Leeds, U.K. (March 30, 2016)—Leeds, U.K.-based indie rockers Kaiser Chiefs have been rehearsing with a new Mackie DL32R digital mixer.
The band discovered the DL32R when it decided to set up a permanent rehearsal facility. Top of the list of requirements was the ability not just to improve the quality of the rehearsals themselves, but to record every moment. “Sometimes we would rehearse in London and sometimes in Leeds,” explains bassist Simon Rix of the band, which is known for a string of U.K. hits, including “I Predict a Riot” and “Ruby.” “We decided that if we had a room that was always set up, then it would be a lot easier, and the DL32R means we can record when we’re writing.”
As a result, Rix adds, nothing is lost. “Whitey, our guitarist, is prone to doing something brilliant on the spur of the moment. As so often happens, the first idea is brilliant but gets forgotten in the heat of the moment. Being able to solo the recording and play it back to him is great.”
The DL32R also proves useful when singer Ricky Wilson is busy, as Rix puts it, “being a TV superstar.” As one of the hosts on the British edition of the TV show The Voice, Wilson can’t always make it to rehearsals. “Because we had already done some recording, we were able to play along to him singing thanks to the DL32R, so he didn’t need to always be there,” Rix explains. “We couldn’t have done that before and it helps to keep things moving along even when we can’t all be together.”
Rix and his band mates are now starting to experiment with some of the mixer’s features, including its array of onboard processing and effects: “Having a compressor on every channel is great, and Ricky likes a slap-back reverb on the vocal as well.”
Mackie
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