Hopewell Junction, NY (September 29, 2010)–Philip Harvey, production manager and FOH engineer for Modest Mouse, uses Metric Halo products when on the road.
Harvey travels with an Earthworks TC30K omni-directional measurement-grade microphone and SpectraFoo audio analysis software. Despite its multitude of measurement functions, he uses SpectraFoo primarily for its “bread-and-butter” real-time frequency analyzer. “I switched to SpectraFoo from another popular analysis software when I had the opportunity to try them head to head,” Harvey explained. “SpectraFoo regularly revealed peaks that the other one missed. After setting up and tuning the system, I keep SpectraFoo up during the show to quickly identify any frequency aberrations.”
Harvey mixes Modest Mouse on a Soundcraft Vi6 large-frame digital console. The Vi6 provides digital aux sends and insert points with AES/EBU connections, which Harvey uses to patch in a Metric Halo ULN-8 FireWire interface. With Modest Mouse, Harvey uses Metric Halo’s TransientControl, dynamics processor for drums and a distortion macro for select moments on Isaac Brock’s lead vocals.
Part of the package Harvey offers to his high-profile clients is complete show archives. “I figure, they’ll never play this show again,” he says. “Why not take up a few hundred megabytes and archive it? With the ULN-8, I can reliably offer that service without distracting me from my other important tasks.”
Metric Halo
www.mhlabs.com