Fast-forward 20 years and Huelin is still at the helm for Hootie frontman Darius Rucker, working with monitor engineer Joel Stickrod. Both are mixing on the Midas PRO6 digital console. "I was one of the last to go digital," says Huelin. "I was always happy with my MIdas XL4, and never heard a compelling argument to change, because none of the digital consoles sounded as good. But all that changed when I heard the Midas digital."
With sound quality as his primary focus, the PRO6 passed Huelin's ear test. "The Midas digital platform is the only one I've heard that places the proper importance on signal flow and gain structure," he asserts. "Midas did a great job of emulating their analogue preamps, using two gain stages. The preamps and EQ are the heart and soul of the console, and they are accurate and true. It's like I never left the XL4. I just moved to something newer."
Monitor engineer Joel Stickrod is the new kid on the block, having been with Rucker for four years. "When I started with Darius, I inherited a different digital console with about 350 scenes saved, which is what it took to run a Hootie show. That certainly made it easier for me to hit the ground running," he says. "But after my first year, with Darius making the transition to country, I did the research and proposed switching to a PRO6 for monitors, which has worked out great."
(Jim Evans)
