
Heavy metal titans Judas Priest are one of Birmingham's highly successful music exports, with over 45 million album sales to date. The band's Redeemer of Souls tour has just drawn to a close after 468 days, having played 130 shows and visited 33 countries. Front of House engineer Martin Walker and monitor man Brad Johnson have toured with DiGiCo consoles throughout.
We ve covered pretty much every venue type there is, from large outdoor American amphitheatres, headlining the major rock festivals in Europe, through stadiums, arenas, casinos, theatres and larger clubs, says Martin, an SD7 user who has been the band's FOH engineer for 16 years and a DiGiCo user since 2006.
Major Tom supplies our sound and it was Lars Brogaard who originally talked me into trying the D5, he says. A natural progression saw me on the SD7 and I love it! It does all I need it to do and much more. I find it simple to use, it has a very intuitive layout and way of working - and of course the main thing is that it sounds great!
As a no-nonsense heavy metal band, what came offstage on this tour was comparatively straightforward, just 29 inputs and a further 22 at FOH, which include all shout lines, playback, outboard inserts and effects. Output-wise I run just five lines - left, right, mono sub, a mono fill and a mono close field monitor that doubles as a shout speaker. Everything else is generated within the system processors, says Martin.
Brad has been the band's monitor engineer since 2014, coming to know the Judas Priest family' through working with bands that had supported them. Like Martin, his first DiGiCo console was the D5.
At the time the D series was the most comfortable and least abrupt move from analogue. I liked the D5 so much that I bought one and used it exclusively for the better part of eight years, he says. I recently purchased an SD10-24 because its frame size is perfect when touring with bands that are playing festivals and flying gear around quite a bit. Mated with the Waves server, this is an extremely versatile and powerful platform in a very small footprint. It is perfect for the types of gigs we have done over the past year, especially when we have had limited space. Plus the sound quality is excellent.
With three of the band using in-ear monitors and two using wedges / sidefills, Brad was using a 48in/24 out MaDiRack I/O, with eight channels of D-Tube, plus the eight outputs on the console.
I use quite a few macros, which are extremely useful. I wouldn't consider using a console that doesn't have that feature, he says. Although I'm not using snapshots for Judas Priest, I do with other acts. On this tour, I had the Waves DiGiGrid MGB interface and a Mac laptop to multitrack the shows and for virtual soundchecking.
Due to the number of countries and festivals played, the full production was only carried in the USA and UK. However, the two DiGiCo consoles and the band's monitor system went with the crew to every show. And wherever they were in the world, DiGiCo's technical support was right there with them.
I have had the best support, those guys really know how to do customer service, says Martin. At one point, in Australia, one of the engines on the desk had an issue, but at the next show a DiGiCo man showed up, replaced the engine and took the old one away - no dramas, no questions, just proper taking care of business.
General niggles or questions are also answered swiftly and expertly either by email or sometimes the old fashioned way of talking to someone on a telephone. DiGiCo's service really is excellent.
Brad concurs, adding, As a console owner, I rely completely on manufacturer support. I have no home office' to call, so quick response and turnaround are paramount. Whether it's a simple software upgrade or replacing parts after an unexpected downpour from a leaky roof at a festival, DiGiCo has always had a quick answer or solution.
Press Contacts:
David Webster at DiGiCo
Tel: +44 1372 845600
Email:webby@digiconsoles.com
Web: www.digico.biz
Sarah James at Gasoline Media
Tel: +44 1372 471472
Email: info@gasolinemedia.com
Web: www.gasolinemedia.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/sarah_gasoline
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
30/04/2026
Avid powers faster workflows and next-generation immersive audio with latest Pro...
30/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/04/2026
Scalable broadcast-grade production over public internet, replacing traditional OB workflows...
30/04/2026
Live demonstrations highlight LCEVC ecosystem momentum, AI-powered video pipelines, and expansion across broadcast, streaming, and social media.
DTV (TV 3.0) ...
30/04/2026
Student Spotlight: Matthew Leon The dual major shares his path from community college to Berklee, and how his heritage influences his work.
April 29, 2026
B...
30/04/2026
Berklee Artists to Perform at Major Global Music Festivals As part of the Berklee Popular Music Institute, students will perform at Lollapalooza, Governors Ba...
30/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/04/2026
A flexible monitoring platform designed to simplify ST 2110 operations, consolidate vendor tools, and support modern live production environments. See it at NAB...
30/04/2026
Sundance-premiering Run Amok is an expressive, unconventional take on today's teen experience, replete with musical numbers. When cinematographer Shachar ...
30/04/2026
JACKSONVILLE, AL, APRIL 29, 2026 Jacksonville State University, known as Jax State and a proud NCAA Division I member of Conference USA, has transformed its a...
30/04/2026
Transforming viewer and content data into real-time intelligence to deliver relevant streaming experiences at scale
ThinkAnalytics, the global leader in AI-pow...
30/04/2026
Sports Production, Delivery is Big Biz at NAB
Andy Marken April 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image source: NAB
One of the neat things about trade shows i...
30/04/2026
Rian na Fola airs on RT One and RT Player on Monday May 4
Rian na Fola is a o...
30/04/2026
It's gonna be May - and the cloud's in full festival mode.
16 games ar...
30/04/2026
Scripps Research ranks third in 2026 Cure Innovation Index
April 29, 2026
LA JOLLA, CA Scripps Research ranked third in the inaugural 2026 Cure Innovation In...
29/04/2026
It was a delicate job in a 150-year-old venue laden with traditions. Begun at th...
29/04/2026
In annual event, the league gives startup companies the opportunity to prove the...
29/04/2026
Panel discussions, networking, and a facility tour will take place in the renova...
29/04/2026
(L-R) Derek Drescher, Coss Marte, and Syretta Wright have each other's backs. (Micheal Hurcomb/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)
By Veronika Lee Cla...
29/04/2026
Combines EQ and harmonic distortion
Techivation's latest release is a simple EQ designed to offer quick control over a source's overall tonal balanc...
29/04/2026
Two new MPE controllers announced
Expressive E caused quite a stir when they released the Osmose, making the sort of expression that was once reserved for p...
29/04/2026
New modules & enhanced machine-learning
The latest version of iZotope's flagship restoration suite is now available, and now offers over 50 tools design...
29/04/2026
Surgeon Dr Jasmina Kevric wins 2026 Les Murray Award
29 April, 2026
Media releases
Australia for UNHCR and SBS are proud to announce that Dr Jasmina Kevric...
29/04/2026
Some people stumble into their passion. Julissa Padilla walked straight into a film vault. For her, entertainment was never just about the movies themselves. It...
29/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/04/2026
Clear-Com has appointed Brian Grahn as Market Outreach Manager of the Americas and Ben Turnwell as Business Development Manager for EMEA live, expanding their ...
29/04/2026
nxtedition is bringing its range of consolidated production tools to MPTS 2026, with new developments spanning transcription, editing, graphics and AI-assisted ...
29/04/2026
Quortex Switch to boost the streaming experience for Telxius customers, reaching millions of viewers worldwide
Synamedia and Telxius, the leading global connec...
29/04/2026
freispace, the leading ERP-as-a-Service platform for media and entertainment production, and Projective, a leading provider of post-production collaboration tec...
29/04/2026
DHD reports strong interest in its broadcast audio product range, exhibited at the April 19th-22nd NAB Show in Las Vegas. The event attracted a claimed 58,000 a...
29/04/2026
Student Spotlight: Alan Catz The Argentine film and game composer talks about working on League of Legends, receiving Berklee's BMI Award, and the lifelon...
29/04/2026
Jay Jennings Builds the Worlds You Hear on Screen The supervising sound designer behind A Minecraft Movie, The Meg, Letters from Iwo Jima, and dozens of other...
29/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/04/2026
Voting opens at 4pm today
RT 's Today show have announced the eight finalists for their TV Home Cook competition. Amateur cooks from Cork, Dublin, Galway ...
29/04/2026
29 Apr 2026
VEON and Kyivstar Fulfill Commitment to Invest USD 1 Billion in Ukr...
29/04/2026
Rhod Gilbert, Harriet Kemsley, Kae Kurd, Sara Pascoe and Vicki Pattison to take part in brand new series on free streaming service U
London, 29th April 2026: F...