Justin Timberlake Brings “SexyBack” with Three Digidesign VENUE Systems for His Worldwide Tour
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Meyer and Glendinning’s selection of Digidesign VENUE systems was driven primarily by industry reviews and raves, and after nearly five months on the road, the systems have not disappointed. Reports praise the console’s stability, warm sound quality, wide variety of plug-ins, and streamlined virtual sound check capabilities. But for Meyer and Glendinning, the ultimate reward has been being able to accurately replicate Timberlake’s and producer Timbaland’s meticulous studio sound live on stage.
The front of house VENUE D-Show® system, in tandem with a Sidecar, is fully loaded with five DSP cards as well as the HDx Pro Tools|HD® interface and ECx Ethernet remote control options. It is accompanied by two Stage Racks, each handling 48 inputs and equipped with three SRO analog output cards and one DSO digital stage output card.
“Being able to have tools to get a desired result is a wonderful thing,” says Meyer. “The console is very stable and from day one, I have been comfortable with this desk. The support from Digidesign has also been impressive. Jeff Priepot and Steve McCale have been especially fantastic.”
“The VENUE system lends itself to input from the artist on a completely different level [than other systems],” continued Meyer. “If Justin or Music Director Kevin Antunes describe a sound—or just have advice on the placement of a specific instrument in the mix—I can immediately give them a result, modify the snapshot for the song, and move on. It really makes it enjoyable for all involved. The band will often pop in and check out what’s going on as well. You can demonstrate the source you’re getting from them and then discuss with them what they are after, or what you feel you need to get. It’s been a blessing for sure.”
Meyer finds VENUE’s snapshot automation to be a powerful tool for many applications during the show. For example, he is able to tie a selection of outboard processors directly to the snapshot automation by utilizing the D-Show software’s ability to send program changes via MIDI. “The ease of the snapshot automation is second to none,” raves Meyer. “It’s a very powerful tool that allows for another level of creativity in the live sound arena. I’m using not only fader and mute automation, but also MIDI, plug-in, pan, EQ, and aux automation. This allows me to really get specific per song.”
For monitors, the Timberlake show demands over 40 discrete outputs and over 100 inputs. In order for monitor engineer Kevin Glendinning to accommodate these demands, he employs two complete VENUE systems, each with two remote Stage Rack I/O boxes and each containing a massive collection of plug-ins for inserts and effects.
Both monitor consoles receive identical mic and line level input feeds from the splitter system. Console “A,” which resides on the outer perimeter of the in-the-round stage, handles in-ear monitors for Justin, which are fed directly from the L/R bus. The in-ear monitors for the dancers, music director, mixes for their backline, shout communication systems, and all effects are sent pre-fader down the auxes. Console “B” handles 12 stereo in-ear mixes for the remainder of the band, with a thumper-send from the center bus as well.
In-ear EQ is courtesy of VENUE plug-ins. Glendinning employs Focusrite parametric EQs on all band in-ear systems and a Sony Oxford parametric EQ for Justin’s monitors. He also relies on other plug-ins including Bomb Factory®, JOEMEEK®, and Fairchild®—all of which he says are amazing on acoustics and rival or surpass many top shelf analog units.
For Timberlake, a key goal was to transition the music that was created so meticulously in the studio successfully to the stage. The unrivaled combination of plug-in and Pro Tools integration allowed the mixers to do just that. “Justin always wants to make sure everything is the best it can be and that is exactly why I love this job so much,” says Meyer. “It really takes your skills, and the show, to another level when key players involved are pushing towards greatness at all times. That is exactly why VENUE is the perfect console for this job.”
Meyer continues: “For example, I can track songs at rehearsal and later work endlessly on refining the show’s mixes. My favorite application of this is to run iTunes into my desk so I can priority solo the playback return of the song I am working on. This allows me to directly compare the record to the mix I am producing. In Justin’s music there are so many different sounds that are combined for the end result. This is the best way to get an understanding of what the intentions were for each specific sound, and how they were applied to make the song a success. A great example of this was the song “SexyBack.” We used the Amp Farm distortion on Justin’s voice and it sounds exactly like what he and producer Timbaland used in the studio.”
Meyer is currently tracking 100 channels of Pro Tools for recording the tour on Pro Tools|HD for Virtual Soundchecks and archival purposes.
For tour dates and more information about Justin Timberlake, go to www.justintimberlake.com