Slash Hits the Road with DiGiCo SD8

	Martin Walker

Master guitar player Slash is on tour through the spring - on some dates opening for Ozzy Osbourne. His sound wig will include a DiGiCo SD8 at the hands of longtime audio vet, Martin Walker, of Audio Analysts. With over 30 years of credits spanning EMF, Judas Priest, Whitesnake, and many others, Walker is steering the audio course as production manager and front-of-house engineer for the 2011 tour. No stranger to DiGiCo digital desks, he's logged many hours at the helm of a D5, as well as a few outings more recently on an SD7. For the Slash run, he opted for an SD8 based on quality of sound, ease of use, footprint, and price, and was able to conveniently load his SD8 files from 2010 tour dates onto Audio Analysts' newly acquired SD8.

For the quartet live, Walker's handling a total of 35 stage inputs -- all effects and processing is managed from the console's internal super FPGA processing. Output-wise, he's using only a left and right main PA, a separate sub feed, and an infill feed. As far as source material, the show intro comes off his iPod and other than that, he says, "It's straightforward rock 'n' roll from two guitars, bass and drums, and this is a one of the best bands out there."

Being a straight-ahead rock 'n' roll show, Walker is running the board in an equally clear-cut manner. "Slash and his band are extremely straightforward and are an absolute joy to mix. Life is easy with them and an SD8; no fancy trickery is needed. I'm running the SD8 at the moment in an analog style, no snapshots -- just busking it song by song. I find this a very easy desk to do that on, although I will be adding snapshots into the way I work over this next leg. There are no great fancy changes from song to song; the band very much rocks out and creates its own space and dynamic. Once I have my sounds together, it's really a matter of getting the feel and groove of the mix and having some fun. I pretty much get a free hand to do what I like effect-wise and whilst it doesn't call for too much over the top type effects, there are songs that have room and cry out for nice reverbs and repeating delays."

Live shows often present challenges with changing situations and venues on a daily/nightly basis. On a date last year, the console succeeded in passing audio after receiving a "beer hit" at a show. "Even though the desk temporarily lost control, it continued to pass audio," Walker says. "It was a little frustrating, but I was more than happy that I got through the end of the show without having to pull the band offstage early due to 'technical difficulties.'"

Walker adds, "I feel it is way ahead of most of the other makes of digital consoles, and certainly great value for money. It's a whole lot of desk for what you actually have to part with financially, whether buying or renting... I started my digital life on a Yamaha PM5D, and whilst I do like that desk, it really isn't in the same league... Sonically, I think the SD8 is a great console, and is very close to it's more expensive cousin the SD7. I love the desk and have decided to use it for Judas Priest when they go out later this year... though it will be put through its paces a little more with those guys."