Front of House engineer Jon Lemon's initial association with The Smashing Pumpkins stretches back almost 20 years to 1995, when the US alternative rock band first really made its mark. His use of DiGiCo consoles with them starts just over a decade later, when he took a D5 Live - a desk he had been using since DiGiCo first launched it in 2002 - on their 2006/07 world tour.
For their current tour, which started in April and runs until mid August, Lemon has opted for the UK console manufacturer's current flagship model, the SD7, supplied, along with the rest of the PA system, by audio rental company Eighth Day Sound.
The D5 Live came out in 2002 I had one of the prototypes, says Lemon. I've always used DiGiCo consoles. For me, they are the best sounding of the digital desks and the SD range is very reliable.
Promoting their new album, Oceania, the Pumpkin's current tour has taken in a large number of festivals, starting in the US during the spring, travelling through Europe including the UK's iconic Glastonbury Festival and finishing in the Far East with Summer Sonic in Japan and Good Vibes in Kuala Lumpur. The schedule has been challenging for both the crew and kit and reducing the amount of equipment required, by utilizing a console that delivers almost everything Jon needs without the need for much outboard, has been a definite advantage.
I've used just about every one of DiGiCo's SD consoles now, he says. When the SD8 came out, I used that because it's a smaller, lighter package and we were flying around a lot and we didn't necessarily want to fly an SD7. Then, when the SD10 came out, I used that for a while. But the SD7 is my personal favorite.
Being able to integrate Waves software within the SD Range came as something of a revelation to Lemon.
When it first came out, DiGiCo sent an SD10 to my house in Chicago with a brand new Waves Soundgrid so I could get to know it, he recalls. I had started working with a band called The Fray and I had some multitracks of their songs. It was pretty interesting being able to set up and mix, just with the console at home and a set of monitors. So I decided not to use any outboard at all and simply use the onboard DiGiCo compressors, gates and dynamic EQ in conjunction with Waves plugins.
At that point a light went on in my head. The way gigs and tours work now, we do a lot more fly dates, so I knew I needed to jump on board with this and get away from the analogue outboard racks that I'd always taken with me. , this can save production a lot of money in freight costs.
The system worked well with The Fray, so when The Smashing Pumkins' tour started, Jon knew he could take this experience and make it work to his advantage.
The Oceania album was different to anything we'd done before, he says. There were quite a lot of sequences on it, with things like analogue synths in the backing tracks; we had around 10 backing tracks of Pro Tools and they wanted to play the whole album.
For safety's sake, I decided I was going to go with the SD7; that way I would have built in redundancy I had to build many snapshots to make the album work with the video, so I needed to know I had backup. However, the big updates from both DiGiCo and the Waves V9 plugins means that everything is very stable anyway.
I just use 56 channels, or rather 55 channels and keep one spare, which keeps us to one 192kHz SD Rack, with monitor engineer John Sherman having his own 192 rack for his SD10. I use a lot of the SD7's internal effects, but there is one bit of outboard I still can't get away from: which is a Manley Voxbox but I do use that in conjunction with a Waves Renaissance compressor mainly for fast compression.
We archive every show and record it straight from the SD7 via the MADI split into our Pro Tools rig. The recording is used for the live album and for virtual sound check. We've been on the road for so long now that I don't really need it for virtual sound check anymore, but when we were starting up of course I used it all the time.
Now, Lemon utilizes it more for archiving. Having said that, there's a 5.1 DVD coming out some time around September that we recorded at Jay-Z's arena in Brooklyn, he adds
Lemon has found that the digital domain has a multitude of benefits for touring live.
If we're going to a festival, we let them know upfront we're not going to give them analogue splits and that it will be a 48kHz or 96kHz MADI split. It works out better for everyone that way, because they have a basic mix from the FOH console to start with and the gains are all correct, so there's no load on any of the microphones. That's one of the real benefits of digital and having so much MADI I/O.
I find that digital audio simplifies things in a big way and the benefit of having all the onboard plugins is huge; when you need stuff, it's just there and you can transfer from mixing a show for the website, for radio, for TV, or a festival by just taking the settings from the plugins and having them on your DAW. That back and forth between console and Pro Tools really has made life pretty easy over the last year.
DiGiCo SD7 Delivers the Beast Sound for Iron Maiden
Back in the 1980s, those who dismissed the New Wave of British Heavy Metal as a passing phase obviously didn't reckon on Iron Maiden still selling out stadiums and arenas 30 years later. The band's enduring appeal means they still tour with a huge production, so a DiGiCo SD7 at Front of House is a match Maiden heaven.
Despite not touring at quite such an intense level as the two-year long marathons of the late 80s, Maiden still hit the road every year, visiting countries across the world. Huge audiences enthusiastically comply with Bruce Dickinson's cry to scream for him, as th
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
Front of House engineer Jon Lemon's initial association with The Smashing Pumpkins stretches back almost 20 years to 1995, when the US alternative rock band first really made its mark. His use of DiGiCo consoles with them starts just over a decade later, when he took a D5 Live - a desk he had been using since DiGiCo first launched it in 2002 - on their 2006/07 world tour.
