For the current Josh Groban U.S. tour, front-of-house engineer/Maryland Sound staff engineer Mickey Beck is manning a Yamaha PM1D. “With an extensive input list [150],” he explains, “the ability to use scenes to change levels, effects and mutes for each song is invaluable. The FOH and monitor position are sharing the preamps. This can get a little hairy, but offers us the option to avoid an analog split before the preamps and allows us to carry only one set of input cards. It does require good communication between myself and Will Miller, the monitor engineer [also Maryland Sound staff engineer]. We had to incorporate a PM5D for sub-mixing to fit in the PM1D’s 96 channels.” Miller is on a PM1D and has added a PM5DRH sub-mixer, as well as an 01V for band talkback mics. Groban sings through a Sennheiser SKM Series wireless handheld transmitter with custom-made Neumann capsule run through an XTA D2 dynamic EQ and an Avalon 737. The JBL VerTec line array is completely digital from preamp to amplifier. “The best part about having a digital rig,” Beck says, “is that there is no such thing as a ground loop. It is clean, stable and sounds good.”
Photo: Chris Marksbury
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The full interview with Josh Groban’s touring engineers here.
