Midas sales and marketing director Dave Cooper (L) with Big Mick Hughes, Metallica’s front-of-house engineer, in front of the XL4
If only we aged this gracefully! Ten years after its debut, and without discernable design changes, the Midas XL4 is celebrating a big anniversary. The analog console, designed by engineer Alex Cooper, was created to be “the definitive audio mixing console; bigger and better than anything previously designed, offering an increased number of I/Os in a package that would be equally at home working FOH or monitor duties,” says Cooper. To get the highest audio quality possible, Cooper “revisited every part of Midas’ electronic circuitry and made sonic improvements, most notably to the mic amplifier and EQ to ensure they could withstand overload without sounding harsh.”
According to Dave Cooper, Midas sales and marketing director, “Engineers love the warm analog sound of the desk’s preamps, plus the immediate response of the onboard EQ. Both features have become a benchmark in live mixing. Also, its control surface has become a standard for engineers worldwide, [which] means anyone who’s ever used a Midas console can walk up and feel at home in front of it straight-away.”
Artists who have recently toured with the board include Paul McCartney, Coldplay, Sarah McLachlan, Velvet Revolver, Metallica, R.E.M., Toby Keith, Jimmy Buffett, Santana, Bryan Adams, Van Halen, Phil Collins and Hillary Duff.
