DALY CITY, CA — The Goo Goo Dolls have been touring the world since the band released its 2006 album, Let Love In. At the tour’s audio helm is Engineer/Mixer Paul Hager, who previously worked with Avril Lavigne, Pink and The Donnas, among others. Hager was attracted to the Digidesign VENUE live sound system due to its Pro Tools integration, and eventually got the band to switch to VENUE for the tour.
For front of house (FOH) mixing, Hager brought in a VENUE D-Show console with two 16-fader D-Show Sidecars that give him instant access to the band’s mix across 40-input faders. Hager also makes use of the full processing complement of five DSP Mix Engine cards, which support his extensive use of TDM plug-ins. For monitor mixes, engineer Robert Windel uses a VENUE D-Show Profile to handle the band’s on-stage sound needs.
“The sound of the [D-Show] console is great,” says Hager. “The mic pres are very musical sounding compared to other digital consoles.”
Windel agrees: “This is a very intense gig for sonic expectations in that John [Rzeznik, Goo Goo Dolls frontman] wants an album-quality mix every night. He hadn’t been happy with any digital desks before this. I changed the rig from a Heritage 3000 with tons of outboard gear to the [D-Show] Profile with no outboard gear. One other thing of note: I love how accurate the console is. I make really subtle changes throughout the show; sometimes only .4 or .5 dB, and yet I can always hear the changes.”
The VENUE system’s Virtual Soundcheck feature, which works in conjunction with Pro Tools, has been an added bonus for Hager. “I have been using a less elegant version of Virtual Soundcheck for the last few years with other consoles and my Pro Tools rig,” he explains. “It is nice not to have to have four 192 I/Os. Because I come from about 10 years of Pro Tools experience, it’s just made a lot of what I was already doing a lot easier.”
Hager uses a variety of TDM plug-ins available for VENUE, but has his favorites, including Waves Live L1 Ultramaximizer, which he uses on the bass to help smooth out the signal; Digidesign TL Space to provide natural-sounding reverb; and Crane Song Phoenix to help sonically boost various aspects of the mix — especially in outdoor environments.
Windel uses a VENUE Personal Q (PQ) system for the band and crew on stage to provide personalized monitoring, allowing each member to have remote control of their own in-ear mixes. For bassist Robby Takac and keyboardist/sax player Korel Tunador, their techs are responsible for making subtle monitor mix changes during the show, which allows Windel to focus his attention on frontman Rzeznik.
For information, please visit www.digidesign.com/venue .
