house system.
“I use this console because it keeps me prepared for playing anywhere in the world,” he explains. “I have to be honest though, and say I’m not a huge fan of the way the console sounds intrinsically. But because of its plug-in capabilities I can essentially morph it into any kind of desk I want to a fair degree. I guess you could say I basically use it as a giant controller on many levels.”
Under Abraham’s direction, the Profile has been fitted with a sizable contingent of SSL E-Channel input strips from Waves, as well as Phoenix tape emulation plug-ins. “There are a multitude of plug-in slots on this console, and I’m using a good number for my own personal customization,” he notes. “It’s not that I’ve turned it into an SSL E-desk with that incomparable SSL 4000 Series sound, but I certainly am trying to.
“Other inputs are indispensible to me as well. I keep a good number of C6 dynamic EQs from Waves at hand. They are my absolute lifesavers on vocals and guitars. Eight are on Keith alone on every one of his RF mics. I drop backing vocals into a group. The Phoenix tape emulation is also used mostly in a group, mainly as part of my space-saving efforts.”
PA for Light the Fuse takes off on an incendiary note courtesy of Clair Global and an i-5D-based rig in which 16 of the enclosures are found hanging per side. With side hangs comprising 16 i-3s apiece, terrestrial space below is occupied by 11 double-18 Clair subwoofers, an odd number Abraham admits, but one that fits in perfectly with the stage configuration.
As a final complement, eight of Clair’s new micro-boxes serve as front fill devices. Audio power for the entire affair is supplied by Lab.gruppen.
