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Flexibility for James’s “Love Is The Answer” tour supplied by DiGiCo Quantum 338

As English rock band James usually performs with spontaneity and without set lists, front-of-house engineer Chris Lynch and his DiGiCo Quantum 338 console had to be ready for anything during James’s “Love Is The Answer” UK tour this spring. Aled Irfan, at the monitor position, is also using a DiGiCo console - an SD10 - and has also invested in Klang and a Fourier Transform.Engine.

Irfan’s company, AL Touring, supplied the control package for the tour including microphones, in-ear monitoring, and stage-wedges, with the PA provided by Solotech. Lynch says he’s been touring the Quantum 338 for more than one and a half years now. “I pride myself on being able to use any console comfortably, but this job required a lot of channels”, he adds. “We had nine performers on stage, two drum kits, keyboards, trumpet, violin, cello, there’s been loads going on. I needed access to a lot of faders and the Quantum 338 was the console I thought best suited the band.”

With a back catalogue of over 300 songs, James has plenty of choice when it comes to material. A smaller console could house all the inputs and outputs but, as Lynch continues, three screens and 38 faders on the surface makes the Quantum 338 the ideal console to help him keep up with the band.

“The Quantum Spice Rack and Mustard Processing is really good,” he notes. “You have to be flexible for a show like this. James did songs on the tour they hadn’t even played in rehearsals, and hadn’t played for months. They just said, ‘Oh, we’re going to do this one’, and they did it, and it sounded amazing. It’s incredible, really. I honestly don’t know how they do it, how they just pick a song and go, ‘Okay, we’re going to do this one today’. That’s the genius of James. I could do it on a Q112, probably with an iPad, but it’s much more efficient on the Quantum 338.”

During rehearsals, Lynch got to test the new Fourier Transform.Engine, purchased by AL Touring from Solotech for the tour. Trying out a new piece of equipment can be hit and miss, but for Lynch, the process has been smooth. “We had a week’s worth of production rehearsals where we trialled the Fourier”, he recalls. “Suddenly I had hundreds of plugins to have a play with.”

“I wanted the mix to breathe and the band to be dynamic, with a more rock mix. But that’s different every time because of how the band play, so I’ve used the plugins selectively”, he concludes. “I probably only used three or four, and they’re all in the mix. I’m not using anything for the sake of using it, and it’s all been good so far. I think I’ve still got lots to discover.”

(Photos: DiGiCo)

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