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Dazzling pyrotechnics, a rotating circular stage, and a flying drum kit – pop-punk icons blink-182 are pulling out all the stops on their summer tour and so are their audio engineers Charles Izzo (Childish Gambino, Halsey, Portugal. The Man) and Ray Jeffrey (Lorde, Flume).
Charles and Ray recently took time out from their busy tour schedule to chat with us about why they chose DPA mics on this tour, the sonic challenges of an in-the-round setting, and the skills that are essential to adjust to life on the road as an audio engineer.
You recently purchased some new DPA mics to take with you on tour – which models did you select and why?
Charles: For the drum kit, we used 4099s on our toms, cowbell, and ride; 2011s on our snare drums and hi-hat; 4015 Wide mics for our underheads, and the 4055 for our kick drum. I would say 90% of the microphones on our stage are DPA.
The big one for me was the 4015 Wide mic because Travis’s drum kit flies, so we can’t do traditional overheads – we had to mic from under and keep everything really discreet, and the wide pickup pattern on those really picks up the entire drum kit really nicely. The transients on the 2011s are really good – they sound great on the snares; the 4099 is just such a natural, great-sounding microphone in general, and the 4055 is good for a big robust kick drum.
Ray: Not only do the DPA mics sound good, but they’re highly detailed, highly durable, and they’re also such a compact package all the way around, which is nice for a clean drum look. Also, on vocals, we’re using 4018VL Capsules, which are great.
What are some of your favorite features of DPA mics?
Charles: Durability is important. I saw a microphone hit the stage the other night – I’ve seen it hit the stage a couple of nights actually – and you’re like “Ohhhh!” but they’re absolutely fine afterward. [Laughs]
Ray: On a previous tour, I used the drum mics in a live festival setting that was getting rained on, and they made it through two shows of full rain – at this point, I trust them implicitly.
Charles: The transient response is fantastic! Especially for someone like Travis, who is a very fast player, transients matter – every hit matters. With the amount of attack out front that I get on all of those drum mics, everything comes through perfectly. The clarity and precision are also great, and the pickup pattern on the vocal mics is really tight, which keeps everything very clean. It’s super easy for me to get every detail out of the vocal.
Ray: I concur with everything Charles says. Especially for in-ear monitors, with the detail, you’re hearing everything. With the 4018 on the vocal, you're hearing the end of each syllable, you’re hearing the air, and it doesn’t sound unnatural or overhyped – it’s my go-to smooth vocal mic.
You’ve mentioned in interviews that your goal was to have a studio-like sound – do these mics assist with that?
Charles: 100%. It’s the difference between going from typical live microphones to studio-grade, high-quality, great-sounding microphones that you could easily use in a studio.
Ray: Or in an orchestra! I’ve used them for micing an orchestra, so I would laugh about it while putting on a drum mic – I’m like: ‘Also works on a violin!’ [Laughs]
How has using DPA mics changed your workflow on tour?
Charles: For me, it’s just made life easier. I don’t have to try to do these weird creative things to get tone because the microphone was lacking in some way.
Ray: Same – life is easier. And also, it’s silly but with them being so compact, they take up less space. Our mics are now in one drawer instead of us having a giant case of microphones – the compact size is a big plus.
Charles: The mounting is great as well. Like I said, our drum kit flies so it's pretty important that all of those things stay in place, are compact, and are out of the way. They are rock solid.
Consistency must also be important each night.
Charles: Exactly. I rarely have to change anything on the input side, night after night.
Are there any other DPA mics that you like to use?
Ray: We just got two of the 2017 shotgun mics on the tour. Honestly, I haven't been able to really listen to them or use them a lot as audience mics, but we’re very excited that we are using the new shotgun mics. We’ll find out what they sound like whenever I listen to them. [Laughs]
Do you typically travel with a console or are you using a new desk at every venue?
Charles: Both of our rigs are pretty extensive and we travel with them. I’m on a Yamaha RIVAGE PM10 console. I went with the RIVAGE on this tour because I had heard nothing but really good things about it from other engineers that I really respected. Even right now, I have a lot of outboard analog gear, but I went with the RIVAGE because it has Bricasti reverbs, Eventide H3000s, and a lot of on-board Neve plug-ins inside of it.
Right now, I have a double-wide rack, but if I wasn’t using this console, I think I’d have maybe a triple-wide rack. The console sounds fantastic! It's definitely one of the better-sounding consoles I've ever used in my life – it’s a really great desk.
Ray: I’m on a DiGiCo SD5, which has been my go-to for the last six years or so, mainly because of the flexibility of the console. Also, you can get one anywhere in the world if you need it, so there are no surprises.
What are some of your favorite pieces of outboard gear?
Charles: What I essentially have is like a traveling mix studio. I use a Dramastic Audio Obsidian for my LR compression, into a Chandler Curve Bender EQ, into a Neve Master Bus Converter. I have an Acme Opticom on my bass; Distressors; API 2500+ and Neve Master Bus Transformer on my guitars; and an Empirical Labs Fatso on my drums.
I have a really traditional vocal chain – an 1176 into a Tube-Tech CL 1B, into an RND Shelford channel, into a Clariphonic. That’s a lot! [Laughs] Oh, and there’s a Neve 5045 in there as well.
Is that your go-to signal chain for vocals, or do you use something different for every artist?
Charles: It works great for these guys and would work for most artists. Typically, if I have a smaller budget, the one thing I at least need to have is the Shelford channel, just to do everything. But with this vocal chain, it’s the first time I’ve actually used the analog pieces in this order and it’s working flawlessly.
Ray: Mine is a Rupert Neve Designs Shelford channel through a 5045 and a Bricasti M7 as well. That's kind of my go-to outboard gear and go-to vocal chain.
How do you feel about plug-ins?
Charles: I'm pretty light on this tour in terms of plug-ins; what I'm using is really just some effects stuff. I’m using a Soundtoys Little Plate for a tom reverb. I've also been going back and forth between the new Eventide H3000 MK II versus the console Eventide H3000 – depending on the song, I like one better than the other.
A lot of my drum control is just using the onboard compressors in the desk. The desk also has what they call a DaNSe plug-in, which is just a noise reduction plug-in and I use that on my toms to really keep them clean.
Ray: I'm using basic Waves plug-ins for some extra reverb and a little Doubler, and that's it. Most of my stuff is between the Bricasti and the channels going in. I do use some compression on the channel, but no outboard.
What's a typical day on tour like for you?
Charles: A typical day? You’re looking at the start of it right now – wake up in a random city… [Laughs]
Ray: Get coffee, first. [Laughs]
Charles: I'm a morning shower person, so I get in the venue, immediately take a shower to wake myself up, go check in with my audio team and we get set up. I record the show every night, so I listen to last night's show, make revisions if I need to, make mix notes, do a line check, maybe a soundcheck, and then do a show!
Ray: Yeah, it’s pretty much the same every day. [Laughs]
Charles: It’s very Groundhog Day. [Laughs]
Ray: I can set up earlier because I'm not actually inside the arena…
Charles: He’s outside the room.
Ray: [Laughs] I'm outside the room, I'm basically in the loading dock.
For what it’s worth, your ears are protected.
Ray: [Laughs] My ears are protected, I don't need to wait for every other department to finish work. I've already fired up this morning, I know my gear works, which is great, and then we came in to do the interview.
What would aspiring sound engineers be surprised to learn about life on the road?
Charles: It's exhausting, I'll tell you that. [Both laugh]
Ray: Yeah, you’re working a 14- to 16-hour work day and you have to be prepared to not sleep as much as you think you would. Also, you're jumped into a giant roommate situation – it's like family/roommate/lifelong friends, all jumbled into one. Sometimes you even have to make new friends every day.
Charles: And you need to be flexible. I may find out in an hour that I need to go do something that I was not aware of, but that's my job – that's why I'm here. You can’t complain about things like that.
Ray: For me, it's like we're all here to make the show happen, so let’s make it a great show. I'm very proud of what we do. This one is a big production and it looks great, people are very happy with the way it sounds, the band is happy… so it’s about trying to keep that going every day, and not allowing yourself to be run down or start being grumpy. That's something that is very contagious as well. Like I said, you’re a family living together and attitudes can ruin a lot, so you’ve got to stay positive.
What's one thing you never tour without?
Charles: A Shelford channel is really a go-to piece of gear for me. It's really versatile. I'll still do club tours every now and then, and even at that level, I use that.
Ray: Bricasti M7 for me, and, now that I've been using it the last year, the RND 5045.
What are some of the biggest challenges for you on this tour?
Charles: It’s the first in-the-round tour I've done so it was a challenging undertaking. The biggest problem with arenas, in general, is reflection – you’re putting energy into the room, and getting that energy back. On a typical end-fire stage, you're only sending energy in one direction; in the round, you’re sending energy in all directions and it's coming back, so you have to be creative in how to deal with that. Our audio company Clair Global came up with a design that would work in every room and they did a terrific job.
In this room, we're actually doing a 360 center sub design in the middle that's flown above the stage, sending low-end energy dispersed evenly throughout the room and it's working great – we're not getting as much energy back. We’re also using a d&b KSL array PA, which cuts down on monitor energy going out as well. It was definitely the biggest hurdle and I feel like I'm happy with it right now.
Ray: The biggest challenge for me is consistency. From day to day, I need the band to walk on stage and have it be the same as it was the night before or as close to it. So whether it's how the PA is deployed, or the mic stand being perfect…whatever it is, it needs to be consistent because we're not doing soundchecks. So the band is going up on stage and that first note is the first time that they really hear their in-ears that night, so my job is to make sure that it’s consistent.
How do you protect your hearing?
Charles: Yeah, I'm in the danger zone. [Laughs] I try to not be in the room unless I have to be and if I am in the room, I wear protection. I also don’t mix overly loud: I try to stay around 98-100 dB indoors; I’ll push a little bit more to something like 102 dB outdoors, but I don't mix abusively in any way.
Ray: Now that I'm in the loading dock…[Laughs] I just keep my in-ears in, make sure I'm not turning my pack up too much, and I limit my listening hours as well.
Charles: Yeah, that's the biggest one – cutting down on listening hours.
Ray: A 12-hour day in the studio is probably more damaging than anything we’re exposed to.
Any advice for artists or engineers on the road this summer?
Charles: My biggest one, especially for younger engineers, is to never stop learning. I still have a Puremix and Mix With The Masters membership; I still keep up by watching what other artists and other engineers are doing. You cannot stop if you want to progress in this industry.
Ray: Same for me, and on the road, when we have a day off, I watch a few episodes. Also, knowing the gear is huge. Read the manual and get hands-on with the gear. Before this tour, I purchased a Shelford channel for myself – from Vintage King, actually, which is just across the street from my house.
I’m in Ferndale, Michigan, so it’s right there and I would go grab a piece of gear, demo it, read the manual… it’s very hands-on. Know everything you're doing and be confident with your choices once you do make those choices. Know your gear and be confident.
Are you working on any exciting projects right now that you're able to talk about?
Charles: Honestly, this tour is all-consuming right now because we just started it this week – this has just been my complete and total focus.
Ray: Same, and in any off time, I've just been working on my studio stuff – getting my workflow in my personal studio – but that's kind of a lifelong thing as well. I'm never not working on something.
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