I saw Disturbed on this tour in January of 2024 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids and the entire show I kept saying to myself and my girlfriend that they sounded amazing! I'm honestly not a huge disturbed fan I respect them and their music just fine but not one of my top bands on Spotify if ya know what I mean. But I have been to many many shows. Even saw Pantera at the same venue about a month after disturbed and disturbed's sound was a lot better. Honesty probably the best sounding show I've ever seen. He's an amazing foh engineer!
Learned a bunch from our short time in the studio in Baltimore with Mindset and continue to follow your career and appreciate your openness. Hope our paths cross again…
Great message out of this video. Don't ever give up when tough times comes, this gentleman did not quit!. thank you for great Disturbed music. 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
Just got home from gig where I play guitar and sing, while mixing the band and the monitors. It's hard. Crowd loved it tho! Love the real candid advice here! Great channel. Thank you Nick and Brad!
This is the greatest video you’ve done! I remember Brad from way back in the Wrathchild America days. I needed to hear all of this! I started in live sound the same way, and I’m glad to know I wasn’t the only one that did it this way.
Awsome!!! This guy is right! Focus on the sound, not the screen!! And what a journey into sound. He's never plan to mix some of the greatest bands in the world but here he stands! 🤟
The two bits of advice I was given when I was starting out as FOH was listen and KISS ( keep it simple stupid ), and that's what I said to people who asked for advice, I wish I was still in the game but all good thing must come to an end. I loved this video, I think it's definitely given me the itch to get back out there again
What a great chap. You should of asked him the following:- How did he audition his kit and decide what to buy and why? Does he do pre production sessions with the band? Does he mix in the studio?
First to comment! One of the many things I love about this video is how the sun goes down gradually and the entire video transitions from natural to artificial light.
Thanks for the upload and thanks for your time Brad. I'd love to see a short recut of the panel+rack walkthrough, overlaid with the primary purpose of each piece of equipment, and its cost
I LOVE this interview. I do have a comment that I would like some feedback from folks on here. They specifically made comments about people relying too much on plugins instead of the source. I completely agree. AT THE SAME TIME... look at the amount of outboard gear he is having to use to get the sound he wants! It is literally no different than plugins. He is using 6 processing units JUST FOR DRUMS. 2 SLSL Bus plus, The portico and more compression. He has the luxury off having all of those pieces of gear on a tour like this. BUT what about those in installed setups or on smaller tours or in a house of worship? The plugin world (whether it is Waves, UAD, or Live Professor with PA or something similar) allows engineers to do the same thing on a much more cost effective way. It is not perfect by any means but it is def the next best thing if you can't have access to all of that outboard. He is using at least $30k in outboard processors for the band inputs and groups. I am absolutely sure it sounds amazing and would love that but I think it is super easy to trash on the plugin world but what is the alternative to not having these massive amounts of outboard channel processing? For real, thoughts about this?
This is a super interesting watch. I've gone to tons of metal shows over the years, have seen Disturbed a few times. Always saw the little tent area in the middle with a guy sitting in there but never gave it much of any thought about what was going on
Do you think there's a lot of value in getting formal qualifications in Sound Engineering? it seems like something bands may press you on or be nervous about if they find out you're an "On the job" guy. Obviously Brad's experience is the opposite, though it's a sample size of "one". He fell into it and ended up with a lot of experience through people he knew which is great.
Priceless content, Nick, thank you and please keep it up! It'll be good to know this guys perspective on hearing health for sound engineers. What practices they apply to protect hearing? How loud they mixing? If you find this topic important, consider to incorporate it for future interviews. Again, thank you!
I still like mixing the odd gig at the club I sold all my analog gear to. It actually was a Mackie 24x8 lol. Only I had some DBX gates and comps not Behringer. Got my old rack of DBX 31 bands too. No screens to watch or RTA's to be checking... I always was a tech that kept my eye on the band. Helps you mix an eff of a lot better if you watch the band! You see one dude strumming a guitar and one dude finger picking it makes it easier to tell if you have things mixed well. If you're looking down, you won't even know you left a whole part out! Stop watching screens unless something isn't right in your ears! 🗝
Great video. As a bassist myself bass sometimes gets crushed in the mix but I've seen Disturbed & Moyer's bass sounded great. As a side note my friend who ran lights for bands I was in in Buffalo went on to do production mgr for Godsmack, Jason Bonham, &.... Enrique Eglasius lol
Love this. Except the whole dependent on waves part. “Don’t rely on waves too much, although I depend on 30k of outboard gear.” I mean, come on. A waves system is like 6k, that’s the price of a few pieces of outboard.
Great interview. Unfortunately last time I saw Disturbed (Toronto 2023) the mix was good, but the PA coverage was awful. I was in a hole between the front and side arrays and was missing everything over 2k
As a studio engineer, can you REALLY hear the quality of that outboard gear when it's blasting 110dB out of a PA? Most people in the crowd also have earplugs in, so why bother with such boutique gear? I'd love some opinions on this...
Digital consoles are pretty transparent. Analog gear is mostly for obtaining a specific sound (vca vs fet vs opto) and to add saturation/harmonic distortion to a mix. And a big part of impact in live sound with noise restrictions is getting your RMS values up with controlled peak values to obtain a higher perceived volume. And in general, people like using familiar tools. Does the crowd know what’s going on? No, but if it helps an engineer obtain their end goal that’s what matters.
Valid question but, it’s like if i ask you: why bother with all the studio gear and high resolution formats if people are hearing music from their phones ..?? On the other side, PA nowdays are pretty capable of reaching low distorsion and wide freq response… a Well adjusted L acoustics PA is like a gigantic flat studio monitor …
Honestly, this guys mixes live are unreal. I’ve stood at FOH directly behind him 3 times on the tour Disturbed just finished and it’s the cleanest mix with the absolute perfect amount of low end punch and high end silk I’ve ever heard at a hard rock show. It seriously sounds like a mastered album coming out of the rig. The only other guy I’ve ever heard come close is Ken Freeman who mixes Toto. Brad is the shit.
Enjoy the content, but Some of the interview audio sounds like it’s clipping (like the laugh around 18:25). Kinda expect more from a pro audio channel? Just saying.
It's mainly because when we film these interviews it's very run and gun because we are completely at the mercy of the guests schedule. So the second there is a free moment the mics and camera need to be rolling which usually means we have to adjust levels mid interview and if there's any peaking (which can be very hard to notice in these big arenas with tons of load-in noise going on) we just have to address it in post the best we can!
GC Pro is completely different from Guitar Center. You can go through him for custom pricing. Greg will get you all the cool stuff you can’t get at a normal Guitar Center (obviously he can hook you up with the normal stuff as well). Their pricing and service is INCREDIBLE!
Christ, this is a 32 minute video. I would rather be water boarded With piss for five days straight, than finish 30 more seconds of this extremely interesting content
This guy is telling THE story. That's exactly how I made it into Backline World like 15 years ago. Awesome Brad.
Thank you!!!
This channel is gold for us auidoperverts!
We’re all just a bunch of nerds. 🤣
Most channels out there concern themselves with the confines of the studio. Great to see someone giving a taste of what FOH engineering is like!
Thanks!!
I saw Disturbed on this tour in January of 2024 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids and the entire show I kept saying to myself and my girlfriend that they sounded amazing! I'm honestly not a huge disturbed fan I respect them and their music just fine but not one of my top bands on Spotify if ya know what I mean.
But I have been to many many shows. Even saw Pantera at the same venue about a month after disturbed and disturbed's sound was a lot better. Honesty probably the best sounding show I've ever seen.
He's an amazing foh engineer!
Thank you!!!
Love it….if you can’t mix on a plain analog console assuming your inputs are good…..adding 1000 more things isn’t going to help
Exactly!
Been a fan of Brad since his days singing & playing bass with Wrathchild America. They were a phenomenal band.
YES!
One of the best videos I have seen in a while on TH-cam…Great experience speaking here and love the analog pieces.
Thanks!
Learned a bunch from our short time in the studio in Baltimore with Mindset and continue to follow your career and appreciate your openness. Hope our paths cross again…
Thanks John!
Great message out of this video. Don't ever give up when tough times comes, this gentleman did not quit!. thank you for great Disturbed music. 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
Just got home from gig where I play guitar and sing, while mixing the band and the monitors. It's hard. Crowd loved it tho! Love the real candid advice here! Great channel. Thank you Nick and Brad!
Thank you!
Let’s go!!
Hey Andrew! Love your channel.
This is the greatest video you’ve done! I remember Brad from way back in the Wrathchild America days. I needed to hear all of this! I started in live sound the same way, and I’m glad to know I wasn’t the only one that did it this way.
Awsome!!! This guy is right! Focus on the sound, not the screen!! And what a journey into sound. He's never plan to mix some of the greatest bands in the world but here he stands! 🤟
..a true example of will to find, do, and materialize your dreams. Free Master Class here everyone...
Loved this! Brad’s cool.
Thanks for the kind words! 🙏🙏🙏
The two bits of advice I was given when I was starting out as FOH was listen and KISS ( keep it simple stupid ), and that's what I said to people who asked for advice, I wish I was still in the game but all good thing must come to an end.
I loved this video, I think it's definitely given me the itch to get back out there again
What a great chap. You should of asked him the following:-
How did he audition his kit and decide what to buy and why?
Does he do pre production sessions with the band?
Does he mix in the studio?
This. This is everything. I wish I could meet this guy and soak up his knowledge.
First to comment! One of the many things I love about this video is how the sun goes down gradually and the entire video transitions from natural to artificial light.
Brad is an amazing human and exceptional Engineer.
Thank you for this content Nick.
Thanks!!!
Saw this tour in Tinley Park Illinois, the sound was just amazing.
Thank you!!!
Brad, you ARE a rockstar! You rock!
Thank you!!!
Brad is awesome. Met him a few times, all the way back to when he was FOH for Linkin Park.
Mixing music for only 1 year now i really liked listening to him. Good stuff.
Thanks for the upload and thanks for your time Brad. I'd love to see a short recut of the panel+rack walkthrough, overlaid with the primary purpose of each piece of equipment, and its cost
Very nice interview. I like the "Brad's Science Project" piece of tape in the flightcase...😂
New sub here: THANK YOU for your combined knowledge and this interview!
damn, Brad is cool af
Yes he is!!
Very down to earth guy.......... some very HEAVY sound talk, I think IF i was a big band I'd want to hire this guy!!
I LOVE this interview. I do have a comment that I would like some feedback from folks on here. They specifically made comments about people relying too much on plugins instead of the source. I completely agree. AT THE SAME TIME... look at the amount of outboard gear he is having to use to get the sound he wants! It is literally no different than plugins. He is using 6 processing units JUST FOR DRUMS. 2 SLSL Bus plus, The portico and more compression. He has the luxury off having all of those pieces of gear on a tour like this. BUT what about those in installed setups or on smaller tours or in a house of worship? The plugin world (whether it is Waves, UAD, or Live Professor with PA or something similar) allows engineers to do the same thing on a much more cost effective way. It is not perfect by any means but it is def the next best thing if you can't have access to all of that outboard. He is using at least $30k in outboard processors for the band inputs and groups. I am absolutely sure it sounds amazing and would love that but I think it is super easy to trash on the plugin world but what is the alternative to not having these massive amounts of outboard channel processing? For real, thoughts about this?
This is a super interesting watch. I've gone to tons of metal shows over the years, have seen Disturbed a few times. Always saw the little tent area in the middle with a guy sitting in there but never gave it much of any thought about what was going on
I've been really loving your content recently! Keep up the great work!
Thanks for the kind words! More to come!
Brad is excellent person and one of the best engineers
Thank you!!!!
Do you think there's a lot of value in getting formal qualifications in Sound Engineering? it seems like something bands may press you on or be nervous about if they find out you're an "On the job" guy. Obviously Brad's experience is the opposite, though it's a sample size of "one". He fell into it and ended up with a lot of experience through people he knew which is great.
Priceless content, Nick, thank you and please keep it up! It'll be good to know this guys perspective on hearing health for sound engineers. What practices they apply to protect hearing? How loud they mixing? If you find this topic important, consider to incorporate it for future interviews. Again, thank you!
My mix sits right around 98 dba. Louder is not better, it's just louder. If my mix is hurting me then it's hurting the audience.
@@fixintogetmixin that's very reasonable approach. Thank you ever so much!
Hell yes nice to see brotha. Saw Brad working his magic a few times, always sounds good! Keep it up Nick!
Thanks! Will do! More to come!
Thanks!
@@fixintogetmixin Hell yes Brad!
Replay!!! My fave band from before they got signed!!! Disturbed help save my life ❤️❤️🤘🤘
Awesome content, Nick. Very interesting to learn this side of the music world. 👊
I guess I'm not doing as bad as I thought. I've always mixed exactly the way he explained. It's all about the music and the audience!!!. ROCK ON!!
I still like mixing the odd gig at the club I sold all my analog gear to. It actually was a Mackie 24x8 lol. Only I had some DBX gates and comps not Behringer. Got my old rack of DBX 31 bands too. No screens to watch or RTA's to be checking... I always was a tech that kept my eye on the band. Helps you mix an eff of a lot better if you watch the band! You see one dude strumming a guitar and one dude finger picking it makes it easier to tell if you have things mixed well. If you're looking down, you won't even know you left a whole part out! Stop watching screens unless something isn't right in your ears! 🗝
I was Brads bus driver back in the wrathchild america days but i was disturbed driver back in fuzz days
Brad Divens always great ...
Thanks!
I really enjoy these videos, thank you!
Glad you like them!
For someone to mix live Disturbed, you sir must be a great mixer!!!
This was simply great! Thank you!
great insightful video glad you made it
Brad divens from wratchild america ??
Thanks , Great TH-cam Channel!
Dave RATT set his console up sideways when he was still mixing …..so that his experience was that of the audience….
this is so cool i love doing this work and it so cool to see it like this
Truly about the source...
his advice is golden!
Great video. As a bassist myself bass sometimes gets crushed in the mix but I've seen Disturbed & Moyer's bass sounded great. As a side note my friend who ran lights for bands I was in in Buffalo went on to do production mgr for Godsmack, Jason Bonham, &.... Enrique Eglasius lol
He mentioned Brad Madix! - !!!!!RUSH!!!!!
So there is an unreleased Souls At Zero record?????? Need to hear it!!!!
Right on brotha! 🎉
You the man Nick
🙏🙏🙏
Wrathchild America 🤘🏻🤘🏻
Truly inspiring.
I’m a Wrathchild America fan.
If I went to see Disturbed I’d probably be star-struck of Brad! 😂
What is the title of the intro song?
Dissociative - Dillon Knighton. Appears that it's production music.
25:00 Parallel compression (good question)
Love this. Except the whole dependent on waves part. “Don’t rely on waves too much, although I depend on 30k of outboard gear.” I mean, come on. A waves system is like 6k, that’s the price of a few pieces of outboard.
Should note no amount of gear will replace a good ear with musicianship at a FOH engineer.
Tremendous guys. Just tremendous. 🤘🏻🇺🇸🎸🔥
Best story
Thanks!
31:04 - I say all these things.
The real question is where do I get this A&H jacket that you’re wearing from? It surely would match my dLive
Hi Nick what microphones are you using for this video? They sound pretty good good. Thanks.
MoveMic by Shure
he is familiar from somewhere... got it! Can I step on the yamaha rivage?😂😂😬
just noticed you're using the new Shure MoveMic - how do you like it?
Absolutely love it!!!
Great interview. Unfortunately last time I saw Disturbed (Toronto 2023) the mix was good, but the PA coverage was awful. I was in a hole between the front and side arrays and was missing everything over 2k
"Brad's Science Project" 😁
Parallel compression😊
should do a video with matt horn (drum tech for falling in reverse)
Way ahead of you. There is already one up
@ThisIsDeLaCruz wow that's sweet watching rn. Thanks!
As a studio engineer, can you REALLY hear the quality of that outboard gear when it's blasting 110dB out of a PA? Most people in the crowd also have earplugs in, so why bother with such boutique gear? I'd love some opinions on this...
Digital consoles are pretty transparent. Analog gear is mostly for obtaining a specific sound (vca vs fet vs opto) and to add saturation/harmonic distortion to a mix. And a big part of impact in live sound with noise restrictions is getting your RMS values up with controlled peak values to obtain a higher perceived volume. And in general, people like using familiar tools. Does the crowd know what’s going on? No, but if it helps an engineer obtain their end goal that’s what matters.
@@matthewloncar9115 well-put! I hadn't considered the RMS argument! Cheers
Valid question but, it’s like if i ask you: why bother with all the studio gear and high resolution formats if people are hearing music from their phones ..??
On the other side, PA nowdays are pretty capable of reaching low distorsion and wide freq response… a Well adjusted L acoustics PA is like a gigantic flat studio monitor …
Honestly, this guys mixes live are unreal. I’ve stood at FOH directly behind him 3 times on the tour Disturbed just finished and it’s the cleanest mix with the absolute perfect amount of low end punch and high end silk I’ve ever heard at a hard rock show. It seriously sounds like a mastered album coming out of the rig. The only other guy I’ve ever heard come close is Ken Freeman who mixes Toto. Brad is the shit.
@@matthewloncar9115 That's exactly why. It's about the perceived loudness.
What is the intro song?
What is the intro song?
The thumbnail fooled me into thinking this is a video where adam savage interviews a FOH guy😂
He does know what he’s doing.. or at least acts like it. But you can tell he kinda doubts what he’s doing sometimes.
Enjoy the content, but Some of the interview audio sounds like it’s clipping (like the laugh around 18:25). Kinda expect more from a pro audio channel? Just saying.
Didn’t sound like clipping to me but if it is who cares, so there’s a tiny bit of clipping in an excellent half hour long interview…
It's mainly because when we film these interviews it's very run and gun because we are completely at the mercy of the guests schedule. So the second there is a free moment the mics and camera need to be rolling which usually means we have to adjust levels mid interview and if there's any peaking (which can be very hard to notice in these big arenas with tons of load-in noise going on) we just have to address it in post the best we can!
what the F++K does "professional pricing' mean?? Guitar Center are pros at ripping us off?
GC Pro is completely different from Guitar Center. You can go through him for custom pricing. Greg will get you all the cool stuff you can’t get at a normal Guitar Center (obviously he can hook you up with the normal stuff as well). Their pricing and service is INCREDIBLE!
@@ThisIsDeLaCruz well that's cool!!!
Watch people singing in their cars….they aren’t singing the kick drum….
🔩
Ugghhhhh white Carlton needs more ewwww ah ah ah ah in his stage monitor also more palm muted drop Down With the syndrome riffs
Christ, this is a 32 minute video. I would rather be water boarded With piss for five days straight, than finish 30 more seconds of this extremely interesting content
The chap running sound for Disturbed is brilliant. But is the dude interviewing him drunk?
Nope. Been sober for 12 years. I’m just new at it. Still learning.
@@ThisIsDeLaCruzcan’t escape the critics! You rule Nick!
@@ThisIsDeLaCruzway better than the early interviews I did on camera. I was more awkward than the aliens from Galaxy Quest.
Good stuff :)