DiGiCo double for Big Daddy Weave
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They’re also extremely conscious of the role that technology plays in their sound, so this tour saw the addition of a pair of DiGiCo Quantum225 consoles, used for both front of house and monitors. In fact, they liked what the Quantum desks did so much that they bought them, rather than renting them for the duration of a tour as is common. They made an investment in DiGiCo technology because of the long-term benefits the Quantum consoles offer.
“The band does enough work in the course of a year that they looked at the cost of owning versus renting over time and immediately saw the financial benefits,” explains Josh Davisson, who came aboard as Big Daddy Weave’s monitor engineer in early 2023. “It’s how they like to do things: buy good gear, take care of it, and reap that advantage.”
Matthew Grunden, who has mixed Big Daddy Weave’s front-of-house sound for 14 years, orchestrated the acquisition through Dan Brown at Reach Communications in Minneapolis. “We own ninety percent of our gear and have found that it’s more cost-effective to own than rent seasonally every year,” he says, adding that they also own their d&b audiotechnik V-Series PA system, which they purchased nine years ago. “We only want to buy the best, and DiGiCo fits that philosophy.”
Grunden notes that DiGiCo desks have become the standard in Nashville, the starting point nationally for many if not most CCM and country music tours. “Nashville has gone DiGiCo; it’s what most artists here are touring with, and that also means that service is always available here,” he says. “Dan Brown and his team at Reach, alongside Ryan Shelton and Matt Larson at DiGiCo, have been incredibly helpful, especially since I was pretty new to the console. They helped get me up and running on it quickly and confidently.”
Meanwhile, Davisson, who owns a DiGiCo S21 console for his own production company, says the Quantum225 has made a big difference for both his workflow and the band’s stage experience. “The console just sounds so good as soon as you lift a fader that I don’t have to apply much processing at all to make it sound great on stage, and that’s making me look good,” he states. “The band tell me that they love their mixes, and the band’s management and others in the audience have said the same thing—it’s helping make the entire stage and the show sound better.”
