Steve has enjoyed a progressive journey through virtually the whole range of Yamaha digital consoles, starting in 2007 when he manned an 01v96 mixing small shows and events for a local PA company. This was followed by mixing monitors for alt-rock duo Blood Red Shoes on an LS9-16.
"I used the LS9 on well over 100 shows, pushing the console's i/o and capabilities to their limits," he says.
In 2013 Steve moved to the M7CL for monitor duties with Crystal Fighters and has also frequently used PM5Ds at fly-in shows and festivals.
"The PM5D is still a very welcomed, industry-standard monitor console," he says. "The 24 auxes, flexibility of additional stereo inputs and cue/monitor/stereo outputs beyond the 48 inputs and 24 outputs, and its widespread availability, makes it a solid choice for shows where the bands I work with aren't carrying production."
This year's hectic touring schedule with Jungle has seen Steve again manning PM5Ds at festivals, but he specced the CL5 for the band's US and European tours.
Jungle comprises seven band members using 45 inputs, with monitoring via a mixture of wired and wireless stereo IEMs, wedges, drum sub and side fills... and that's all before the addition of the brass section for selected larger shows.
"With the mix and output count surpassing the standard 16 auxes/outputs offered on many consoles with local i/o, I used PM5Ds on shows across Singapore, New Zealand and Australia. The band were very happy with the audio quality and consistency, giving them the confidence to perform at their best despite the lack of sleep, extreme heat and the variety of hired backline that festival season throws at us," says Steve.
After the success of that run and the band's confidence in the PM5D, Steve looked into the options of which console he could easily hire to carry that consistency through into the US tour, which included a variety of headline shows, radio promos, the two Coachella weekends and some support shows with Alt-J.
"I was looking for a console that had a minimum of 48 in/24 outs, 64 channels of input processing and 24 Aux sends, was compact; quick and easy to set up; affordable to hire through reputable companies and allowed me to take a fully programmed show file straight into the first show without a rehearsal," he says.
"We asked RAT Sound in California to provide a CL5 and two x Rio 3224-D i/o units. Despite only having used a CL5 a handful of times before, it was a no brainer."
Steve and the band and were so pleased with the performance of the CL5 in America that they wanted to take one out for all of their European festival dates. David Shepherd, owner/manager of the band's UK audio supplier BCS Audio was happy invest in a CL5 and two Rio3224-Ds to meet their needs, a commitment that Steve says he and the band were very grateful for.
(Jim Evans)
