The DiGiCo SD9 Injects Reality Into Showtime s Dramedy Roadies
09/11/2016
Creator Cameron Crowe's return to music-themed narrative may not draw kudos from those who do make music move every night, but a very real DiGiCo SD9 console (and a cameo by an SD8) let the equally real music artists feel and sound like they were on stage
In recent years, the necessary legions of equipment movers known as roadies have evolved to become true technical wizards as live music has morphed into ever more sophisticated production events. For better or for worse, though, cinematic representations of them tend to fall short of reality, and that seems to be the consensus of critics and actual roadies of Showtime's comedy-drama Roadies, which debuted earlier this year. However, the show is getting high marks on its efforts for the authenticity of the environment they work in, and a DiGiCo SD9 console played a major role in that achievement.
Marking a return to music-themed scripts by creator Cameron Crowe, whose 2000 film Almost Famous successfully captured the ebullience of the early days of rock as it became an industry, and produced by the ubiquitous JJ Abrams, Roadies asserts to take viewers backstage on tour to follow the lives and loves of its protagonists as they duck rolling road cases. But the music is quite real, featuring artists including the Head and the Heart, Halsey, Eddie Vedder, Reignwolf, Lindsey Buckingham and others, and they're playing and singing every note live. Bill Lanham can attest to that. He's one of the show's technical consultants whose own role morphed into that of its FOH engineer, monitor mixer and multitrack recording engineer, and he manages all of them on a single console.
The SD9 is amazing-it can do it all, says Lanham, whose career began working stage backlines and who grew into live sound over time. I've used a lot of consoles and I can tell you that DiGiCo is the one that lets you decide how you want to work.
Lanham manages what has turned into a complex role on the show by bringing the stage microphones into two stage boxes, totaling 40 channels, and then splitting from those, sending copper to the production audio recordist and taking a MADI feed from the stage to a DiGiGrid MGB interface in the DiGiRack and console. From there it goes over Ethernet to a MacBook Pro running Apple Logic Pro multitrack recording software.
The show does not use prerecorded tracks, he says. We usually pare it down to 32 tracks or less onstage and everyone is playing live. Having the SD9 gives me complete control over the audio coming from the stage, so I can mix it as though I was doing an actual FOH gig, but I can also send the band what they want to hear in the monitors and IEMs, and I can send submix stems to the production mixer. I can do all that easily because the SD9 lets me set the work surface the way I want it. I build it from the ground up. You don't have to be an IT guy to run this console.
Lanham says working a music show for television inevitably still puts the music secondary to the narrative. There's been a few times where they'll ask us to move the PA for a better camera angle, he says. And the pressure is always on-the bands get maybe an hour to prep and soundcheck, and then they start filming. The costs are so high that everything has to work like clockwork. The SD9 has a lot of flexibility, so I had all my work-arounds all ready to go, if needed.
DiGiCo's broad acceptance in music touring has actually helped that: Lanham says that the FOH engineer for Halsey, which carries a DiGiCo desk on tour with them, was able to walk right in and set the console up from memory. He didn't even need to plug in a file, Lanham recalls.
Steve McNeil can attest to the SD9's flexibility. A veteran engineer who coached Lanham on the SD9's operation, he also took over Lanham's multifaceted role when Lanham had to leave for another project. I covered for Bill when he got called away on tour, and I was able to pick up instantly where he left off, mixing performances by Gary Clark Jr., Robyn Hitchcock, Eddie Vedder, and Nicole Allen, says McNeil, who adds that the SD9's ability to be accessed remotely via an iPad was a huge advantage on the set.
I was leaning down next to Eddie Vedder before one scene and I was literally taking his monitoring order' as though we were in a restaurant. He'd say, Can I get a dollop of some sweetness?' and I'd add some reverb in the monitor while standing right next to him. It was funny, but it made the production move along smoother and really shows what you can accomplish with the SD9.
The SD9's sound gets plenty of airtime on Roadies (though an SD8 was brought to the set to act as a prop onscreen for one scene). But, like most of television's technical wizards, the console and its engineer stay behind the camera. Except once. On Episode Three they moved the band during the shoot, so I ran out and rearranged the microphones during the scene, Lanham explains. They were waiting for me on the other side-with a release form they needed me to sign.
About DiGiCo
DiGiCo is a UK-based manufacturer of some of the world's most popular, successful and ground-breaking digital mixing consoles for the live, theatre, broadcast and post production industries and is exclusively distributed in the US by Group One Ltd. of Farmingdale, New York.
LINK: | http://www.live-production.tv/news/products/digico-sd9-injects-reality... |
See more stories from liveproduction |
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
17/05/2024
TV, Streaming Schedule for 2024 NFL Regular Season Is Released
NEW YORK As declines in linear TV viewing make the ongoing popularity of live sports, particularly football, central to financial success of the TV industry, th...
17/05/2024
Netflix Ad Tier Hits 40M Monthly Active Users
During Netflixs second Upfront presentation to advertisers, Amy Reinhard, Netflix's president of advertising, walked advertisers through the continued growt...
17/05/2024
Scripps Promotes Jeff Kiernan to VP, Local News
CINCINNATI The E.W. Scripps Company has added to its leadership team for news by promoting Jeff Kiernan a veteran journalist and general manager of Scripps'...
17/05/2024
Survey: New Disney-Fox-WBD Sports Streamer May Hurt Pay TV Sub Counts
Top executives from Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery have consistently insisted that their joint venture to launch the Venu Sports streaming bundle in the...
17/05/2024
Caitlin Clark's WNBA Debut Set Viewing Records
ESPN has announced that its coverage of Caitlin Clark's WNBA debut in the Indiana Fever versus the Connecticut Sun season opener was the most-watched WNBA g...
17/05/2024
ATEM Mini Extreme ISO switcher and Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
ATEM Mini Extreme ISO switcher and Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K Brie Clayton May 16, 2024 0 Comments Blackmagic Design announced today that Yoic...
17/05/2024
Pixomondo's Virtual Production Academy Expands with Programs at Sony PCL, Vook, and Vancouver Film School
Pixomondo's Virtual Production Academy Expands with Programs at Sony PCL, Vo...
17/05/2024
WBD Upfront Show Offers Peeks at House of the Dragon,' White Lotus,' Biden-Trump Debate
The Warner Bros. Discovery upfront presentation took place Wednesday, May 15 at ...
17/05/2024
The Black Keys, Jelly Roll, Kate Hudson Set To Perform on The Voice' Finale
Season 25 of The Voice wraps on NBC Tuesday, May 21, with performances from The Black Keys, Jelly Roll, Kate Hudson, Lainey Wilson, Muni Long, Thomas Rhett and ...
17/05/2024
CNN Boss Mark Thompson's Plan Includes More News in More Categories on More Devices (Upfronts)
New CNN CEO Mark Thompson spelled out his plan for the struggling news network d...
17/05/2024
Netflix To Launch In-House Advertising Tech Platform
Netflix, a newcomer to the advertising business, said it plans to launch an in-house advertising technology platform....
17/05/2024
Netflix Plots TV Takeover at Upfront Presentation
Netflix shared some programming projects at an upfront presentation in New York. Those include the basketball-themed comedy series Running Point, a Mindy Kaling...
17/05/2024
Plex Geek Week Sale Offers 20% Off Plex Lifetime Pass
Plex is offering movie and music collectors a 20% discount off its Lifetime Plex Pass as part of its Geek Week sale....
17/05/2024
GroupM Names Toby Jenner as President, GroupM Clients
Giant media buyer GroupM said it named Toby Jenner as global president, Group M Clients, a new position at the company....
17/05/2024
Clients of Independent Agencies Boost Programmatic Buying
Smaller advertisers are increasingly buying connected TV programmatically, according to a new report from FreeWheel, Comcast's ad-tech unit....
17/05/2024
TCLtvPlus Adds Streaming Music Channels From Vevo
TCLtvPlus, the streaming app on smart TVs made by TCL, has added live linear channel from music-video programmer Vevo....
17/05/2024
StackAdapt Adopts Data From Samba TV for Programmatic Campaigns
StackAdapt said it made a deal to integrate data from Samba TV into its programmatic advertising platform....
17/05/2024
May 16, 2024
Scripps Research chemist Donna Blackmond elected to the Royal Society of the U.K. Blackmond's wide-ranging work has shaped origin of life theories, our unde...
16/05/2024
Power Provokes Vital Questions About the Role of Police
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 18: Director Yance Ford introduces the Power premiere at Library Center Theatre. (Photo by Chad Salvador/Shutterstock for Sundance F...
16/05/2024
Mental Health Matters: Embrace Self-Care With These Audiobook and Podcast Listens
May is Mental Health Awareness month, a time to recognize those living with ment...
16/05/2024
ABC and SBS bring digital radio (DAB+) services to the Gold Coast
ABC and SBS bring digital radio (DAB ) services to the Gold Coast 15 May, 2024 Media releases ABC and SBS today announced that audiences on the Gold Coast ...
16/05/2024
Clear-Com Communication Solutions Enhance Oregon State University's PRAx Building
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
16/05/2024
6 New Clearmountain's Domain Presets
Share this article width=32 height=32 data-lazy-src=https://apogeedigital.com/app/themes/juniper-theme/src/img/icons/facebook-purple.svg /> width=32 height=...
16/05/2024
Updated: Netflix to Stream Live Christmas Day NFL Games
In a major example of how large streaming services are successfully battling for lucrative sports rights, Netflix has announced that it has secured global right...
16/05/2024
ESPN, Fox, WBD Unveil Name for New Sports Streaming Service
LOS ANGELES & NEW YORK More than three months after announcing plans to launch a major new sports streaming service, ESPN, Fox Corp. and Warner Bros. Discovery,...
16/05/2024
CTV/Streaming Top of Mind for Marketers in 2024
In a survey conducted late last year, marketing companies said their main focus for increasing advertising would be CTV/streaming. Generative AI, which was not ...
16/05/2024
CPB Issues More Grants for Next-Generation Warning
Three public radio and one public television outlet are the latest recipients of funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to upgrade their emergency...
16/05/2024
A year in live HDR production
John Mailhot, senior vice president, product management at Imagine Communications, gives an insight into how HDR is impacting live production today, as well as ...
16/05/2024
Sony Pictures Post Production Services Completes Expansion of its Sound Facilities
Sony Pictures Post Production Services Completes Expansion of its Sound Faciliti...
16/05/2024
Telestream Taps Power of AI to Manage, Define Media Workflows
TV Tech recently sat down with Telestream CEO Rhonda Bassett-Spiers and CTO Simon Clark to discuss how the M&E industry is adapting the cloud, IP and AI to enha...
16/05/2024
1185 Films launches one stop shop' for industry talent
1185 Talent will include directors, editors, colourists, VFX artists and photographers By Jenny Priestley Published: May 16, 2024 1185 Talent will include...
16/05/2024
Updated: Presteigne Broadcast Hire enters administration
The administrators said they are focused on trading the business as a going concern while they assess options, including exploring the possibility of a sale By...
16/05/2024
AWS CEO Adam Selipsky steps down
Selipsky will leave the company on 3rd June, and will be succeeded by Matt Garman, a senior vice president who has overseen sales and marketing at AWS By Jenny...
16/05/2024
Sony Pictures Post Production Services Completes Sound Facilities Expansion
Sony Pictures Post Production Services has announced that the final phase of a multi-year effort to expand and modernize its motion picture and television sound...
16/05/2024
CNN, ABC to Televise Two Presidential Debates
President Joe Biden and Former President Donald Trump have agreed to participate in two televised debates, the first of which will be hosted by CNN on June 17....
16/05/2024
Disney+ Debuts First Concert Film to Stream with IMAX Enhanced Sound
BURBANK, Calif. and NEW YORK Disney+, IMAX Corporation, and DTS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Xperi, have announced that Queen Rock Montreal is now streaming ...
16/05/2024
WBD Unveils Advanced Advertising Features for Max
NEW YORK During its upfronts presentation, Warner Bros. Discovery announced a suite of new advanced ad products available on Max, that include shoppable ads, ad...
16/05/2024
iZotope announces RX 11 audio software, introducing new machine learning for tackling noise, and new tools for music streaming
iZotope announces RX 11 audio software, introducing new machine learning for tac...
16/05/2024
Check Out the Cine Gear Expo June 7 9, 2024 at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, CA
Check Out the Cine Gear Expo June 7 9, 2024 at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank...
16/05/2024
Nouvel Photo & Film Captures Cinematic Wedding Films with Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K
Nouvel Photo & Film Captures Cinematic Wedding Films with Blackmagic Cinema Came...
16/05/2024
Replacing Surfaces Like a Pro with Mocha AE Planar Tracking
Replacing Surfaces Like a Pro with Mocha AE Planar Tracking Levi Borland May 15, 2024 0 Comments Welcome to our comprehensive tutorial on planar track...
16/05/2024
CBC's CPL Teams Salamanders, Yard Gnomes One Week Away From Season Opener
The world of baseball at Capitol Broadcasting is about to expand like fireworks on a Friday night. The Holly Springs Salamanders will open their season at home...
16/05/2024
Blockgraph Adopted by tvbeat, Enabling Audience-Based Planning
Blockgraph said that its identity and data collaboration platform has been adopted by tvbeat, a provider of campaign planning technology for media companies....
16/05/2024
Tonight on Scandal: A terrifying story pushes Dintle into making a life-altering decision
Tonight on Scandal: A terrifying story pushes Dintle into making a life-altering...
16/05/2024
VEON 1Q24 Trading Update: Accelerating USD Growth, Strong Operational Execution
16 May 2024 VEON 1Q24 Trading Update: Accelerating USD Growth, Strong Operational Execution Amsterdam, 16 May 2024 07:00AM CEST - VEON Q1 2024 Highlights Q1...
16/05/2024
Tribeca X Announces 2024 Speaker Lineup for Expanded Two-Day Event; Official Selections for Tribeca X Award
May 16th, 2024 Press Materials Available Here TRIBECA X ANNOUNCES 2024 SPEAKER...
16/05/2024
SVG Sit-Down: Beam Dynamics CEO Kaszycki on Maximizing Physical-Asset Usage, Tracking
SVG Sit-Down: Beam Dynamics CEO Kaszycki on Maximizing Physical-Asset Usage, Tra...
16/05/2024
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Aggreko's Don Gray on Advocating for Sustainability in Live Sports Production
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Aggreko's Don Gray on Advocating for Sustainabili...