Bruno Mars is riding high off the success of his sold-out Moonshine Jungle' outing. Sporting a diverse set-list with a mix of eclectic covers, radio hits, originals (many from his latest outing, Unorthodox Jukebox CD), the tour was recently made Rolling Stone magazine's list of "50 greatest live acts right now.
The Clair Global tour is outfitted with dual DiGiCo SD7s at FOH and Monitor World, both running redundant Waves SoundGrid servers. Each desk has two SD racks for individual control of preamps and are connected completely via digital Optocore fiber cable a big change from the 2011 tour. FOH engineer Derek Brener sends MADI lines direct from FOH to the record rig, handled by Charles Moniz, who records 96 channels to a Pro Tools rig seamlessly without the need for an expensive audio router for archival purposes.
Brener's managing a total of 108 physical inputs for the eight-piece band consisting of two drum kits, bass, guitars, multiple keyboards, a B3 organ, plenty of vocals, horns, playback, and a couple of talkback mics. He's been a -- DiGiCo fan since Mars' first run in 2011, and stepped up into an SD7 (from an SD8) because of the larger input requirements.
We have 108 physical inputs and I still have plenty of capacity for eccentric bussing, effects, and outboard apparatus, he explains. I also take advantage of the macros, too. I love to have hot keys to turn sends on and off to delays. For example, the delays in Just the Way You Are' are live so the hot keys make it very easy for me play the desk like an instrument and delay just certain words instead of either having it on or off.
I love DiGiCo consoles for their smooth sonics and ultra-customizable surface. The SD7 is a monster and gives me a lot of freedom and space to experiment and tweak. It has a staggering amount of features and power. Do you need to use all of the features? HELL NO! But is it nice to have them right there if you need them? Absolutely! The snapshot recall scope is great, dual engines, dynamic EQs, etc. I can go on and on about the features it offers, but simply put, for a digital desk, it's the cream of the crop. Straight up.
For outboard gear, Brener's using three Empirical Labs Distressors ( the best compressors on the planet ), a TC Electronics 2290 for stereo delay (equipped with a custom non-latching footswitch for tap tempo), and a Lexicon 960L.
The EL and Lexicon units are must haves for me. The EL comps are truly the Swiss army knife of compressors and are my favorites. They emphasize that round warmth to Bruno when he really digs into the comp. Bruno has incredible mic control, which is a blessing and a curse because when he gets too far away from his mic, he thins out tremendously. I found the distressors provide the best tonal and level consistency applicable to his style. The Lexicon is the smoothest, most authentic and believable verb, at least to my preferences. Don't leave home without it!
Of course, I'm using the Waves SoundGrid server to enhance what the SD7 has already made sound amazing. I mostly use the CLA stuff. My go-to lately has been a chain of the CLA-3A>H-EQ>L2. I use that for Kick, Snare, and Toms. The 3A gives the tones so much weight and characteristic and the H-EQ has so much personality. Playing with the slopes is the key. They provide so much color and nuance. Lastly, the L2 adds the incredible punch in the low-mid area, especially noticeable on drums, when you set the threshold just right. -- For guitars and horns, I hit 2As pretty damn hard for a nice, unabrasive creamy sound. I always end up playing with the hi-freq knob to squash the nasty tones up top. I'm always careful with that. Also, on the horns, I am using the REDD .17 for analog graininess and a certain articulation. The Leslie hits an 1176 hard as our keyboard player is extremely dynamic. The only thing I use on vocals is the supreme and omnipresent C6 for de-essing and squashing problem areas. Other than that, there isn't much else going on. I have a couple of onboard verbs for snare, acoustic guitar, and horns, (which rarely get used in big arenas), but are lifesavers in outdoor, dry-as-a-bone situations.
James Berry's also no stranger to DiGiCo desks, having used an SD7 on recent outings with Beyonce on monitors before signing on with Mars. The band recently transitioned to all in-ears, utilizing J&H in-ears, Sennheiser 2050 IEMs and Sennheiser 3732 wireless systems.
The new features in this latest software version are very helpful, he says. I love the way the new control group feature helps control auxes. It's great to be able to splay out all my auxes at one time on one channel. I've been using the Copy Audio feature extensively to route audio anywhere, which gives us a lot of multitasking opportunities and lets me connect a lot of gear with better quality. We also have a total of four SD Racks between FOH and monitor world, as well as two Mini SD Racks loaded with all AES cards taking in all the wireless. This allows us to keep everything digital.
Berry is also making use of everything onboard the SD7 for his effects, with the exception of a few Waves plug-ins for Bruno's output and vocals. I'm using a TC Electronics 2290 for Bruno's delay, and running three TC M6000 taking that AES to my vocal rack on the SD7 and its all clocked in at 96k off the console. I'm also using MIDI to control those from the snapshots. In addition, I'm using the Waves C6 plug-in on both his vocal and outputs.
Additionally, he's used the SD Conversion software extensively on this tour. Early on, we were carrying an SD5 as a backup, so I was able to easily transfer between the platforms using the software seamlessly.
Overall, Berry says the most important reasons that keep him satisfied with the DiGiCo platform are
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/07/2026
BLAST, a competitive entertainment company focused on esports, has announced more than $133 million in revenue for 2025, representing more than 40% year-over-ye...
02/07/2026
Riedel Communications has announced official SKAARHOJ panel support for SimplyLive production workflows, enabled through the SimplyLive 2.1 release. The integra...
02/07/2026
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has deployed LiveU video-over-bond...
02/07/2026
Gravity Media USA has announced the appointment of Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development, effective July 1, 2026. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bosto...
02/07/2026
TwelveLabs, a video intelligence company, has announced $100 million in Series B funding co-led by NEA and NAVER Ventures, with participation from Amazon, Radic...
02/07/2026
The Pro Padel League (PPL) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports that will air five PPL championship matches on CNBC during the 2026 season, the...
02/07/2026
LiveLike, a digital fan engagement platform, has announced eight confirmed FIFA ...
02/07/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Future's Best of Show Award, presented by AV Technology at InfoComm 2026, for its blueCORE family of standalone signal processor...
02/07/2026
Synamedia has announced the appointment of Dr. Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition...
02/07/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, Fra...
02/07/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. ( Z') has announced exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Bundesliga in India for five years, beginning with the...
02/07/2026
An effort uniting News, Sports, Local, and Telemundo, the 50+-camera live produc...
02/07/2026
Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Ben Wang appe...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
02/07/2026
Aims to simplify additive synthesis
Sine Machine is the debut launch from Melatonin, a Vienna-based developer who have spent the past six years creating wha...
02/07/2026
Products to remain fully active & supported
Following the news of Native Instruments joining the inMusic brand line-up, Academy and Emmy Award-winning visua...
02/07/2026
What you missed!
Last weekend, Saturday 27 June 2026, saw the debut of Sound On Sounds new GearExpo UK event, the largest dedicated pro-audio event to take ...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Following the successful launch of its inaugural APAC Mentoring Programme last month, the Rise AV APAC Regional Council will bring the conversation around mento...
02/07/2026
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Used to Shoot Director Takahisa Zeze's Cry Out
Brie Clayton July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Highly mobile camera supports tense and de...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions acquires BFE, expanding its lead in European broadcast, medi...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
Bruno Mars is riding high off the success of his sold-out Moonshine Jungle' outing. Sporting a diverse set-list with a mix of eclectic covers, radio hits, originals (many from his latest outing, Unorthodox Jukebox CD), the tour was recently made Rolling Stone magazine's list of "50 greatest live acts right now. 
