Metal giants Megadeth have arrived in Europe on their Endgame tour with a Midas PRO6 at front of house, provided on this leg by AudioLease.
“Nothing but a Midas will do,” declares Doug Short, FOH engineer for Megadeth who has also worked with artists like Prince, Van Halen, and Joe Cocker. “I’ve tried just about every digital console on the market, and they just don’t measure up sonically.”
Short, a committed analogue fan, was first persuaded to use the PRO6 by Thunder Audio’s Paul Owen for the US leg of the tour which opened in March. “When Megadeth started up,” explains Short, “my rider required a Midas XL4 at front of house. But Paul said, ‘Instead of taking out 1,168 pounds of XL4, why not give the PRO6 a shot?’”
Short faced a baptism of fire with a new desk and no production rehearsals. He pays tribute to Eric Rogers from Thunder Audio who joined him for the first three gigs. “With Eric there to show me the ropes, I was up and running in no time,” he says. “It’s really just like mixing on a (Midas) Heritage. That’s exactly how it feels as a layout. But even more important, it sounds like a Midas.” For the European leg, Short is ably assisted by system tech Mike Osman. Together they were able to set up the new PRO6 using Midas’ Offline Editor, which allows a console showfile to be created remotely on a laptop computer.
Megadeth uses 38 inputs, including 18 drums. Short uses all 10 VCA groups, divided between drums, guitars, bass, lead and backing vocals, effects returns and playback plus two POP(ulation) groups, one for cymbals and the other for house playback.
Steeped in the analogue world of outboard effects, Short was concerned about relying on the Midas internal effects engine. “I did take a couple of external rack effects,” he admits, “because I didn’t have the prep time I would normally prefer. However I used everything on board for mic preamps, compressors, reverb and gates. That’s the heart of the system and it sounds fantastic.”
The positioning of two large TFT screens directly in front of him was another new concept for Short but he was soon a fan, routing the input he’s working on to the left-hand side and always keeping the house EQ on the right. “The TFT screens are super responsive,” he says, “and easy to read in any lighting conditions. By the third gig, I was totally comfortable with the screens, the trackball controller and everything.
“I can see now why Midas waited to go digital until they got it right,” he continues. “The PRO6 just blew me away. Everything I needed was at my fingertips. It’s so easy to mix on, and the sound is pure Midas. I guess that says it all.”
Megadeth’s European tour started in Lisbon, Portugal on May 30 and will take in some 30 dates across 27 countries, ending on July 16 in Haapsaul, Estonia.
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