"Our last console was purchased about 30 years ago, and obviously it was analogue. So it was time," notes Leonard Contreras, production manager and front of house engineer for the club. "The X32 is a great-sounding console. I love the Midas-designed preamps, and the FX algorithms are awesome - clean quiet, just amazing. I love it, and everyone else who works at the Whisky is pretty stoked about it, too."
Contreras, who has been mixing at the Whisky for about 17 years between stints on the road, had been curious about the X32. "The engineering community has been buzzing about the X32, especially the 'powered by MIDAS preamps', but I hadn't heard it. Then Jerry Lopez, a buddy of mine who also mixes around town, purchased one. He was raving about it, so I asked if I could borrow it. I brought it in for a couple nights at front of house, and it sounded great. Then we swapped it to monitors, and it was amazing."
That experience convinced Contreras to put the X32 to an even tougher test - life on the road. "I was going out on tour mixing for Coal Chamber and really wanted to see how the X32 would hold up compared to other digital consoles I've used," he reports. "I got to explore all the features, and hear it through multiple PA systems in different venues. And the sound was phenomenal. I especially loved the ability to record my shows nightly on my laptop, then use the playback as a virtual sound check the next day without the band even being on stage. It made my life a lot easier, and it's an unbelievable feature at the X32's price point. After that tour, I was sold."
The X32 proved to be a perfect fit at the Whisky A Go-Go, for several reasons. The console's intuitive layout proved to be easy for visiting engineers to learn, and the on-board processing power actually expands the venue's EQ and effects capabilities, while eliminating racks of external compressors, gates, and effects.
"There was some concern with making the change, obviously. We did a training, basically showing the layout, the features, and navigation," says Contreras. "But one of the attractions for me was that it's a really easy console to learn. The layout, the routing... it's just very well thought out. Plus, the engineers at the Whisky are pretty savvy. They understand signal flow and gain structure, so it was a pretty easy change. Additionally, Behringer has excellent tech support and are always there for you."
(Jim Evans)
