Paper 5- Live Mixing- The White Stripes

Live Mix: On the Road - The White Stripes

Mix 31. 8 (Aug 2007): 80.

Abstract (summary)

A brief interview with White Stripes live sound engineer Philip Harvey is presented. Harvey discusses the band's 2007 tour, the gear and mixing console he uses and his general mixing strategies.

Full Text

The White Stripes

Currently out promoting their new album, Icky Thump, brother/sister musical team Meg and Jack White are playing to sold-out theaters and making stops at this year's largest festivals, including Bonnaroo, where Mix caught up with front-of-house engineer Philip Harvey.

How much gear is the tour carrying?

We are carrying a Nexo GEO T line array with Camco amps, a Midas H3000 with Lake control, effects, inserts and a Metric Halo 2882+ DSP multitrack recording rig.

Any piece of gear you can't live without?

Not particularly, but it would be either the EL8 Distressors on the vocal channels or a dbx 120 subharmonic synth for subtle low-end emphasis.

What is your mixing style for this tour? Does this change when you're in a festival situation with quick changeovers?

We've brought in our own consoles for front of house and monitors to the festivals this year. The White Stripes have held headline slots consistently, which allows for this luxury. So even with quick changeovers, the audio control is preset.

What about your mixing philosophy in terms of Jack and Meg? Vocals and guitar/drums sitting in the mix

The biggest challenge in mixing the White Sripes is the fact that Jack's guitar volume onstage usually hovers around 120 dB, so vocals and drums are competing with guitar even before bringing them into the FOH sound system. Since there are only two people performing, the instruments must sound large to fill out the mix. The White Stripes' musical style is very "in your face," so I take that approach, making sure nothing is too heavily compressed so that all of instruments have room to breathe with dynamics and then keep the vocals on top crowning the mix.

Where can we find you when you're not on the road?

I reside in New York City's East Village.

Word count: 306

Indexing (details)

Cite

Narrow subject

Rock Bands, Concert Tours, Live Sound Engineers, Live Sound Engineering, Mixers (Audio Equipment)

Broad subject

Rock Music

People

Harvey, Philip

Company

White Stripes

Title

Live Mix: On the Road - The White Stripes

Publication title

Mix

Volume

31

Issue

8

Pages

80

Publication year

2007

Publication date

Aug 2007

Year

2007

Publisher

Penton Media, Inc

Place of publication

Berkeley, Calif.

Country of publication

United States

Journal subject

Business, Sound Recording And Reproduction, Sound

ISSN

0164-9957

Source type

Magazines

Language of publication

English

Document type

Interview

Document feature

Photographs

ProQuest document ID

1294702

Document URL

http://search.proquest.com/docview/1294702?accountid=144516

Last updated

2012-09-17

Database

International Index to Music Periodicals Full Text