A1 sound engineer Eugene “Geno” Mulcahy uses Waves Audio SuperRack, Axis Proton computer and plugins as primary elements in broadcasting live worship services at Vox Church in New Haven, CT.
“Due to COVID-19,” Mulcahy says, “many churches, ours included, are now challenged with creating a high-quality web-stream/broadcast presentation for their parish. To achieve a smooth-running stream, we went along with a setup that includes a DiGiCo S21 with a DMI Waves SoundGrid interface and a Waves Axis Proton computer running the Waves SuperRack plugin host and all plugin processing handled by the Waves Proton Server. We are streaming live, so I create a mix by using Waves plugins so I can manage all levels once I set them in. Waves plugins directly address the input level at the video deck, and I am able to set and get the most consistent output level to video. We also record all the services for a future broadcast.
He adds that the church previously utilized the Avid VENUE Profile platform for many years, and now working with a DiGiCo S21 and Waves SuperRack is his first time using this type of a setup.
“We made the call to go campus-wide with the DiGiCo S21 as our base platform, and the only thing the console was missing was Waves processing,” Mulcahy explains. “We purchased the DMI-Waves card for the S21 to assist with our broadcast. We had already been web-streaming to our other campuses weekly, and now we just needed to take it out to the world and up another level. So, I dove in and got quickly familiar with Waves’ SuperRack. I personally like the way it is laid out, as it is simple and intuitive and offers custom pages, all of which lead me to a simpler workflow.
“I’m sold on this platform and how it functions, and the great thing is that it doesn’t take you away from mixing,” he continues. “With SuperRack, I have a simple and straightforward visual approach to plugin management, not to mention a simplified and smooth workflow that allows me to fully benefit from using Waves plugins, which are an integral part of my setup.”
His “go-to” plugins are the Waves C6 Multiband Compressor, used for fixing any vocal imperfections. In addition, the L3 Multimaximizer and L2 Ultramaximizer also play key roles.
“All vocalists have those little signature vocal imperfections, and the C6 really helps in correcting them,” he concludes. “It’s a must on every one of my vocal inputs and a must on any broadcast audio bus as well. It’s simple to use and a complete game-changer. The L3 Multimaximizer lives on my video audio bus, and it just works! I came to this by way of the ever-helpful MxU guys, and it just does the job. The L2 Ultramaximizer lives right after the L3, just to give it a little bit more, and it also acts as an additional controller of the mix’s checks and balances. I use the Waves Vitamin Sonic Enhancer plugin on every keyboard and playback channel. It just brings the keyboards and stems to life.”
