NEW YORK CITY Performing in full crash test dummy attire in the shadow of several vintage BMW and Mercedes Benz vehicles suspended over the stage, A$AP Rocky fully embraced the theme and vibe of his latest record, Testing, on his recent Injured Generation Tour. The A$AP Mob member's first major North American road trip in more than three years, the 18-date arena trek carried a pair of DiGiCo mixing consoles-an SD12 at FOH and SD10 in monitor world-supplied by Cleveland-based sound reinforcement provider Eighth Day Sound. The two desks were specified by FOH Engineer Brandon Blackwell and Monitor Engineer Moshe Davenport, both of whom are diehard fans of the SD-Range.
I love anything and everything DiGiCo, enthuses Blackwell, who has worked with the Harlem hip-hop star and the rest of the A$AP Mob collective since 2015, as well as other top artists like Camila Cabello, Big Sean and Puff Daddy. The SD software and workflow fits how I mix, and they are definitely my preferred desks of choice for many reasons. The customization options that are available are impressive. From the SD7 to the SD11, I can set up my fader banks to fit whatever mixing situation I am in, be that FOH, monitors, or even doing both from one desk. And, of course, DiGiCo's SD consoles sound great right out the box.
For this run, I chose the SD12 because I needed extra MADI ports and the DMI option cards got me the extra digital ins and outs I needed.
The SD12 and SD10 were paired with two SD-Racks all on a fiber loop, and the first 48 inputs of each rack were fed off an analog splitter with the last eight being separate. Even though we didn't need that many inputs, we were able to get up to 64 inputs between the two stage racks, he notes. Also on the fiber loop was a DiGiCo Orange Box, which handled the MADI I/O for my UAD Live Rack.
One of the highlights for the engineers on this tour was the presence of DiGiCo's new 32-bit Stadius Mic Pre-Amp modules. I had them on the first 40 inputs of my SD-Rack and was tremendously impressed, Blackwell continues. I had heard them before on a few one-offs with my other clients but never got enough time to really take a listen. Because we were able to pick inputs from both stage racks, I was able to record and A/B the old and new cards, and the new Stadius ones sound phenomenal. There is more resolution, which in my opinion made the high end smoother by comparison. Rocky is extremely dynamic and the new Mic Pre-Amps handled the drastic level changes very well.
On the other end of the fiber loop, Davenport was equally pleased with the new Mic Pre-Amps. Those cards sound amazing! he says. They helped me deliver the best sound for IEMs. I noticed the difference right off, and so did Rocky. He said I put the sound of the studio in his ears.
Even with Playboi Carti, Ski Mask the Slump God and Comethazine all on the bill as the tour's rotating opening acts-plus A$AP Lou and A$AP Twelvyy to initially warm up the crowd-Davenport reports that his monitor setup was fairly simple and straightforward, he says. I was able to have most of the openers use IEMs because we ran a clean stage-no wedges at all, just sidefill tops. I had seven stereo IEM mixes, one stereo sidefill mix, and a stereo cue mix. I customized my console so that I had all mics and tracks at my fingertips at any given moment and had the mixes right in front of me as well. That's one of the things I love about DiGiCo consoles-the way you can set the desk up just how you want it.
Although Blackwell has been strictly requesting DiGiCo desks for the past four years, Davenport is a relatively new convert to the brand, having only started using SD-Range desks in early 2018. I took an SD10 out with blackbear when we opened up for Fall Out Boy last year and totally fell in love; from that moment on, it was all I wanted to use, he shares. And my artists can tell the difference, too. I used another well-known manufacturer's console on the first show following that tour and blackbear said, What's wrong? My mix doesn't sound right.' After that, I got the green light to fight for the SD10 every time because he said it always made his ears happy.
Making the engineers' ears happy on the Injured Generation run was the SD12's and SD10's captive processing. I really enjoy the onboard dynamic EQ and multi-band compression, says Blackwell. I don't think any other console manufacturer has mastered its own onboard dynamics EQ like DiGiCo has. I also enjoy the onboard delays. They usually take care of my slap delays in my mixes. Overall, the combination of good audio source, good Mic Pre-Amps, and good digital and analog processing has made me a happy mixer.
I wanted to try not using any outboard gear for this tour, Davenport chimes in. I've used DiGiCos both with and without external processing before, and I knew I could surely deliver what I needed for Rocky without it on this run. The console's internal processing and EQ is amazing.
Blackwell notes that, like many of his tours in the past, he paired his SD console with a Waves SoundGrid setup: This tour was my first one running Waves plug-ins external from the console and using a Mac Mini to handle the software and GUI. I really enjoy having Waves external from the console because it gives me back my master screen.
And both engineers are quick to report that one of their favorite underrated features on DiGiCo consoles is the use of snapshots firing from timecode. For a show like this, we sometimes go out of order, and having timecode means that I am always in the right snapshot, he adds. For this tour, I brought along my Rosendahl Mif4 to convert the Ableton playback rig's LTC to the MTC input on my console. This has changed the way I mixed because I don't have to worry about hit
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled
The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...
13/11/2026
Download Now!
To view the white paper, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name
Company*
Country* Please select your countryA...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
12/11/2026
RTL Deutschland will bring the NHL to free-to-air TV in Germany starting Nov. 30...
12/11/2026
Clear-Com supported On Air 2026, a 24-hour student-led broadcast connecting 45 u...
12/11/2026
uniqFEED has opened a Remote Operations Center (ROC) in Madrid, Spain. It is already operational, delivering virtual advertising for LaLiga matches. The ROC is ...
12/11/2026
Disney, ESPN and the NBA will present Dunk the Halls, the third real-time animated NBA game using Sony's Beyond Sports data visualization technology, on Chr...
12/11/2026
Van Wagner has launched Van Wagner RELAY, a digital platform for official athlet...
12/11/2026
Deal brings together two of the industry's most established graphics brands and significantly expands Vizrt's footprint in U.S. sports and regional broa...
12/11/2026
Euro TV Production GmbH of Austria has upgraded its outside broadcast vehicle with Lawo technology. The mc 36 Classic console in service since 2019 was replaced...
12/11/2026
Tagboard has launched Spark Resize, an AI-assisted tool now in beta that takes an existing graphic and produces a new version for a different aspect ratio or sc...
NEW YORK CITY Performing in full crash test dummy attire in the shadow of several vintage BMW and Mercedes Benz vehicles suspended over the stage, A$AP Rocky fully embraced the theme and vibe of his latest record, Testing, on his recent Injured Generation Tour. The A$AP Mob member's first major North American road trip in more than three years, the 18-date arena trek carried a pair of DiGiCo mixing consoles-an SD12 at FOH and SD10 in monitor world-supplied by Cleveland-based sound reinforcement provider Eighth Day Sound. The two desks were specified by FOH Engineer Brandon Blackwell and Monitor Engineer Moshe Davenport, both of whom are diehard fans of the SD-Range.
