What do live sound and the rodeo have in common? Dirk Durham, Toby Keith's FOH engineer since 2000. "I've had two jobs–running sound and riding bareback horses," says Durham. "A good friend of mine is Ben Johnson, who's a pretty prolific singer/songwriter, and we traveled together–he wrote and I rode bareback horses. After the shows, he'd go in to the local VFWs and Moose Lodges, and they would rent to him and he'd play for the door. And I'd be there to drink beer and chase women, and he'd go, 'If you're going to hang out so much, then start rolling cords,' and I rolled cords, then moved to the monitor desk, and then to Front of House. And I thought, 'This is kind of like rodeoing: I'm traveling a bunch, and really not working more than an hour, and I think I might like doing this!'" Earl Neal, Keith's monitor engineer, on the other hand, started out in the mobile DJ business, and ended up hanging out with all his buddies in their various bands. "I don't play, so it was just natural that I ended up twisting knobs on the mixer heads–you know, the old Peavey six-channel mixer heads–and worked my way into mixing bands in clubs, and finally found my way to Nashville." Neal has worked with other country stars such as Patty Loveless and Chely Wright, and came on board the Toby Keith crew in April 2003.
Rock 'n' roll and country have sort of been merging lately; how has this affected your choice of system?
Dirk Durham: It's funny you say that, because when I'm through with this, my rig, racks and stacks all go to Lenny Kravitz, and he uses it. If Lenny's not using it, then I'm using it. He's got a few more boxes than me, but it's basically the same P.A. and the same SPL on mine.
Earl Neal: And we're using five of the Sound Image Theatre subs onstage.
DD: We've got 10 18s. It's pretty strange for a country act to have that many subs onstage.
EN: Yeah, it's a pretty raucous show.
DD: I've been running the VerTec system for four years now, since Toby started carrying full production. I think we picked it up in '01. In 2000 we were using Sound Image's G5 boxes; I think we picked up the VerTec in '01. I've always liked line arrays, and Toby and I went to an Aerosmith concert in Connecticut one night, and he really liked it, liked the fact that it was clean, and he knew I liked it, and so he said, "Go with it; we'll try it," and we've all been real happy with it.
What console are you using?
DD: I'm using a Midas XL4.
EN: I'm using DiGiCo D5 and a Midas XL3.
So you're merging the digital domain with the analog domain?
Both: Yeah.
Why do you stay with analog?
DD: (Laughs) I really don't want to learn a new desk. Plus, I don't think you can touch the sound of the Midas preamps or the EQ on it, just out of the box. And it starts every night and runs every show. I've been using it for, I think, four years solid, about 80 shows a year.
What do you like about the DiGiCo board?
EN: It's great with a big band, because I store snapshots for all the songs; I've basically pre-mixed them ahead of time, so unless something goes south, it's pretty much a push-button show for the band, and that leaves me completely unfettered to mix Toby.
What type of microphones and compression are you using?
EN: Everything we're using onstage is Shure, except for two shotgun mics. We've got a dbx 162 that I really like a lot, which I just got this year. And then I've got a 160, a 10 Series, a 168…
And some 376s on monitors?
EN: Yeah, 376 IEMs, two 160 SLs… I'm using three of the dbx 376 channel strips, in conjunction with the D5, to give it some warmth. The console is a great-sounding desk, it's just very, very sterile, and dbx was kind enough to throw some 376s at us to warm up things for Toby, especially when we do television and that sort of thing. And also to get his vocals a little more tolerable for the band.
DD: I would say dbx gives me some of the best support I've got when I'm on tour. I look to add a whole lot more from dbx this year, especially on my drive applications, and go with dbx on in–the whole drive system to the whole rig.
Which amps are you using on this tour?
DD: QSC 6.0 and 9.0 on the VerTecs; 6.0 on the High Packs, and 9.0s on the subs. And I'm running about the middle of the P.A. I hardly get red, I hardly get yellow. I've got plenty of headroom. It's beautiful.
Toby's got a powerful voice. What sort of challenges does that pose?
DD: Well, when I came in 2000, we had an EV deal, using all EV microphones, and I could not find an EV microphone that he could not bottom out; he'd bottom every mic out. That's why I went to Shure, and it's still tough because he pushes so hard. You never say, "sing, come on, sing for me." It's like, "man, where did this come from?"
You're doing about 105 at Front of House?
DD: 105 to 107. And like I said, I look at my amp racks, and I'm right in the middle of it, which is a wonderful thing, to have that many boxes. I carry 66 boxes and 32 subs.
Do you sound check every day, for every show?
DD: No. Usually in the summertime, if we're running a three- or four-day week, we sound check on that first day back, which is usually a Wednesday or Thursday. Then Earl and I will line-check the rest of the week, then take a break and line-check again. We didn't sound check today, we just line-checked. Unless we have a problem, or the band needs Earl to make some monitor adjustments or something like that… It's a pretty flawless show. I've been with Toby, like I said, going on five years now, and I've sound checked more this year than ever. But Toby's only made it maybe twice this year–usually it's once a year, before the tour, just to learn a new song. Other than that, it's usually just the band, and the guitar player sings Toby's parts, and after one song we're out of there.
Is there any other gear you're really excited about, or anything that piqued your interest recently?
DD: We're working on a new drive system to control those VerTec boxes. I'm really anxious to see that, and work with that. But other than that, I've pretty well got everything on my wish list. That's about all I know; I'm pretty pleased about this drive system that they're working on. But I think Earl's picked up some new toys this year.
EN: Yeah, the new stuff I got from dbx really made a huge difference in Toby's acceptance of the digital realm. We ran a good portion of the first part of last year with him on the DiGiCo, but he came around and said that he really didn't like what the console sounded like. It was too open and didn't sound natural to him. He was used to what the Midas sounded like, and these new pieces we got from Geoff (Lissaman, then head of touring for dbx. See cover -Ed.) really made a difference. The console sounds warm to him again; we did an AOL Broadband thing, and Jimmy Kimmel Live just last week, and he really enjoyed it.
Anything else you want to say about your system, or audio in general?
DD: Sound Image has been first-class. They call me daily to make sure everything's all right. I could break something tonight and it'd be waiting on me tomorrow morning in Tucson, no matter what it was. My whole console, if I needed it.
How long has this tour been out?
DD: We started in July, and we end tomorrow night, November 21, and break until January 1, when we have a New Year's show in Nashville. Then we go back home, until I think the 12th or 13th.
EN: Yeah, the second or third week of January.
DD: Usually we'll start and run until March, then take a break, and then tour in the winter, like this year. But next year he's going to flop it, and start on Memorial Day weekend and run until Labor Day weekend, then be off in winter.
You said this is the last show before New Year's?
DD: Tomorrow night, in Tucson.
EN: I need the rest. I'm ready for a break.
DD: It's not the shows or even the travel; it's to get away from the people on this bus! For me it is. I'd still go mix for free, almost.
EN: Don't say that too loud!
