"I had done some training on Midas digital up in Minnesota over a year ago. But when Megadeth started up, my bid list required a Midas XL4 at front of house," relates Short. "The plan was to carry control gear from Thunder Audio - consoles and processing. Basically, Paul Owen, Thunder Audio principal, saw my bid list, called me and said tempted me to give the PRO6 a shot. I figured a five-week promotional tour was the perfect opportunity. As Paul says, 'Hey, instead of taking out 1,168 pounds of XL4, why not give the Pro6 a shot?' I mean, it is a Midas, right?"
The final step was to complete Doug Short's basic training on the new desk. "Erik Rogers from Thunder was the guy who made it happen," he notes. "With no production rehearsal and a new desk, I was out of my comfort zone. Erik literally drove out in his own car, set up the desk for me and stayed with me for the first three gigs. Thunder Audio definitely went above and beyond the call of duty to make this happen. I can't say enough good things about those guys."
Short found his baptism by fire to be fairly painless. "With Erik there to show me the ropes, I was up and running in no time," he says. "By the third gig, I was really comfortable. There was none of that 'alien planet' vibe you get on some digital desks. In fact, 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."
(Jim Evans)
