For 18 years, FOH engineer Daryl Johnson has been behind the board, crafting Neal McCoy’s live sound for countless performances. With years of experience mixing on different consoles, Johnson recently transitioned to the Allen & Heath Avantis.
Johnson recalls his first experience listening to the Avantis: “We were just like- ‘Oh my goodness’ It sounded so clean. Just straight out-of-the-box with no EQ. Nothing done.” Johnson, who mixes on an Avantis Solo at FOH, appreciated the small footprint without sacrificing features. He manages the 41 channels in McCoy’s show with the six fully customisable layers available on the console, assigning instruments and vocals to dedicated layers while keeping key outputs visible at all times.
Although he came up in a world of analogue consoles, Johnson adapted to the touchscreen workflow of the Avantis in short order. “It took about two shows,” he enthused. “I like that you don’t have to make a big change to hear a difference. It has great sensitivity.”
Johnson’s monitor engineer mixes on a dual-screen Avantis, connected to a GX4816 stage box and a DX168 expander at the monitor position in a digital split. This setup streamlines their signal flow and setup, eliminating their previous bulky analog snakes for a more efficient load in and teardown. “People in touring know it’s all about ‘the out’,” Johnson said. “It’s about after the show, getting it packed up and getting to bed. Our new system has made that a lot quicker.”
The dPack upgrade is also an integral part of Johnson’s workflow. He uses the Dyn8 dynamic EQ on McCoy’s vocals to control harsh frequencies, while also experimenting with it on the kick drum to add warmth and punch. For gigs when McCoy’s guitarist can’t use his amplifier, the Two Stage Valve preamp from dPack helps recreate authentic tube tones and saturation directly from the console.
McCoy maintains a busy touring schedule of approximately 100 shows a year, playing a variety of venues and events. Johnson remarks that he is happy to be mixing these shows on the Avantis. “We’re very happy with it and look forward to mixing on Avantis it for many years to come,” he concluded.
