Hopewell Junction, NY (May 13, 2011)–Grace Potter and the Nocturnals’ FOH engineer Sam Leonard has recently begun to record every show using Metric Halo’s 2882 interface.
“Their former live engineer had a Metric Halo 2882 that was bestowed to me when I took the job,” said Leonard. “I toyed with the idea of going with another less expensive manufacturer that I already owned, but an A/B test quickly illuminated the folly of such thinking–the difference was night and day. The Metric Halo 2882 had an overall fidelity that I had been killing myself to try to ‘process in’ with the other converter. The stereo imaging was robust and the harmonic overtones were rich and detailed. It’s now clear to me that the 2882 far outperforms anything else in its price range.”
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals’ self-titled album–their third studio release–debuted at #19 on the US Billboard Top 200 and set the band off on a string of sold-out shows and TV appearances. The band’s brand of rock gives listeners plenty to hook into, and the live show amplifies that effect by lead singer Potter at her vintage Hammond B3 and her band of players.
Where space and time permit, Leonard uses three Metric Halo 2882s to capture 24 tracks using the Metric Halo MIO Console software running on a “modest” MacBook Pro. He uses an isolated split at the FOH console to divert the stage inputs to the small-footprint 2882s. “The MIO Console is rock solid,” said Leonard. “I’ve recorded 15 shows or so with full 24-track inputs and it has performed flawlessly.”
When space or time are limited, Leonard records eight tracks using one 2882: a stereo pair at the FOH position; a stereo mic on stage; a stereo board feed; mixed bass DI and mic; plus a blend of lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars.
Metric Halo
www.mhlabs.com
