The Enrique Iglesias & Pitbull Live! 2017 co-headlining tour, which also featured Latin boy band CNCO as an opening act, hit the road in the U.S. and Canada in June and July, then headed back out for another trek across North America in October and November. The tour follows a previous trek pairing Enrique and Pitbull, the “Time of Our Lives” tour, in 2015.
FRONT of HOUSE caught up with Enrique Iglesias’ crew when the co-headliners made their second swing through the San Francisco Bay area, speaking to Enrique’s FOH engineer, Brad Divens, and monitor mixer Eddie “El Brujo” Caipo, who is celebrating his fifth year with Iglesias.
Sound Image supported this tour, providing JBL VTX 25 II speakers complemented by flown and stacked VTX S28LF subs, with Mike Sprague serving as account rep. Along with Divens and Caipo, the crew members include FOH systems tech Dave Shatto, monitor tech Chris Sharp and audio techs Matt Garrett and Ben Gorden.
Brad Divens,
FOH Engineer
For this tour, Divens decided to switch from the Avid Profile to the Avid S6L.
“I have developed a certain way I like to mix and I was able to continue that same approach on the S6L I was a Profile user since 2007, so it was an easy switch. I had the console at my home for a month prior to the tour in order to learn it and make the switch. There just so happened to be a Waves SoundGrid Extreme Server and an MGB in the rack also. As my show was mainly Waves on the Profile, I set it up the exact same way on the S6L. Then I started to learn the console and because it was the same show I was used to mixing, it came really easy and sounded incredible. It’s been working flawlessly on this tour.”
The channel count at FOH is 92 inputs, with outputs routed as Left, Right, Sub and Front Fill.
“Some of my go-to plug-ins are Waves SSL Channel, API, PSE, CLA 76, CLA 2A, C6 and H-Reverb. I also use SPL Transient designer and Phoenix Crane Song. I’ve recently started using the Soundcraft Realtime Rack, which allows me to use Universal Audio plug-ins. Some of my favorites are Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor, Fatso, Brainworx bx_digital V3 and Vertigo VSC-2 Compressor.”
Divens gives a thumbs-up to his support crew.
“Mike Sprague is our audio account rep, and he’s been taking care of me for three years now. Chris Sharp is our audio guru, and he goes everywhere we go. We spend a lot of time doing one-off shows around the world. Some of these are in less-than-ideal situations, and we count on ‘Sharpie’ to help us get it done.”
The Sound Image-supplied P.A. system consists of a JBL VTX 25 II rig, with 18 boxes per side for the main hang, 12 per side for 180 degrees and 12 per side for 270 degrees. The subwoofer complement includes nine JBL VTX S28LF flown per side and 16 additional JBL VTX G28 subs on the ground. Fourteen JBL VerTec 4886 cabinets handle front fills. Towards the end of Enrique’s set, he and the band perform on a small B-Stage behind the FOH position for a very up-close and personal acoustic set.
“The biggest challenge when dealing with the B-stage is the audience. Since it’s located behind FOH, the audience is now surrounding me and they can be loud. I bring the level of the mix down, since it’s all acoustic, and then the crowd settles in. It’s a very intimate part of the show.
“Since I’ve switched to the S6L I’m running Waves Multirack with a SoundGrid Extreme Server and an MGB. I’m also using a Soundcraft Realtime Rack with an SSL MADI Opti-Coax converter. These are must-have’s when using the S6L. When this configuration is not available due to the logistics of a one-off, I’ll fall back on the Profile running Waves TDM plug-ins. When it comes right down to it, it’s all about turning the knob until you like the way it sounds.
“Mixing is all about listening. I want the mix to reflect the power and excitement of a live show but also with the clarity and precision of the album. Another important element of mixing a show is dynamics. I don’t mix the show, at one constant level. The show is like a rollercoaster ride and I want the audience to experience pure sonic bliss.”
Eddie Caipo,
Monitor Engineer
Eddie “El Brujo” Caipo notes that he’s been an Avid user since the beginning of the Venue console and was anxiously waiting for the S6L console for a while. So as soon as it came out he was ready to use it.
“I was very fortunate to have great support from Avid when it came to getting my hands on one right away. Needless to say, I was immediately hooked. It’s a great sounding console. On this 2017 Tour we are at 92 inputs and 49 outputs including AES ins/outs for my CUE mix. As far as my go-to plug-in processing, I use Waves PSE, SSL Channel and C6; McDSP’s AE400, Channel G and ML4000; Plugin Alliance’s Transient Designer, Brainworx bx_digital V3 and Maag EQ. Avid’s Smack!, Reverb One and Revibe; and my latest addition to the collection, the De-esser UAD, via Soundcraft’s Realtime Rack. I also use Fatso, Shadow Hills and API Vision Channel Strip.”
Caipo doesn’t use any hardware outboard gear for processing, instead relying on a combination of all of the above for inputs. On the output side, his favorite chain for the IEM mixes includes Fatso “for a bit of saturation and warmth,” Shadow Hills for smooth compression, Brainworx bx_digital V3 “for some stereo imaging” and some M/S mild EQ and McDSP’s ML4000 as his final stage of output processing, with a touch of multi-band compression/limiting.
“This combo has made the mixes warmer and more controlled for some of the guys in the band, more of a record or mastered version of their mix. This makes mixing way more fun night after night. This is what I normally use on my master bus in the studio. I can’t say enough about it.”
The production is running 58 channels of Shure wireless between IEM’s, microphones (handhelds, instruments) and backline, coordinated with Shure’s Wireless Workbench by Matt Bock. Enrique uses a Shure Axient Digital with a DPA d:facto 4018v capsule for his vocals.
“Brad and I discussed this with Enrique extensively for a while before making the change. After having Enrique try this combo during production rehearsals, he was sold right away. The main reason behind the change was the reliability of Shure’s wireless technology with Axient Digital. I know we will always be 100 percent covered no matter how tough and narrow RF environments are.
“The tight controlled pattern on this capsule, without jeopardizing the sound quality, is pretty amazing, and it suits Enrique’s tone and mic technique. It has been a whole new world in his IEM mix, making it crystal clear, and cleaner because there is less bleed of unwanted sources through his mic — like 20,000 screaming fans! And I know this has helped at FOH as well.”
Like Divens, Caipo is also appreciative of the entire support team.
“We have an amazing crew provided by Sound Image and led by Marc Estrin as crew chief. My amazing monitor tech, Chris Sharp handles, among a million other things, walking Enrique to the stage and is by his side with a spare mic and IEM pack in case of any unforeseen last minute hiccup, all the way up to the time the elevator goes up during the show intro.”
On the wireless side, Caipo credits Matt Bock as the “Master Ninja” RF coordinator for the whole tour, working on behalf of Iglesias, Pitbull and any support acts. He also gives kudos to video director Jorge Toro for providing a multi-cam video screen that lets him see Enrique at all times during the show. This helps him notice if anything is happening while the artist is out of his line of sight — a frequent occurrence during this large-scale production.
“This tour is big, and there are lots of moving parts in all departments, and without everyone working together as a team, it would be nearly impossible to make a production of this magnitude work smoothly and harmoniously. I just want to say thank you to everyone, from audio to pyro, from production to wardrobe — everyone who makes this possible. We have the best team in the business, and I feel very fortunate and blessed to share this experience with them.”
Enrique Iglesias Live 2017 Tour
Crew
- Sound Company: Sound Image
- FOH Engineer: Brad Divens
- FOH Systems Tech: Dave Shatto
- Monitor Engineer: Eddie “El Brujo” Caipo
- Monitor Tech: Chris “Sharpie” Sharp
- Crew Chief: Marc Estrin
- Sound Techs: Matt Garrett, Ben Gorden
- Tour Manager: Abel Tabuyo
- Production Manager: Andres Restrepo
- Sound Image Account Rep: Mike Sprague
- Stage Manager: Leo Roman Figueroa
- Backline Techs: Brett Grau and Marc Muñoz
P.A. Gear
- Main Speakers: JBL VTX V25II
- Drive System: Performance Manager 2.4, Lake Controller, Smaart V8, RockWorks 2.4, APB MixSwitch, Roland Octa-Capture interface, Dolby LM44, Riedel RN.335.DI
- Power Distro: Whirlwind 400A
FOH Gear
- FOH Console: Avid S6L-32D
- Processing: Waves MultiRack with Extreme SoundGrid Server running Waves plug-ins, Soundcraft Realtime Rack running UAD plug-ins, McDSP, Phoenix Crane Song and SPL Transient Designer plug-ins
MON Gear
- Monitor Console: Avid S6L-32D with a E6L-192 Engine and two HDX DSP Cards for plug-in processing
- IEMs: Shure PSM1000 with Ultimate Ears UE11’s and UE7’s, all wireless coordinated with Shure Wireless Workbench.
- Mics: DPA 4099s, DPA 2011c, Shure UR w/Beta58 capsules for band, BGV Shure handheld with DPA 4018v d:facto and for Enrique, Shure Axient Digital with a DPA d:facto 4018v
- Other Gear: Waves MultiRack with Extreme SoundGrid Server running Waves plug-ins, McDSP, and Plugin Alliance SPL Transient Designer plug-ins, Brainworx bx_digital V3, Soundcraft Realtime Rack running UAD plug-ins via SSL Opti-MADI converter
