(Wimberley, Texas)—After a long hiatus, Phish’s Summer and Fall 2021 tours are now under way with some upgrades to their live sound rig. Their long-time FOH Engineer Garry Brown is still running a Yamaha RIVAGE PM10 digital console, but with the new addition of 112 channels of Rupert Neve Designs RMP-D8 microphone preamplifiers, connected via Dante.
Brown reports that his initial trial of the RMP-D8 occurred on the Trey Anastasio solo acoustic tour in 2020.
“Adding the RMP-D8 to my workflow ultimately has given me a different sound to the console,” he says. “The Rivage is an amazing-sounding console, but we went down this path with great results. When we implemented 112 inputs of this into the Phish show, the show became fuller, punchier, and I was actually able to run the show quieter and feel like it had more impact.”
Upgrading the system with these preamps over the existing Dante network was initially an artist-driven decision, according to Brown. “After we made the change, the feedback I got from the band members was extremely positive—I know the drummer was ecstatic.” Brown also utilizes three Rupert Neve Designs Master Buss Processors on stereo bus, piano and drums; four Shelford Channels, one for each band member’s vocals; and two Portico II Channels for additional processing.
“The thing that Rupert Neve Designs offers me as a mixer—it’s a quality of sound,” Brown says. “It’s a coloration, a tonal quality that to me is completely pleasing and makes me have to do less. The products…they’ve made my job easier.”
