Gear Gab and Lessons from The Road with Area 52 Studios

Dive deep into the essence of live music production with insights from Dave Cook and Lewis Fawcett of Area 52 Studios joining Dave Hamilton on Gig Gab. As they navigate the intricacies of creating the perfect in-ear monitor mix for artists like Natalie Merchant, they emphasize the delicate balance between clarity and ambiance. Incorporating ambient mics and reverb, while not forgetting the foundational elements of a solid mix, Dave Cook reminds us that to truly captivate an audience, one must “Always Be Performing” with an impeccable sound.

Their discussion extends beyond the technical, touching on the human elements of touring and recording, from the crucial hospitality towards artists to the mixed emotions of touring without loved ones. Lewis Fawcett, with a background enriched by family connections to Spymob and NER*D, shares some sage advice!

From road essentials like a dual-voltage collapsible kettle for that necessary coffee to favorite microphones that capture every nuance of performance, this episode is a treasure trove for those looking to refine their live sound or studio recordings, while always keeping the audience’s experience at the forefront.

• 00:00:00 Gig Gab 424 – Monday, April 8th, 2024
  • April 8th: Step Into The Spotlight Day
  • Guest Co-hosts: Dave Cook and Lewis Fawcett from Area 52 Studios
  • Last time was June, 2020 for Gig Gab 258
• 00:03:03 Dave on Mixing Monitors for Natalie Merchant
  • George Cowan was FOH
  • Dreamland Recording Studios
  • Keep Your Courage (Natalie Merchant, 2023)
• 00:08:55 Building an IEM Mix
  • Compromise and Get What You Need To Do The Gig
  • Ambient Mics
  • Add Reverb
  • Start with a good-sounding mix
  • Extra Kick-and-Snare
• 00:21:12 Lewis Fawcett
  • Logic vs. ProTools
  • Sophomore at Cornell College
• 00:24:01 The importance of hospitality
• 00:28:25 Lewis is part of the family
  • Eric Fawcett from Spymob and N*E*R*D
• 00:31:08 From Spymob to Pharrell
  • SXSW – Pat from The Black Keys: “The first rule when you have a band is don’t break up the band. That’s the only rule.“
• 00:36:42 The Grinds and Benefits of Touring
  • The Guilt of Being in Amazing Places Without Your Family
• 00:43:49 Road Necessities
  • A bicycle
  • Dual-voltage collapsable kettle (for coffee)
• 00:45:58 Favorite Microphones
  • Roswell Pro Audio
  • Mini K47 Microphone
  • Royer SF-24 and 122-R
  • Laurie Anderson (and Lou Reed)
  • Sennheiser 441-U
  • Pyle Drum Microphones
  • Behringer BA 19A
  • MXL 2006
  • AKG Perception
  • Shure SM57
  • Telefunken M80 (on a snare drum!)
  • Heil PR 31BW
  • Heil PR 40
  • Earthworks Ethos
• 01:04:26 Respect Your Audience
• 01:08:03 Sessions from Area 52
• 01:11:34