
CHICAGO, Illinois - July 2015 -- One of the slammin'est tours out this year is The Boys of Zummer Tour that pairs rockers Fall Out Boy with rapper Wiz Khalifa, an alchemy that's been drawing raves for a genres cross-pollination that Billboard called a night of music and an opportunity to exercise its right to be young, and wild and free, noting that the band came out with all guns blazing, clearly pumped and owning the audience from the second they launched into their opener Sugar, We're Goin Down.' Adding to the excitement is crystal-clear live sound, thanks in large part to a DiGiCo SD5 FOH console, manned by Chad Olech, and a DiGiCo SD10 desk guided by Kevin Dennis for monitors.
Olech, who has mixed FOH for a wide array of major touring artists like Demi Lovato, Robin Thicke, Joe Jonas, Anthrax, Survivor and the Deftones, was new to the DiGiCo SD5 when he went to the tour SR provider Clair Global's headquarters in Lititz, PA last fall. While there, he asked Clair to set up a shootout between half a dozen consoles, including the SD5, using the Clair i3 cabinets and CP218 subs they'd be using on the tour.
I've been using another manufacturer's console for the last seven years and it's a great console functionally, but it often needs some help sonically, he explains, adding that for this tour he was looking for a desk that's operationally intuitive but also sounds amazing. The SD5 fulfilled all of those wishes. The workflow on the SD5 fits the way I work perfectly, he says. I like to have everything in the same spot every time. I don't want to have to think when I mix; I just want to mix. The SD5 lets me do exactly that.
For instance, he continues. I can have the entire EQ strip in front of me and don't have to page through to find things. I know exactly where the knobs are; it's muscle memory. The same goes for the compressors; everything is where I put it and where I want it.
Olech also has good things to say about the Waves MultiRack, which hosts the dozen or so Waves plug-ins he's using for the shows and is far fewer than he's ever needed before. I like having some of the Waves stuff here, and the SD5 is set up to integrate them nicely, he says. But the SD5 also has a four-band EQ on its inputs, and I'd bet that if I were to just use that, the audience wouldn't notice the difference. That's how good the console sounds.
Monitor mixer Kevin Dennis is equally happy with the DiGiCo SD10 console he's using. Sonically speaking, the SD10 is completely transparent the pre-amps, the EQ, all of it, says Dennis, who has also mixed monitors for Green Day and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. There's no coloration of the sound. A band at this level works very hard to get the tone of its backline exactly right. They don't want to hear your version of that sound. And I'm a minimalist. I only want what they want to come through back to them. The SD10 lets me do just that.
Just as importantly, Dennis says, the SD10 has also become a communications hub for the entire operation. We have an extensive talkback system with everyone on in-ears, including the techs, and no speakers on the stage, he explains. Instead of hand signals, the techs can easily get onto the comms and let me know what they need, or vice versa. It's all matrixed through the SD10, which makes it very streamlined. And Chad's connected to this as well since we're using the same rack and it's all on fiber.
This sophisticated comms infrastructure lets the show proceed smoothly, even if bandleader Pete Wentz decides to change up the set list on the spur of the moment. Everyone's in the loop, through the consoles, says Dennis. Doing that on the fly without it would be way more difficult.
Finally, he adds, DiGiCo's tech support has been magnificent. This tour is going a lot of places and I know when I call DiGiCo with a question, I'll get an answer or a phone call back within five minutes, he says. The support is just top notch. They've covered all the bases.
For details on Fall Out Boy's tour itinerary, visit www.falloutboy.com/tour. Clair Global can likewise be found online at www.clairglobal.com.
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: (please credit Jack Edinger for all photos)
1) DiGiCo_FOB_crew.jpg (L-R) Chris King, monitor tech; Jerrell Evans, systems engineer/crew chief; Chad Olech, FOH engineer; Tim Banas, PA tech; Kevin Dennis, monitor engineer; and Katie Hughes, PA tech at the DiGiCo SD5 FOH console out on Fall Out Boy s current tour
2) DiGiCo_FOB_FOH.jpg Chad Olech manning Fall Out Boy's FOH mix on a DiGiCo SD5
3) DiGiCo_FOB_monitors.jpg Kevin Dennis running the DiGiCo SD10 monitor mix desk
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
09/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites eligible Tier 1 and 2 South African production companies to submit proposals to serve as the Facilitating ...
09/09/2026
Italy launch follows UK and Germany as Nielsen expands product across EMEA
Milan, Italy, September 9, 2026 - Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, ...
09/09/2026
Planned solutions tackle accuracy, cost and latency barriers to deploying AI at ...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, introduces its new Model 791 Control Console at IBC 2026 (N...
09/09/2026
Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software solutions for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects and visualization, is headin...
09/09/2026
NUGEN Audio unveils DialogCheck v1.2, the latest evolution of its intelligent dialog intelligibility and compliance tool, at IBC 2026 (Pod P27). With a sharpene...
09/09/2026
Trusted Partner Network Launches Fix It or Risk It to Help the Entertainment Industry Tackle Everyday Security Risks
Industry-Wide Campaign Launches at IBC2...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
AI has moved firmly beyond experimentation in UK advertising, with more than eight in ten marketers (83%) now actively using or piloting AI in production, accor...
09/09/2026
IBC2026 - Stand 7.D22
At IBC2026, Pixitmedia by DataCore will showcase its latest capabilities designed to simplify distributed production, accelerate workflow...
09/09/2026
Stockholm, Sweden September 9th, 2026 At IBC2026, on booth 1.B47, Net Insight will showcase Open Live Media, its architecture for delivering resilient live ...
09/09/2026
Net Insight today announced that DMC Production Norway is continuing the use of its Open Live Media technology for premium European football, deploying Nimbra 5...
09/09/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud platform for unified broadcast, streaming, and monetization, will showcase four new AI-native capabilities at IBC2026, Hall 5, S...
09/09/2026
Limecraft today announces version 2026.6 of its AI-powered production platform, extending capabilities for connected media operations. An AI-assisted approach t...
09/09/2026
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, today announced the next evolution of its Practical AI strategy, evolving its comprehensive portfoli...
09/09/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the appointment of Brian Doheny as Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
09/09/2026
LiveU is now a Clarus Integrated Reseller, bringing Starlink's fast, reliable broadband directly into LiveU's cellular bonding EcoSystem through a singl...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Wisycom is showcasing the latest additions to its ecosystem of professional RF technologies at IBC 2026 (Stand 8.D60). This includes its new MATF Wideband Anten...
09/09/2026
AMSTERDAM, IBC2026 VisualOn, Inc. and Cires21 today released an updated joint whitepaper at IBC 2026 demonstrating measurable, high-impact improvements in visu...
09/09/2026
Sony Electronics Introduces Its First Fisheye Zoom G Lens
Brie Clayton September 8, 2026
0 Comments
Compact, lightweight SEL814G Full-frame lens deliv...
09/09/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 21.1
Brie Clayton September 8, 2026
0 Comments
Major update adds AI assistant integration, expanded camera...
09/09/2026
Cuez Integrates AI into a Unified Broadcast Production Workflow
Brie Clayton September 8, 2026
0 Comments
Cuez announces the expansion of its cloud-ba...
09/09/2026
Red Seat Ventures Integrates Barometer into Speakeasy to Maximize Podcast Revenu...
09/09/2026
Baselight-powered color comes natively to Media Composer, connecting creative de...
09/09/2026
Twenty Years Strong...
09/09/2026
At the IBC conference, running Sept. 11-14 in Amsterdam, the creative, technology and business communities are coming together to turn ideas into action and dis...
09/09/2026
RT brings three packed days of live radio, entertainment, news, weather and fun
Join RT Radio 1: Morning Ireland, Oliver Callan, Today with David McCullagh,...
08/09/2026
Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) has announced a multi-year agreement with A E...
08/09/2026
Spectra Logic today announced the availability of Media Insight, a new capabilit...
08/09/2026
Rogers Communications and Quebecor have announced a 12-year sublicensing agreement for French-language national NHL games beginning with the 2026-27 season. TVA...
08/09/2026
Skyline Communications and Bridge Technologies will demonstrate two integrations...
08/09/2026
Boland Communications will make the European debut of its 4K55HDR7SNB 55-inch super-narrow-bezel monitor at IBC2026 (Stand 12.C57, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-1...
08/09/2026
Ateme and Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) have announced a collaboration comb...
08/09/2026
Haivision has joined the IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme as part of t...
08/09/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced price reductions on its PYXIS 6K and Cinema Camera 6K models, effective immediately through Blackmagic Design resellers worldwid...
08/09/2026
AI-Media will demonstrate its LEXI Suite at IBC2026 (Booth 5.C34, September 11-1...
08/09/2026
Bitmovin and Ad Insertion Platform (AIP) have announced the first live deploymen...
08/09/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate story-centric media workflows at IBC2026 (Booth 9.A01, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14), connecting newsroom production, content ma...
08/09/2026
M2A Media and Ateme have announced a partnership integrating Ateme's video processing solutions into M2A Media's MediaToAnywhere platform for live sport...
08/09/2026
Ikegami will exhibit at IBC2026 (Stand 12.A31, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14), including a Day 1 introduction of new cameras in the UNICAM XE series. Additiona...
08/09/2026
Broadcast industry analysts will be gathering plenty of insights at the 2026 IBC Show this weekend in Amsterdam, but Caretta Research has offered up some though...
08/09/2026
SENSHI and DAZN have announced a global broadcast partnership that will bring SENSHI's live events free to viewers in more than 200 markets. The partnership...