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Working With Dave
by
Dennis Moody (sound engineer for Dave Weckl)
A Little
History
I remember the
first time I saw Dave Weckl play. It was at a Christmas
concert in the early ‘90s and he was playing with the
Chick Corea Akoustic Band. I didn’t actually meet him
then, but I was very impressed by his musicality and
incredible skill as a drummer.
The next time I saw Dave was at the Quasimodo Jazz Club in
Berlin in July, 1999, performing with the DWB. The sound
engineer he was using on that tour, Darren Mora, and Dave’s
sax player, Brandon Fields, are good friends of mine, so
after the show, I met Dave briefly.
It was nearly
two years before I ran into him again. Brandon called me to
say Dave was looking for a new sound mixer, someone who
really understood his style of music and how to work with
it. Brandon thought I was the perfect guy for it.
It just so happened that I had a recording session scheduled
for a piano
player named Nils Gessinger. Coincidentally, Nils had
already arranged to have Dave play on this project. So, Dave
and I talked in advance and agreed that this recording
session would be my audition to be his new live sound mixer.
Dave made it
clear that he wanted to see how I worked and what I knew. At
the session, everything went great. Dave liked what I was
doing and, most importantly, he liked the way it sounded.
“Let’s do the tour.” he said, and I have been touring with
him ever since.
Our first tour stop was Tel Aviv, Israel. As it was the
first time I did a show for Dave, I was kind of “winging
it.” After the show, many people told me they really loved
the way it sounded. Dave said, “I like what you’re doing.
Keep it up!” This was good to hear.
We returned to
the States a few weeks later and did an East Coast U.S.
tour. That’s where Dave got to learn more about me and I got
to learn more about his band and music.
Dave made it
clear what he wanted me to do but also took the time to ask
why I was doing things a certain way. I would explain it to
him technically and logically and he was very open to my
suggestions and happy to hear what I could add to his sound.
What I
Do
My duties with
Dave are to deal with all things sound-related. I mic and
wire the stage, then go out front and listen to a CD that I
am familiar with to hear the venue’s PA.
I then use a
graphic equalizer to tailor the sound of the PA to what I
think will work best for Dave’s music. I usually get it
right and don’t have to change the FOH ("front of house") EQ
much as the band does their sound check.
It is important to get this done before the band arrives,
which is usually about an hour after Dave’s stage tech and I
do. Occasionally, we will do a show at a venue that does not
regularly feature music events. These places do not have
fixed PAs, so often I will have to change the PA speaker
angles and placement.
Sometimes
they’re not aimed in what I believe is the correct direction
for optimum sound. If it’s a club with a fixed PA and I
can’t change the speaker angles, I may have to change levels
of individual speaker boxes to compensate for weak areas of
the room. I do this using the audio controller matrix or
even the individual amplifier level controls.
Sometimes, I may
have to put what are called “cross fills” on the front
corners of the stage facing the center of the first row of
the audience so the people in the middle can hear the
saxophone and the keyboards over the direct acoustic sound
of the very loud drums. Yes, Dave can play very loud!
At the mixing console, I generally have in mind what I will
be doing with EQ and levels on each particular channel. I’ve
got the settings in my head from doing the show so many
times.
|
Five Tips for
Going into the Studio
When
it comes to
working with drummers, Dennis has seen it all.
Click
here
for some tips on preparation for a recording
session. |
I use very
little channel EQ and never any compression when mixing
Dave's group. After a few
minutes of dialing up a few of my predetermined settings, I
just push up the faders, get a good level, and start mixing.
I walk around the house a bit to make sure it sounds good in
all areas and that there is good coverage. Sometimes I may
have to make compensations for rooms with a bad sounding PA,
but it usually goes rather quickly once the band starts
sound checking.
I also go onstage and check that they’re okay with the stage
monitors and see if there is anything they need. Dave and
his sax player, Gary Meek, use in-ear monitoring. Dave is in
charge of their mixes and does that using his Yamaha 01V
mixer onstage. As for the floor monitors, most of the time I
will send them the monitor mixes from my FOH console.
But there are
times when a side stage monitor console and operator are
supplied and I will have to be a liaison between the band
and the monitor engineer. It usually works out very well.
Then we do the show! That’s the easy part, just enjoying the
music!
At the end of the show I take down and pack up all sound
gear that travels with us on the tour. I get it ready to go
to the next venue for the next day’s show. If we’re doing a
show at the same venue the next day, I just turn off the
mixers and I go drink a beer! Yes, it can be a fun gig!!
Dave primarily uses Sabian HHX Evolution cymbals,
with some of his newer (and drier) HHX Legacy cymbals
mixed in. They really cut through and enhance the
music with a lot of punch, impact, and range. I get many
compliments on them from people at the shows.
Drummers - take care of those drums!
One thing I’d
like to tell you about Dave is that he really takes care of
the way his drums sound.
He takes the
time to tune them well, sometimes changing a drumhead for
one that would seem perfectly fine. This is something I’ve
noticed about him that differs from a lot of other drummers:
not many of them really take the care to make their drums
sound so fantastic “in the room.”
Dave constantly
tunes them, tapes them up, pads them, and does whatever he
needs to do to make them sound great before every
performance. I have not seen many drummers as meticulous as
him. If you can get that happening with your drum kit, the
sound reinforcement or recording part will be a breeze.
The
Reward
I think Dave
probably has one of the best solo careers going as a
jazz-fusion drummer because he’s such a professional. He
really takes care of every detail in his business as well as
his music.
He is a very
admired and respected player, not only by other drummers,
but by all the musicians and technical people around him.
This really says a lot - and makes my job both a learning
experience and a pleasure.
- Dennis Moody
www.dennismoody.com
http://myspace.com/dennismoody
Editor's Note:
Dennis is available for sound engineering work and can be
reached at:
dennis@dennismoody.com . Also, Dennis will be teaching a technical class at drumFantasy.07
August 17-21 at Seton Hall University. You can learn more at
www.drumfantasycamp.com.
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