Cubby Colby on great artists, great technology and a great crew
Fans of Saturday Night Live (I know you gig on Saturday nights — that’s what Tivo is for) will recognize the skits that all play on the “competition” between certain hosts for the record of who has hosted the show the most times. Here at FOH, it is pretty rare for us to feature an engineer in the FOH Interview slot more than once. I can only think of three: John Cooper, Big Mick and Cubby Colby.
Cubby is someone we could feature a dozen times and still not get the entire story. For those of you unfamiliar, the short version goes like this: Genesis and Phil Collins, Grammy Awards house mixer for years, more tours with Prince than any other mixer alive and a ton of other stuff.
Back when he was still doing the Grammys, he mixed Ricky Martin for the award show and was asked to do his tour. With some time on his hands, Cubby agreed, and no one had any idea just how big Livin’ La Vida Loca would get or how it would usher in a new generation of Spanish-speaking artists. And all of them — from old-schoolers like Luis Miguel to youngsters like Shakira wanted the guy who mixed Ricky behind their board, too. As a result of that desire and Cubby’s unbelievably good chops, he has been doing Latin artists almost exclusively for about a decade.
We caught up with him on a Las Vegas tour stop for Colombian rocker Juanes. An artist I had never heard of, but who has won a dozen Latin Grammys, fills 100,000+ seat stadium shows throughout Europe and South America, and who had pretty much every member of the fairer gender — including my photograper/wife — dealing with a drooling problem throughout the show.
For this one, Cubby is driving an Eighth Day — provided d&b rig with a DiGiCo D5 at the front end. Musically, it was like going back to the ‘70s with a guitar player using a real, honest-to-God E-Bow and the keyboard player using a Rhodes, a B3 and a Mini-Moog. The mix was one you never could have heard on the gear of that era. It was, without a doubt, one of the best, punchiest, clearest mixes I have ever heard. It was such a pleasure to listen to that I stayed for the entire show of an artist I had never heard of. (Not that I could have dragged the photographer away with a tow-truck if I had wanted to leave…)
FOH: How's your Spanish?
Cubby Colby: It's getting pretty good. I know where the bathroom is. I know how to say hello and goodbye and introduce myself. Production is bilingual, and everybody in the band is bilingual, and I'd say there's 50% Americans, and the band is pretty much all from Colombia. And then, the rest of the production is either from Mexico City or Colombia, so, now that I think about it, it's more like 65% Latinos and 35% Americans. If you think about it South America is part of the Americas… So no big deal.
Now, I'd never heard of this guy. He's been around. He's 35, this is his fourth album, he's got 12 Latin Grammys, and he’s got quite a few accomplishments. He's got the 12 Latin Grammys, and with this new album, the one that we're touring with right now, he's probably going to have another three or four under his belt by the next Latin Grammys. He just got recognized by the Billboard Awards for the Humanitarian Award. We just did the Nobel Peace Prize concert, and he did that two years in a row. He has a foundation for all the underprivileged children in Colombia. He's very human. He's the songwriter, the lyricist, the musician… that's why I feel really privileged to be here, and that's what attracts me. People are like, "Cubby! Why more and more?" This guy, for me, is a wonderful replacement for some of the other wonderful people I had the opportunity to work for.
BE: And you worked with Prince, Genesis…
Two live albums with Genesis, a live album with Phil… I basically did 10 years with Phil and Genesis, and then he got ill, and everything just stopped. I've never been one to fear when the phone's not ringing, but when you've had such a long run with people, you need to move on. And it all came about in a funny way. I mean, Phil ended, and I'm mixing the Grammy Award shows at the time, and now I'm off doing Ricky Martin stuff because of the Grammys, so one door closed and another door opened, and you go down that road. I never ever knew how much I would enjoy doing a tour like that.
And you've been doing the Latin thing for a while…
Since 2000, that's when I was doing the Livin' La Vida Loca tour, which was almost 18-months long with really nice breaks though. One of the things I kind of like — it's funny — about Latin artists is that a lot of them don't like to work in the summer months, so that was nice for me when my son was at an age when I wanted to be around more. And then I just rolled into Shakira, and then Luis Miguel, and then Latin Grammys. I think the first time Juanes did the Latin Grammys I was the music mixer for that, and then the second time he came around I was doing it as well, and I formed this really quick relationship with management and the rest of the audio crew he had with him at the time; and Frank, who was the front-of-house guy, moved to monitors and I got the call that they were interested, so I came out and auditioned for the gig in Las Vegas and LA — there was a back-to-back with some promotional stuff — and I got the callback. Them not knowing anything about my background and my history — I didn't really want to get the job based upon who I had done in the past; I wanted to get the job based upon what I can do and what I can offer.
This is a pretty long tour…
There weren't too many artists I would have gone out on such a long tour with, but I did say that if I got the call from Juanes again I would, and lo and behold, last July I got a call. So I actually started this in August of 2007 because I did all the promo all through Christmas into January and February; we started rehearsals in March, and here we are in May. We're about 20 shows in, and we have about 10 more in the States and then we start up in Europe and we're over there for eight weeks.
He's a much bigger deal outside the U.S.?
We do six weeks in Spain alone, and everything is sold out. It's mega-outdoor bullrings and the Barcelona room and the Madrid arenas and so on and so forth… And then, it's like the Beatles because when we were doing the promotional stuff, I never expected Helsinki, Finland, to have 3,000 people wanting to come to see Juanes. We played a 700-seat place, and they turned away 2,000 people. Same thing in Zurich, Switzerland. Same thing in London. Same thing in Paris. It was a small, condensed band — Juanes; the drummer playing some percussion, and Toby, the acoustic guitar player on stage left, and Emanuel, the keyboard player. It was just those four, and Eva, Fernan the Manager and myself, and I was the monitor guy, the front-of-house guy, the guitar tuner — but that's OK. The guys really understood me. They knew I was doing gigs where the speakers were in the ceilings and the worst you can say is that this isn't going to do it, and you turn it down.
But the tech has changed a lot. I would venture to say that even some of those ceiling-speaker systems were OK…
It's like the first time I ever used dV-DOSC stuff and said, "It's not going to happen." And then you turn it on and it's more than you could have ever hoped for. Similar thing with the d&b stuff. We were doing the promotional part and about 40% of the promotional things we did involved the entire band. We were down in the Mexico City area and we had three full-blown shows where he played for about an hour with the full band. And in all three of those shows it was a d&b Q series with the B2s. The first night was 1,200 seats, the second night was 3,600 seats, and they brought in the same amount of gear, and I went,
"Well, gee guys, don't you think we should have…" Well, in this guy's broken English, he explained that the d&b has a mode where it's like a doubling of the P.A. in efficiency. And I said, "Well, I'm just not thinking that line array’s going to be the problem, it's more of the sub bass frequencies because the room was going to be so big." So the guy does his deal and we get ready and we're doing the line check and we're right on the edge. Everything's hitting pretty hard. I tell the provider that maybe we should have added a few more sub boxes. "I'll be right back," the guy says, and he goes back and resets some amplifiers. Consequently, the software shuts down and he comes back and I'm waiting and waiting, and he goes, "OK guys, let's play the song again." I bring the band, VCA up, and he says, "I gave you 3 dB more," and I know that 3 dB should be like twice the amount but never has been — I mean, when's the last time you ever got that? And this is when I got educated on what happens with this technology.
What kind of mix are you going for?
Well, it is in your face, but it's more of an impact sort of a mix and this is what he really likes. And I could feel it, but I wasn't battling it onstage. Well, there's this whole cardioid sub bass approach that keeps all of this off the stage and really cleaned up his ear mix. The same consoles, same guys, same ear molds — different P.A. — he's having a great time, and having a much easier time finding pitch and so on and so forth. Granted, this is early on in the tour, so they're starting to get really acquainted with this other system. We do another with it and, you know, I'm asking more and more questions, never to think that this would be something that's going to fall in our lap, and lo and behold, management and the artist were extremely pleased, as I was and everybody else that was there with the system, so we decided to give it a go. We took bids from four companies, and it was a really, really hard decision because all of them were very worthy of doing the tour, as you're saying — everything out there is extremely good, and we would have been happy with any of them — it just so happens that…
Eighth Day has a d&b rig…
And Tom did a really good job in the negotiation of the things, equipment spec and so on. It was tough as I had nothing but really great time with Clair/Showco on the last tour, and I'm sure we'll work together again in the future, but it was more of a artist/management vibe that made us change things. And again, the packaging, we can fit this entire system into two-thirds of a truck. We have this full system with backline in one truck, and it's just time for things to shift that way a little bit. Economically for us, we found something that the artist and management and myself and everyone else is happy with and happy to be a part of and enjoy this accurate technology where you can sort of come into a room and make it happen. We're using this system in the sold-out arenas at Madison Square Garden or Miami Arena — that's a 21,000-seat arena. We did two Puerto Ricos, that was 18,000, no problem covering it with what we have. We're happy.
This is an odd room to mix in.
I never mix in the center, so I'm always 4 to 6 feet off center; and I never mix on a riser, it gives me a better idea of where the rest of the room is at by being slightly off-center, so if it's punchy for me, I know that in 80% of the rest of the room it's good, There is going to be a couple of aisle ways that are going to be a little bit under because of the characteristics of the sub bass. Verta (system tech) and I — he's an extremely knowledgeable guy — we are really working hard at evening things up. I'm using the J-Series subs in the air and the B2s on the ground, and everything's in cardioid mode. The B2s on the ground are off the aux buss, so we're really trying to make it really even. That's been my problem with all of the systems I want the same impact up on the sides as I'm having on the floor. I understand the floor gives us that coupling, I know, but there's a way to make this happen. We've got to strive to make that better way up on the sides, and we're getting there.
The guys on the sides are paying decent ticket prices…
My theory is, even the people in the nosebleed seats, those are the ones with the cheapest tickets, and those are the biggest fans. They're the ones who can't afford the seats down front, but they're going to be there. They're the ones who stand in line and wait overnight, and those are the ones who deserve to have just as good a sound as well as the ones up front. That's been my theory for a long time.
It was funny; I went through this with Fernan, the manager for Juanes, on the last tour. We realized on that tour the Miami Arena was going to be sold out, so I had extra I-4s to be brought in, eight per side to be flown for side coverage. Management was really concerned about the extra money, transportation, etc… I said, "Listen, it'll be really worth it. All those people up there, they're going to be singing at the top of their lungs, every lyric. Please, Fernan, go up there during the show." We didn't waste our money. He went up there during the show, came down during the show and said, "I'll never doubt your word again. Those are the biggest fans. I went up there and saw those fans really enjoying themselves just as much as the ones in the front rows. We did the best thing in the world to Juanes' fans by putting all of that P.A. on the sides, all the way around.
It's great to have a manager recognize that.
Yeah, Juanes has a hands-on manager (Fernan Martinez) where he's at all of the shows, all of the promo. He's down in the trenches with us everywhere we go. Much like Tony Smith with Collins and Genesis.
So are you still having fun?
I'm enjoying myself more with this new technology, and that's what's keeping me here. It's because I know there's more here, there's more out there, there's more to learn now than there ever has been, and now I can hear things the way I conceived wanting to hear them. Vocal intelligibility, punchy — I'm a drum mix/guitar, musical mixer guy, tight bottom end, but I want it to be clean, and it's a loud show, it's in your face, it's punchy, but when I leave the building, my ears don't hurt. How is that possible I think then I realize its these P.A.s — and I used to say this about the Prism system, because I loved that P.A., because I worked with it for such a long time and got along with it very well, had great people helping me all the time as well, and that's the other part: "It's so great!" Well, I got a ton of help…anyway, my point is, all of these P.A.s now make the bad rooms sound good.
That's true, but a line array in the wrong hands…
Yeah, but luckily for me, like right now, Verta who's been out here, he's just an unbelievably great guy. I met Verta doing Shakira and Luis Miguel going through South America. He's the big P.A., big system handler for Buenos Aires, for Argentina and Chile and they don't have a lot of stuff to work with down there, and every time I came down there, this guy did such an amazing job, it was like I had any P.A. up there that I could have conceived. He's just a very humble, knowledgeable, smart guy that is musical and loves that position — doesn't want to be a mixer! It's important to recognize everybody as a team unit. We all work together.
Anything that is still a struggle?
Language difference sometimes. We have this runway that comes out 32 feet and there's a little B stage on the end of it, so I have usually an A and a B mic, and I have all my scenes stored for when he's in what position. The other night I cut him off mid-sentence and I wasn't even thinking about it. I went to my next snapshot. I messed up. Generally, I'll wait for him to stop talking, but he talks in Spanish pretty much 80% of the time. He'll talk to the audience a little bit in English, depending on the demographics that are up around him. So I went back and I talked to him after the show to apologize. We talk every night after the show about tuning and playing and arrangements, but I mentioned to him, "I apologize," and he's such a very understanding guy. He goes, "It's not your fault. We changed the show around, and you've got your snapshots…" This is the type of guy that he is. He gets it.
We had some fairly intense racial comments posted on the FOH forum about non-Latin engineers on Latin tours. Ever have an issue being the gringo mixing the Latin artist?
Never. As a matter of fact, it's been quite the opposite. It's a very embracing community. In fact, it has been the complete 100% opposite of that. I did two Latin records for artists from South America based upon the work that I've done down there, and I've only done live gigs down there, and now I'm being asked to do record mixes. And for me? I'm not a recording engineer, I'm not trying to be a studio guy. I'm just fortunate that I get a call now and then when I've got the time to do it. And I'd like to see myself go down that path a little bit more in the future.
I'm not even going to try to hang with the big dogs because I don't have that kind of experience. I'm a live mixer, that's all. So maybe I can find a niche for me there, and I'd be happy to be able to do that. We've all heard this many times: Music is universal. I don't know what he's singing all the time, but I can certainly tell by the emotions and the inflections of his voice what this must be about. And I feel the same way whether it's in Spanish or it's in English.
The Rest of the Team
When we set up the interview, Cubby made sure to tell me that he wanted me to spend some time with the system engineer Edgardo Vertanessian and monitor mixer Anselmo Rota. On this tour it really is a team effort and everyone gets the credit they deserve.
FOH: What was the reasoning behind going with d&b and what do you like about it?
Edgardo Vertanessian: For me, it’s the best-sounding system right now. Eighth Day Sound, which is the company providing the gear, has a huge d&b rig with D12 amplifiers. The good thing about d&b is that is not only the speakers, but a complete system including networked digital amps and software.
Had you used d&b before? Were you comfortable going into it?
No, this is my first tour with it.
Was there a learning curve?
Ah, no. I’ve been trained at the Eighth Day Sound facility, so when I first came in here, I knew everything about it, and on a daily basis it’s very friendly and consistent, there are no surprises. On the rigging side, it’s very easy and fast to fly, too. We use a delta plate at the back so you can aim it not just vertically, but horizontally as well. So it hangs from three motors and it’s a very smart system.
How long does it take you guys to put the system in the air every day?
We start dumping the truck at 9 a.m., and by 1 p.m., we have the P.A. running, the monitor world running, and we’re waiting for the risers and the backline to start getting on the stage. So we’re about three, four hours. Every day by 2, 3 p.m., we’re ready to line-check. Not bad. And we’re an hour and 20 ‘til load-out from show end…
What are you using to drive the rig?
Dolby processors.
How do you like those?
You can have all the options you´d need, the tablet interface is very helpful and you can choose from any type of filter you want. Regarding time aligning and tuning, it is very helpful to have them in the rack. Cubby knows exactly what he wants. He has a quite amazing attention to detail, that is great because he helps a lot during PA tuning. I learn from him every day, he has a huge experience dealing with large PAs. For time aligning, as we have subs in the air and ground stacked, we set delay times between them so we have a pretty even coverage in that range. Our PA consists of 16 J8 + 2 J12 + 6 B2 subs + 6 J subs + 12 Q1 + 3 Q7 per side. With all that we get a very good coverage pattern and we can choose what to fly depending on the venue we are in that day. Cubby is one of those engineers who really care and love what they do. The result of all of the above is a crystal-clear and punchy mix every night.
Did you have a hard time getting used to them at first?
Yes, at the very beginning, until you set up your mind to the way it works, to the way the platform is. Once you get used to it, it’s very natural, but the first time you need a little bit of time. Everything is round and nice. After a couple times of using them, you’re very comfortable with them and you don’t want to go back.
Anything interesting from a miking level onstage?
We have 56 inputs and all the drums/microphones are Sennheiser and Neumann, because the drummer is sponsored by Sennheiser and Juanes is sponsored by Shure. All the drum microphones are Sennheiser and all the rest of them are Shure. We have 8 RF mics and 14 IEM channels.
Monitors: wedges, PMs, both?
Anselmo Rota: All PMs, and only wedges for Juanes. He uses two wedges onstage in one mix and another couple at the end of the thrust in another mix. He has PMs, too but it depends on the day. Sometimes Juanes asks for more level on the wedges. He changes from day to day.
What kind of ear molds are you using?
AR: All molds are Shure E-5. He felt a little bit isolated with custom molds. He tried different brands, but finally, he wanted E-5.
Subs for the drummer?
AR: No, a thumper. He also has a small mixing board to where I send SIX sub mixes and he makes his final mix. The keyboard player and the percussionist have mixers at their positions too.
Keeps the stage nice and clean. What kind of monitor console, the D5?
AR: Yes.
Is that your console of choice?
AR: Yeah, I chose it. I don’t want to use anything else but D5. I am very used to it and it has a lot of useful features that make mixing monitors very easy.
EV: We’re waiting for the SD7…
