Why does a four-piece band need the gargantuan capacity of a console like the DiGiCo SD7s? Because they're Coldplay and they can? Maybe. But when you hear about the complex setup of one of the world's most successful band's live shows, you will understand there are undeniable reasons why the SD7, and only the SD7, will do.
Although he looks way too young to have already had such a lengthy career, Daniel Green has been Coldplay's Front of House engineer and co-producer for almost 20 years. Coldplay are, it seems, a band that engenders loyalty, with Tony Smith, Audio Desginer, FOH tech and crew chief, racking up 15 years of service and Chris Woodsy' Wood on monitors 17 years. All are integral to the band, but Daniel who's title on tour is Audio Director also collaborates on the vision of how each song will be presented on stage, a process that starts in the studio.
Live performance is such a big part of Coldplay. When creating new songs, we always consider how they will be performed live, says Dan. Once the album is nearing completion, I'll work with each member of the band to develop their sounds and tones for each song. Also, creating ways to perform the songs in a live context.
The tour, however, is not a reproduction of Coldplay's studio work. Sounds are changed for certain elements to make live' tracks and, despite the band being incredibly accomplished, for arena and stadium shows there are inherent limitations to the sound that just four people can make and there is a little bit of what Dan refers to as bolstering', which is where the use of the SD7 starts to make sense.
We have a regular drum kit of 12 mics or so, but each one of those has triggers for various songs, Dan explains. For example, there might be an electronic drum sound and, rather than put those beats on track, we want to be able to play them live'. That means we have all the electronic drums as inputs, which is like adding another complete band.
All this, of course, adds to the input count. The setup is then replicated on a B stage, plus there is an acoustic C stage.
We do as much as we can to combine things, Dan continues, but we've found that by doing that you end up not having the flexibility you need.
Capacity is therefore key - at last count, the channels at FOH ran to a whopping 192 going to a Live Pro Tools record - but that's not the end of the story. The SD7s, supplied along with the rest of the PA by Wigwam Acoustics, have also been chosen for their versatility and their sound quality, with the touring set up comprising an SD7 and SD Rack at FOH, deployed for peripheral outboard kit, and another SD7 with two SD Racks at monitors. The SD Racks Gain Track, with Dan making good use of the agility of the SD7's worksurface, customising it to be exactly how he wants it.
We also have an SD RE with a Nano for additional I/O and an SD10-24 if we need to mirror to them and to have a control surface to work on, but that rarely comes out, says Tony. We also have an SD11 for Jack Murphy, PA system tech, to use for time alignment for his peripheral gear, which just makes things easier. Everything is on an Optocore loop, apart from the SD11. It's the versatility, the I/O and what we can string on to the system that makes the setup work for us. We're running two loops with four core fibre, because we've maxxed everything out. There are no inputs left on the two loops, and just a few outputs. That equates to 128 inputs per band member; we have FOH on one loop and monitors on the second loop.
Every single note is recorded and used for virtual sound checks, live albums, new song demos, etc., with 32 channels of ambient mics negating the need for an OB truck for one-to-one recording, but for live broadcasts, stems are sent to an OB truck via the FOH console.
Everything we record gets used, even if the band is just jamming, says Tony. We have a crash' record as well, just in case we lose anything. It's key to what the band is after and what we need for running up the PA.
The bussing infrastructure of the SD7 is amazing, adds Dan. When we do a live event, I send various stems out to the broadcast truck and the SD7 enables us to dial all that in. And I use a lot of Snapshots; if I find myself doing something more than twice, I'll make a Snapshot for it. Having a large quantity of faders at my fingertips is also a big thing for me. As much as the Snapshots are important, I like them to be doing things that I don't want to spend time on, so I can concentrate on mixing the band that's what I enjoy most and it makes every show slightly different. It's exciting for me as well.
At monitors, Woodsy is using an SD7 quite simply because it can do everything he needs it to do.
I don't do anything out of the ordinary; the show is big and complicated enough without trying to make it more so, he says. But I am using pretty much everything the SD7 has. I've got just six spare channels of processing, so it's pretty full. As well as the three stages, there's a shout system with mics all over the place for the crew, which gives me about a dozen inputs. A lot of the crew have Aviom personal monitors, which gives me another 16 outputs just for them. It all adds up. There's one pair of wedges on stage and some shakers, everything else is all in ears. The whole system is reliant on networking. Ali Viles, our RF tech, has two systems, so what I send out of the monitor consoles goes to both of our two Racks separately and to two separate in-ear transmitters, so there's an element of redundancy.
There aren't many desks on the market that can deal with the amount of inputs we've got, says Dan. The SD7 is the hub of our whole audio setup and now with the 32-bit mic preamp card, Di
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
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, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
28/04/2024
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...
27/04/2024
On April 26, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher E. Kubasik joined CNBC's Mor...
27/04/2024
PORTLAND, Oregon Audinate Group Limited, the developer of the Dante AV-over-IP solution, announced significant new additions to Dante Connect, its cloud-based D...
27/04/2024
TORONTO Bell Media has launched 10 English and French-language FAST channels featuring entertainment, factual, news, and sports programming. The new free stream...
27/04/2024
An extensive new analysis of the news segments in the broadcast evening news programs of ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS has found that broadcasters devoted most of their...
27/04/2024
GERMANTOWN, Md. EchoStar's Hughes Network Systems has opened a new manufacturing facility and private 5G incubation center in Germantown, Maryland....
27/04/2024
Harry Pappas, one of three brothers who founded Pappas Telecasting Companies in 1971, died April 24. He was 78 years old....
27/04/2024
ATLANTA and LONDON Mexican telecommunications and broadcast company Televisa has selected Synamedia for an overhaul of its broadcast distribution....
27/04/2024
Participate in the Survey - The Impact of AI on Media and the Creative Industry
Pascal Wagner April 26, 2024
0 Comments
By participating in this surve...
27/04/2024
SDVI Rally Access Workstation Earns Two Top Awards at 2024 NAB Show
Brie Clayton April 26, 2024
0 Comments
SDVI, the leading platform provider for clo...
27/04/2024
Berklee's Music and Health Institute Launches Community Health Musician Cert...
27/04/2024
Charter Communications reported higher first-quarter profits despite continued cord-cutting and competition for broadband customers....
27/04/2024
Two environmentally-focused groups are partnering to engage the unscripted TV world in finding better ways to address climate change. Reality of Change is an ec...
27/04/2024
Sarah Garcia has been promoted to weekend anchor at KTLM McAllen, Texas, known as Telemundo 40. Starting April 27, she will anchor Noticias Telemundo 40 weekend...
27/04/2024
CBS Sports said it launched a new 24-hour free, ad supported streaming television (FAST) channel devoted to the UEFA Champions League....
27/04/2024
Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts received $35.4 million in compensation in 2023, up 11% from the previous year, according to a proxy statement filed by th...
27/04/2024
Art Happens Here With John Lithgow, which sees the actor study dance, ceramics, silk-screen printing and vocal jazz with students in Los Angeles, debuts on PBS ...
27/04/2024
Remember Leave It to Beaver? Bewitched? Dragnet? When cable ratings were rising?...
27/04/2024
Next up for the weekend binge at Catchy Comedy is Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Every weekend, Catchy Comedy features The Catchy Binge, a marathon of a classic sitcom....
26/04/2024
Sundance Film Festival CDMX 2024 kicks-off today with screenings in 5 theaters in Mexico City and the opening-night film, FRIDA, directed by Carla Guti rrez...
26/04/2024
[Editor's Note: This interview is part of a larger feature about the women d...
26/04/2024
Once again this year, SGL Carbon opened its doors to interested children and young people. On the occasion of the German Girls and Boys Day, which took place on...
26/04/2024
Orders1 of $5.5 billion; book-to-bill of 1.06x
Revenue of $5.2 billion, up 17%,...
26/04/2024
Five Considerations For Communications Modernization In The 21st Century
In the digital-enabled battlespace, the Joint Force needs to shoot, move and communica...
26/04/2024
CBS Sports has launched Champions League as a new, 24-hour streaming channel that will serve as the year-round destination for nonstop highlights of the UEFA ...
26/04/2024
Despite tough competition in the streaming space, Roku reported solid results in Q1 2024, beating revenue expectations, with total net revenue up 19% YoY to $88...
26/04/2024
LONDON AND TORONTO Pinewood Toronto Studios has appointed Sarah Farrell as general manager of the Studios in downtown Toronto....
26/04/2024
Quantum to Offer Advanced Filesharing Technology and Performance in StorNext and...
26/04/2024
FilmLight Colour Awards welcomes 2024 entries and introduces new Emerging Talen...
26/04/2024
Picture Shop Announces Chris Evans as Head of Unscripted
Brie Clayton April 26, 2024
0 Comments
Picture Shop announced Chris Evans will lead Unscripte...
26/04/2024
Participate in a Survey - The Impact of AI on Media and the Creative Industry
Pascal Wagner April 26, 2024
0 Comments
By participating in this survey,...
26/04/2024
Toy maker Mattel said it is working with Samsung to launch its first free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels later this year....
26/04/2024
Trusted Media Brands (TMB) said it named Marty Moe as president....
26/04/2024
Ron Howard is the director on Jim Henson Idea Man, a documentary that premieres on Disney Plus May 31. Henson of course created Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big...
26/04/2024
The ice continues to melt under the regional sports network business as the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League have made a long-term deal to broadcast...
26/04/2024
Heading into the upfronts, Warner Bros. Discovery said it launched Olli, a first-party data platform advertiser can use for converged, targeted advertising camp...
26/04/2024
CBS has renewed the drama The Equalizer, which will see season five on in 2024-2025. Queen Latifah stars....
26/04/2024
The CW has entered into an exclusive multiyear broadcast partnership for the Miss USA Pageant and the Miss Teen USA Pageant. The 73rd Miss USA Pageant will air ...
26/04/2024
Fuse Media isn't mincing words in a campaign urging its young viewers to register and participate in the 2024 elections....
26/04/2024
Dead Boy Detectives, a series from Neil Gaiman about a detective agency staffed by ghosts, debuts on Netflix April 25. George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri are in t...
26/04/2024
The Story Collective has gradually repurposed the former Mortlake Brewery to include production offices, workshops and sound stages
By Matthew Corrigan
Publi...
26/04/2024
Perkett joins the company following a 25 year career in product management, product marketing, engineering and user experience (UX) across multiple industries
...
26/04/2024
Teradek, the industry leader in wireless video transmitters and receivers, announced today the launch of new Bolt 6 LT 750 and Bolt 6 Monitor Module 750 RX with...
26/04/2024
NEW YORK Amagi has appointed Richard Perkett chief product officer (CPO)....
26/04/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced the results of the 2024 NAB Radio and Television Board of Directors elections. The...
26/04/2024
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. & NEW YORK Mattel has announced a deal to launch its first three 24/7 free ad supported streaming (FAST) channels on Samsung TV Plus, Samsung...
26/04/2024
PORTLAND, Maine Viewers here can now receive the NextGen TV signals of five local stations with the launch of ATSC 3.0 service from host station WPFO, which is ...
Why does a four-piece band need the gargantuan capacity of a console like the DiGiCo SD7s? Because they're Coldplay and they can? Maybe. But when you hear about the complex setup of one of the world's most successful band's live shows, you will understand there are undeniable reasons why the SD7, and only the SD7, will do.
