"Nothing but a Midas will do," says 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," says 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 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.
Megadeth's European tour started in Lisbon, Portugal on 30 May and will take in some 30 dates across 27 countries, ending on 16 July in Haapsaul, Estonia.
(Jim Evans)
