Midas has long been a favourite in the Oasis camp. FOH engineer Dan Lewis mixed the last few months of the band's final tour on an XL4, and along with Josh Lloyd on monitors, had no hesitation in spec'ing a pair of PRO6s for this tour.
The band has been playing small rock and roll venues such as Glasgow's Barrowlands, the Manchester Apollo and East London's Troxy, before hitting club venues across Europe and back to the UK for some academy dates in April.
Lewis had previously used an XL8 for Noel Gallagher's Teenage Cancer Trust performance. "This was the perfect opportunity to give the PRO6 a try," he says. "I've deliberately gone for a very simple set-up as they're not a complicated band, I'm only running 28 channels so it all fits in with ease. In the first week I managed to find a good formula which works for them. There's very little going on in the way of channel EQ, it's all been about correct mic placement and the right desk. Now I can't tell the difference between a well set up XL4 and the PRO6 - both have that warm analogue sound that helps smooth over some of the more nasty bits.
"The band have been playing really really well, they're a proper rock and roll band, and as far as audio quality through the PRO6 is concerned, it all sounds really good."
Over on monitors, Josh Lloyd is also using a Midas PRO6, sharing a DL431 mic splitter with Lewis at FOH. "I chose the desk because I know the PRO6 pretty much inside out," says Lloyd, who's gained much experience on the PRO6 working as system tech for Britannia Row. "It's a quick surface to get around compared to others, and things like the POPulation Groups are a big help."
(Jim Evans)
