
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 ...
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...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
13/08/2026
LaLiga has renewed broadcast agreements with ESPN and DSports covering Spanish-l...
13/08/2026
Three days of skateboarding competitions, live music, and other programming will...
13/08/2026
Matrox Video will showcase its portfolio of IP and software-defined technologies at IBC2026 (Booth 7.B15, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14).
The portfolio includ...
13/08/2026
SMPTE will present expert-led sessions, professional workshops, and networking events at IBC2026. The organization will be located in the IBC2026 Owner Pavilion...
13/08/2026
Clear-Com will exhibit at IBC2026 (Stand 10.D29, September 11-14, Amsterdam), showcasing FreeSpeak Cell, Avalon IP Station, updates to Arcadia Central Station, ...
13/08/2026
Advanced Systems Group (ASG) has appointed Eran Binyamin Zeitoun as Senior Techn...
13/08/2026
Miami HEAT, Florida Panthers, Orlando Magic, University of Miami join leading vendors for a day of gameday-production talk in South Florida
The 2026 SVG Venues...
13/08/2026
NBC Sports is producing the Twins-Phillies game alongside the streamer, which is...
13/08/2026
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) will exhibit at IBC2026 (Hall 5, Booth 5.A21, September 11-14, Amsterdam), demonstrating cloud-based workflows across low-late...
13/08/2026
Dalet will participate in the IBC2026 Accelerator Media Innovation Programme, co...
13/08/2026
Cox Media Group (CMG) has announced multi-year local broadcast rights agreements...
13/08/2026
J nger Audio will join Fraunhofer IIS and industry partners to showcase a cloud-based, DTV+-compliant workflow at SET Expo 2026 in S o Paulo, August 17-20. DTV+...
13/08/2026
IBC has announced that Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) will receive the Inte...
13/08/2026
NESN has partnered with WSBK-TV38 to broadcast Boston Red Sox games on August 17 and 18 over the air, extending the reach of the 24th annual WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fun...
13/08/2026
LiveU and Panasonic LUMIX have announced the Live Anywhere workflow, demonstrated at NAB 2026 and InfoComm 2026 in collaboration with Social180Group. The work...
13/08/2026
Chyron will demonstrate its sports analysis, graphics, remote production, virtual production, and venue control solutions at IBC2026 (Booth 7.A23). This year...
13/08/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
13/08/2026
Season tips off Oct. 20 and runs through April 11; Christmas Day, NBA Cup, All-S...
13/08/2026
Company preview bio-interactive' synthesizer
VAEMI have announced the upcoming launch of a new standalone bio-interactive' generative synthesizer....
13/08/2026
Plug-in host gains new Slot Scenes feature
Ravine DSP have recently updated their innovative plug-in host, kitting it out with a new feature that brings yet...
13/08/2026
New Agreement Aims to Leverage Gracenote Infrastructure to Create More Relevant ...
13/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/08/2026
IBC today announced that its most prestigious honour, the International Honour for Excellence (IHFE), will be presented to Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), ...
13/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced its participation in the IBC2026 Accelerator Media Innovation Pro...
13/08/2026
dzjinius, the all-in-one production management platform for the media and entertainment industry, will showcase its new application, dzjinius on-set , at IBC20...
13/08/2026
Broadcasting Center Europe (BCE), a leading European provider of media services, system integration and product development, will demonstrate an end-to-end sove...
13/08/2026
Clear-Com is returning to IBC 2026, taking place September 11-14 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. At Stand 10.D29, Clear-Com will spotlight the award-winning FreeSpe...
13/08/2026
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics of Europe, will showcase its comprehensive portfolio of Leader, PHABRIX and LeaderPhabrix test and measurement ...
13/08/2026
KRK Brings Advanced Wireless Control to Professional Monitoring With New V Serie...
13/08/2026
Anthony Noack Captures Artist's Journey in Estonia with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton August 12, 2026
0 Comments
Solo filmmaker documents concept...
13/08/2026
ARRI Image Science makes its mobile debut in the HONOR Robot Phone
Brie Clayton August 12, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image displays the HONOR Robot Phone, ...
13/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/08/2026
Suitest's Test Automation Platform Simplifies Video Quality Assurance, Monitoring, and Device Certification Across the OTT Ecosystem
At IBC2026, Suitest, a...
13/08/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, will have its key software solutions ready to demonstrate at SET Expo 2026 (18 20...
13/08/2026
Scripps Research has established the Peter K. Vogt Endowed Chair, a new faculty ...
13/08/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-A vaccine's molecular structure plays a key role in determining how the immune system responds and prepares to protect the body from future exp...
13/08/2026
Venera Technologies Showcases AI-Powered Innovations Across its Media QC Platfor...
13/08/2026
New U and U&W Documentary Features Kathleen Richards, One of the Last Surviving Witnesses to Fred and Rose West
Kathleen is Reunited with Childhood Friend and ...
13/08/2026
Thursday 13 August 2026
Official trailer released for the return of Tea with Ju...
13/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
13/08/2026
Wenvoe serves over 1 million people across South Wales
13 August 2026, Winchester, UK - Vale of Glamorgan MP, Kanishka Narayan, has praised the engineering exp...
13/08/2026
RT 's Miriam O'Callaghan welcomed a range of specially invited guests to the National Concert Hall last week for a unique event to mark a new season wit...