Jim Ebdon (Aerosmith)
The Midas XL8 Live Performance System completed the final leg of Aerosmith’s 2007 world tour, with FOH engineer Jim Ebdon at the controls as the Boston rock legends made their way across North America.
Given the strenuous demands that accompany this kind of schedule, coupled with the band’s notorious insistence on the best possible sound, roadworthiness and audio quality were top priorities when it came to spec’ing equipment.
Enter the Midas XL8, and Ebdon, whose history with acts like Sting, Annie Lennox, and American Idol have earned him a “golden ears” reputation; exactly what a tour with a band of such high critical standards demands. Along with Ebdon at FOH, Chuck Wells acted as assistant FOH engineer besides handling systems technician duties.
When the console joined the tour, “The lid came off to ‘oohs and ah’s’ from those standing by,” recaps Ebdon. “It looked beautiful, and was smaller than I remembered. I started to program the console and very quickly found my way around setting it up, patching input channels, routing, effects, sends and returns, and outputs.
“I had the crew band play for me, which is how we sound check, and within a few minutes I was confident with the console and had them sounding very good. I had very good results from the first show, and gained even better familiarity with it for the rest of the tour.”
“I’ve been a user of digital consoles since they were first introduced to the market and have really tried them all,” continues Ebdon. “However the XL8’s audio quality is above and beyond anything I’ve heard in the digital realm.
“It has that warm Midas analog sound – both the pre’s and EQ’s are what you’d expect from Midas. Plus, you’ve got the VCAs (variable controlled associations) and POP (population) groups which allow you to quickly grab any channel assigned for easy control.
“Add the fact that its work surface is completely intuitive – very much like an analog desk – and it’s been a real treat to use on this tour. I look forward to using it on more high profile jobs in the near future.”