DiGiCo proves its worth for Liam Gallagher
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It was when playing in bands as a young man that Shan developed an interest in the technical side of the music industry, which began in the recording studio.
“I was fascinated by recording and took an interest in what was going on; that's where my love of mixing desks and outboard was born,” Shan explains. “I then got a job as an engineer at a recording studio, and began recording local bands, which then progressed into doing live sound for them, and consequently for other bands.”
Shan has only ever wanted to do FOH sound since then and he has clearly got a knack for it: his client roster includes an eclectic mix of major acts such as The Chemical Brothers, The Streets, and Lily Allen.
Both Shan and Jon are big DiGiCo users. Over the course of working with Gallagher, Hira has used pretty much every console DiGiCo has ever put out, from the compact SD11 to the flagship SD7 and everything in between. On this arena tour, he was using an SD5 supplied by Skan PA running at 96kHz.
“I have been using DiGiCo desks for a few years now, so I know my way around them pretty well,” Shan reveals. “It’s a very flexible surface and enables me to put all my ins and outs exactly where I want them. I find it a quick surface to get around.”
Shan is running Snapshots - just for his mutes and faders – and uses the console’s internal FX with just a few old favourites by his side.
At the monitor position, Jon is running an SD10, again at 96kHz. “The desk was recommended to me by a friend who’s used one for a while (Dan Speed, monitor engineer for Biffy Clyro, also a Skan client), and I'd heard great things about the functionality and the macros, how good the stereo imaging is for IEMs and how transparent the pre-amps are. I was sold after our first day in rehearsals.”
“The DiGiCo consoles were a solid choice for Liam Gallagher, as they are on so many of our tours,” says Skan’s Chris Fitch. “Despite owning 19 SD Reries consoles, we rarely see them, such is their popularity. The only downside of using a DiGiCo at FOH on this tour is their seemingly magic ability to attract beer being thrown by the enthusiastic crowd.”
Liam and co. are currently out in South America, playing shows in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Peru, and will be returning to the UK for a string of festivals in the summer.
(Jim Evans)
