Mixing vet relies on DiGiCo SD5

4 January 2013

USA - Mixing veteran Jeff Peterson wrapped work recently on two high-profile gigs: Spike TV's Video Game Awards and CNN's Heroes: An All-Star Tribute. Peterson mixed both the production elements and live bands on an SD5 console provided by Hi-Tech Audio in conjunction with ATK. Peterson landed 112 inputs from two 56-pair splitters into two DiGiCo SD racks, with signals traveling to and from the consoles via an Optocore fiber optic network. Two 56ch ATK splitters were used on both shows to split signals between the SD Racks, monitors (in the case of CNN) and the broadcast trucks.

"On CNN Heroes, I had the only DiGiCo console," Peterson recalls. "Monitors were handled on a PM5D. On The Video Game awards, my FOH SD5 and a [stage monitor] foldback SD10 shared two DiGiCo SD Racks backstage for 112 inputs and 64 outputs divided between the two consoles. When sharing head-amp signals, we didn't use the DiGiCo Gain Tracking feature. Instead, we found a good starting head-amp level and communicated any changes before making them. That way, changes weren't happening without the operator knowing about it pre-hand.

"For both of these shows," he continues, "I tuned the PA system using just the SD5's Output EQ and Delay on the Matrix outs. In fact, using a DiGiCo UB MADI USB interface, the console also served as my test mic interface for Rational Acoustics Smaart 7."

(Jim Evans)