Intocable is an influential Tejano and Norteño fusion band that has been making records and touring for over 25 years. With three Grammy wins and stadium gigs in their portfolio, they have paved the way for many Tex-Mex groups and their latest tour, Highway, has taken them all over the US.
The band’s tools of choice at both Front of House and Monitors are Solid State Logic L300 consoles and their new Front of House Engineer, previously their Monitor Engineer, Jose Ramon Quintero said: “When I started with the L300 on Monitors, the band immediately noticed a huge change in the mix and in the ‘room image. There is a great separation between the instruments, and there’s a much warmer, more analogue sound than the console we were using before.”
According to Quintero, the band’s reaction to the technology was an important moment, as they are all accomplished musicians, and most have their own personal studios. “They can really play,” he said. “And they can hear too. I think the SSL Pre-amps have made the biggest difference.”
There are seven members of Intocable and Quintero has a 52-channel input list across: drums, percussion, bass, Bajo Sexto, accordion, vocals, and comms. He uses the console’s 32 x 36 output matrix for the seven PA outputs, with subs driven from an auxiliary. All 36 matrix outputs of the console have filters, 4-band EQ, delay, all-pass-filters, and insert points for internal and external processing.
The SSL All-Pass-Filter has proven to be one of Quintero’s favourite features. It’s available on all processed paths and presents a highly tunable processing stage with two filter types, adjustable centre frequency, and adjustable Q. “This makes a huge difference,” Quintero commented. “Now I can use that tool for mixing as well as for tuning, which is very exciting.”
The journey from Monitors to Front of House with the same band was an enlightened Quintero; having honed mixes for the individual band members, he was in an excellent position to bring that experience together into the single FOH mix. But he believes that the SSL Live console has made a significant contribution too. Quintero said, “This is the first time they have been able to bring their analogue studio sound to a live show.”