Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Megade Conquers the World with DiGiCo

01/05/2014

NEWPORT, Washington - May 2014 -- Sound engineer Bradley Johnson of Newport, WA-based KRF Audio, spent a lot of time listening to Megadeth in his early years mixing, so he was well prepared to man the controls for the legendary metal band's live show, currently on a world tour hitting more than 25 countries in four continents and wrapping up this August in England.

DiGiCo has long been Johnson's console supplier of choice, and, in fact, he owns his own gear. When I go on the road to mix, my board comes with me, says Johnson, who's serving as FOH engineer on the current Megadeth tour. To me, a mixing console and its related outboard gear are an extension of the engineer. Being comfortable with the console is paramount to the quality of the end product and allows engineers to be more creative with their mix.

Working with Megadeth leader Dave Mustaine is always a professional challenge, notes Johnson, because he's very meticulous with the sound on stage. He soundchecks nearly every day and has a specific routine that he faithfully adheres to. It starts with him listening to each instrument individually without in-ear monitors. When happy with levels and tones, he will put in his ear monitors and play with the band, starting first with drums and then adding each instrument one after the other. This is all done with the house PA off. When everyone is happy, I will bring up the mix in the house to a point where it does not interfere with the band's monitor mix. This can be challenging depending on how live' the room is or isn't.

For the current world tour, DiGiCo's SD8-24 is being used for both FOH and stage monitors. Like Johnson, DiGiCo is also the number one choice of Megadeth's monitor engineer, Dave Rupsch.

It's being used on stage for the same reasons as FOH; overall sound quality and performance versus footprint, says Johnson, explaining that international travel played a role in the choice.

Because truck space and shipping weights have become such a large consideration, we share a DiGiCo stage rack between FOH and monitors, thus eliminating a second rack and an analog split. This makes the entire sound system extremely compact and gives up nothing in the way of audio quality, he continues. The layout of the DiGiCo consoles makes sense to me. I am not sure why other manufacturers miss this point so obviously. If there is one thing I can't stand, it's an IQ test every time I walk up to a board. When it comes to reliability, audio quality, innovation and support, DiGiCo has always delivered.

Despite the metal genre's reputation for pushing eardrums to maximum tolerance, Johnson notes the stage volume is fairly controlled, as the result of Megadeth band members being on in-ear monitors. Side fills are used, but they are primarily to add feel or impact to the stage. Stage volume is a pleasant 102 to 104 dBA, which is not really the norm for this genre, but is very helpful from an engineering perspective, admits Johnson.

My mix in the house varies quite a bit depending on room size or if it is an outdoor venue. I have never had an issue with headroom on any DiGiCo console. It was recently put to the test in Las Vegas, where metal legends Mot rhead opened for Megadeth. That was a good gig, plenty of PA in that room, and a show with Mot rhead. They don't make 'em like Lemmy anymore, Johnson comments.

Megadeth uses two audio systems for tours. One is based in the USA and was used on the three Megadeth dates in April prior to the first international gig in Ecuador on the 22nd, which was one of seven South American shows.

The fly rig used for non-US dates consists of a DiGiCo SD10-24 at FOH and an SD8 monitor console. The beauty of the SD10 is that while a Waves SoundGrid server is not needed to produce excellent results, it simply adds more tools to an already substantial toolbox, says Johnson, who's planning to add a Waves server to the SD10 that will fit snugly in the console's road case.

There's an assortment of analog and digital outboard gear including: TC Electronic System 6000, Waves MaxxBCL, several Empirical Labs products, Eventide Eclipse, and a 56x32 stage rack with a DiGiCo D-TuBe preamp. There must always be at least one tube somewhere in my audio rig, laughs Johnson, who tends to lean toward what works for me, as opposed to the latest greatest whiz-bang box of the day.

Johnson believes plug-ins should be used as tools or enhancements, as opposed to being necessary for quality output. I can't say how many times I have heard engineers say something along the lines of I need this or that on every single input'. To me, this says quite a bit about their console's sound quality or lack thereof. With DiGiCo, however, the sound quality isnever in question. It's always fantastic.

DiGiCo Press Contacts

David Webster at DiGiCo

Tel: +44 1372 845600

Email: webby@DiGiConsoles.com

Chris Shuler at Public Address

Tel: +1 269 815 5055

Email: christophershuler@comcast.net

Images:

1) Megadeth_engineers.jpg Bradley Johnson (left) and Dave Rupsch at the DiGiCo SD10 FOH desk

2) Megadeth_and_crew.jpg A group shot of the band and tour production crew
LINK: http://www.digico.biz/docs/latest_news/EFAAApZAkkgMpyeDvy.shtml...
See more stories from digico

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

09/10/2026

Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026

September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026 New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

18/09/2026

IBC 2026 Tech Moves Beyond the Gloss and Into the Rack

IBC 2026 Tech Moves Beyond the Gloss and Into the Rack If you spent any time in the halls of the RAI this year, you noticed a clear shift in conversation. The c...

18/09/2026

SVG GameDay, Ep. 31: Seattle Mariners Tim Walsh - Creative Content in the Emerald City

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...

18/09/2026

Qvest Appoints Jens Miedek as SVP Sales, Media and Entertainment

Qvest has appointed Jens Miedek as Senior Vice President Sales, Media and Entertainment. Before joining Qvest, Miedek spent 16 years at Riedel Communications an...

18/09/2026

Fonn Group Acquires everviz, Relaunches as Teikna Graphics Platform

Fonn Group has acquired full ownership of everviz, a cloud-native platform for interactive charts, maps, and data-driven graphics, and will rebrand it as Teikna...

18/09/2026

OWC Acquires OpenDrives to Expand Enterprise Storage Portfolio

Other World Computing (OWC) has announced the acquisition of OpenDrives, a provider of software-defined video and rich media storage management solutions. The a...

18/09/2026

Kaltura and Verimatrix Partner on Content Security for OTT and Cloud TV

Kaltura and Verimatrix have announced a partnership integrating Verimatrix's Digital Rights Management and security capabilities into Kaltura's Cloud TV...

18/09/2026

Movicom's Robycam Aerial Cable System Deployed at World Nomad Games

The sixth edition of the World Nomad Games combined traditional sports, large-scale cultural performances, and some decidedly modern broadcast technology. Held ...

18/09/2026

DAZN and Super League Basketball Extend Partnership for 2026-27 Season

DAZN and Super League Basketball (SLB) have extended their partnership for the 2026-27 season. Every Championship, Cup, and Play-Off fixture will be available l...

18/09/2026

Nielsen Shifts Streaming Content Ratings to Daily Delivery Cadence

Nielsen has announced that its Streaming Content Ratings (SCR) product will move from weekly to daily data delivery, with clients now receiving viewership data ...

18/09/2026

ABC to Air LALIGAs ElClsico for First Time on October 25

ESPN will present LALIGA's ElCl sico on ABC for the first time, with FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid airing Sunday, October 25 at 4 p.m. ET. A one-hour pre-mat...

18/09/2026

University of Pennsylvania and JMI Sports Extend Multimedia Rights Partnership Through 2035-36

The University of Pennsylvania's Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate ...

18/09/2026

Charlotte Hornets Name DAZN Exclusive Direct-to-Consumer Streaming Partner

The Charlotte Hornets have announced DAZN as their exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming partner for the 2026-27 NBA season. The service launches immediately, ...

18/09/2026

With New AM Radio Act, Live Sports Remain on the Air - and on the Road

Broadcast sports' original medium will let drivers keep on hearing the plays thanks to a new bill set to pass the Senate....

18/09/2026

Apple TV Expands iPhone Camera Deployment for Friday Night Baseball' Finale at Dodger Stadium

Fourteen iPhone 18 Pro devices - eight connected over a T-Mobile Private 5G Netw...

18/09/2026

Minnesota Lynx to Air Final Regular Season Local Broadcast on FOX 9+

The Minnesota Lynx have announced that their final local broadcast of the 2026 regular season will air free on FOX 9 following the shutdown of Victory . The Ly...

18/09/2026

Monumental+ Now Available on Prime Video

Monumental Sports Network (MNMT) has announced that its Monumental+ streaming service is now available as a subscription through Prime Video, giving Capitals an...

18/09/2026

WTGL Announces Inaugural Season Schedule on ESPN, ABC, and ION

WTGL, the women's team golf league created by TMRW Sports in partnership with the LPGA, has announced its inaugural season schedule. The season premieres Su...

18/09/2026

Ratings Roundup: NFL Week 1 Down 13% From Record 2025; ESPN Earns Its Best US Open Mens Final on Record

Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...

18/09/2026

SNS Wins IAMT Award For Addressing What Video Editors Need In The AI Era

Studio Network Solutions (SNS) has won Best Journal Article at the 2026 IAMT Impact Awards for What Video Editors Need When Everything Is Changing Around Them, ...

18/09/2026

ReSing Voices Vol 2 from IK Multimedia

10 new voice models join line-up The latest expansion for IK Multimedia's AI-powered vocal-modelling software has arrived, delivering a set of 10 new vo...

18/09/2026

Museum of Synthesizers present the Arturia World Tour

A day of hands-on synthesis, sound design & performance On Saturday 26 September 2026, The Museum of Synthesisers will be hosting a full day of hands-on syn...

18/09/2026

Fix It or Risk It: recognize risk in ordinary moments

HPA is supporting Fix It or Risk It, a non-commercial, industry-wide public-service campaign helping organizations across the media and entertainment supply cha...

18/09/2026

AgileTV wraps up IBC 2026 with two industry awards

AgileTV has successfully wrapped up its participation at IBC 2026 in Amsterdam, following four days of conversations with customers, partners and industry profe...

18/09/2026

aconnic AG invites to a Virtual Investor Conference

aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, invites its shareholders and investors to a Virtual Investor Conference on Tuesday, September 29th, 2026, at 11.00 am. ...

18/09/2026

DHD Demonstrates the Future of Broadcast Audio Production...

DHD reports a high level of interest in its range of audio production equipment on all four days of the September 11-14 International Broadcasting Convention in...

18/09/2026

Sonnet Announces Thunderbolt 5 eGPU With 850-Watt Power Supply and Integrated Dock for Windows 11 Computers

Sonnet Announces Thunderbolt 5 eGPU With 850-Watt Power Supply and Integrated Do...

18/09/2026

DeckBridge adds live Resolve playback and Fairlight controls to Stream Deck

DeckBridge adds live Resolve playback and Fairlight controls to Stream Deck Brie Clayton September 17, 2026 0 Comments DeckBridge starting profiles ac...

18/09/2026

Learn to arrange tracks using Color With Live's Free Stencil Pack

Learn to arrange tracks using Color With Live's Free Stencil Pack Brie Clayton September 17, 2026 0 Comments Stencils are Color With Live's or...

18/09/2026

Berklee Establishes Susan Tedeschi Scholarship in Honor of Grammy-Winning Alumna

Berklee Establishes Susan Tedeschi Scholarship in Honor of Grammy-Winning Alumna The scholarship is announced as Tedeschi returns to headline the Berklee Bloc...

18/09/2026

The inside scoop on attention-grabbing market assets from those in the know

The inside scoop on attention-grabbing market assets from those in the know 17 September 2026 (L-R): Sophie Green, Todd Brown and Edwina Waddy Find this episo...

18/09/2026

The new iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12, and AirPods 5 now available to buy on Sky Mobiles award-winning network

Friday 18 September 2026 The new iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch ...

18/09/2026

Grand finale: Bringing a distinctly stylized visual identity to all five seasons of The Boys

Senior Colorist Siggy Ferstl of Company 3 has been grading The Boys since the sh...

17/09/2026

Prime Video Embarks on Fifth Exclusive Season of Thursday Night Football With Innovation, Experience in Tow

Lions vs. Bills will also be the first regular-season game at new Highmark Stadi...

17/09/2026

Teradek Launches Bolt 7 with Integrated 900MHz Data Pipeline

Teradek has announced Bolt 7, a wireless video and data system that adds an integrated 900MHz radio to the Bolt's zero-delay video pipeline. The 900MHz chan...

17/09/2026

DAZN Announces Three Executive Appointments

DAZN has announced three appointments to its executive leadership team, all reporting to CEO Shay Segev effective immediately. Patrick Delany has been appointe...

17/09/2026

Monumental Sports and Entertainment Announces Leadership Changes

Monumental Sports and Entertainment (MSE) has announced a leadership restructuring. Zach Leonsis has been named President and Vice Chairman, a newly created pos...

17/09/2026

CP Communications and Red House Streaming Named 2026 Best of Florida Winners

CP Communications has been named Best of Florida for Audio-Visual Services, and its subsidiary Red House Streaming has been named Best Movie and Recording Studi...

17/09/2026

Scripps Sports and ION to Broadcast Shriners Childrens East-West Bowl

Scripps Sports and ION have announced a broadcast partnership for the Shriners Children's East-West Bowl, the nation's oldest college all-star football ...

17/09/2026

espnW Announces Full Agenda for 2026 Women + Sports Summit

The 17th annual espnW: Women + Sports Summit, presented by Toyota, will take place October 14-16 at the Ojai Valley Inn in Ojai, California, with virtual attend...

17/09/2026

PAMA and Shure Announce 2026 Mark Brunner Professional Audio Scholarship Recipients

The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated have...

17/09/2026

LNK Group Migrates Five Networks to Grass Valley AMPP

Lithuanian broadcaster LNK Group has completed a migration of playout and media management for its five national television networks - LNK, BTV, TV1, InfoTV, an...

17/09/2026

Net Insight Establishes Pan-Asian Live Media Network for Nimbra 520 Trials

Net Insight has announced a pan-Asian live media network created with its regional partners, giving broadcasters, production companies, and media service provid...

17/09/2026

SVG Students to Watch: Adam Black, University of South Florida

After a high school football injury, the Orlando native found a new path in video production, gaining experience on ESPN college football broadcasts, Tampa Bay ...

17/09/2026

Image-Line & Antares reveal AutoTune Go

Popular DAW gains free pitch-correction tool Image-Line have teamed up with Antares to kit their popular DAW software out with a built-in pitch-correction p...

17/09/2026

Gibson & Baggs unveil HiFi DNA pickup

Promises unprecedented realism, dynamic nuance and clarity Gibson have teamed up with acoustic pickup experts Baggs, creating a next-generation' pickup...

17/09/2026

VSL introduce Synchron Cimbalom & World Percussion II

Two new libraries join percussion line-up VSL (Vienna Symphonic Library) have just launched two new libraries that bring some intriguing new instruments int...

17/09/2026

Arturia update the MiniFreak

Hardware & plug-in versions gain new features Arturia have just released a free update that brings some significant new features to their MiniFreak synthesi...