Can an 11-piece New Orleans band maintain their reputation for great performances with exceptional sound quality, even in small, packed venues? The Phunky Monkeys answer that question with an affirmative “yes” using an Allen & Heath dLive system which allows FOH engineer Eric Breaux to mix from anywhere in the house on an iPad.
The Phunky Monkeys perform a wide range of music for diverse audiences at New Orleans clubs and at weddings, corporate events and festivals. Band owner Michael Taylor says, “Given the millions of visitors who come to Bourbon Street every year, we have to perform all genres of music. And, we pride ourselves on how we sound. That’s one of the reasons we switched to the dLive. Its sound is leaps and bounds above what we had before.”
Both FOH and monitors are mixed on iPads wirelessly connected to the band’s dLive CDM64 MixRack purchased from AV Solutions of New Orleans. “In New Orleans, there are a lot of converted venues that are so small we can’t put FOH at FOH,” explained Taylor. “But we carry keyboards, drums, instruments and 40 to 60 mics and direct sources so we need the kind of pro-level mixing we have with the dLive and the MixPad app.”
“Mixing FOH with the MixPad app is simple and intuitive,” Taylor continued. “You can put anything anywhere you need it. Eric puts everything on layers and he can scroll through and get anywhere in a hurry. Also, he creates scenes and setups on his laptop with the dLive Director software. This is way more advanced than our previous mixer.”
“The processing power of the dLive is far and away better, too,” Taylor said. “Eric uses dLive reverbs and he loves the DEEP compressors. He’s using the 16T on the drums and the 16VU on the bass and the OptTronik on the overall mix.”
For monitors, each band member does their own mix on a personal iPad using the dLive OneMix app. “Everyone has the ability to put whatever they want in their in-ear mix and that is a huge benefit,” said Taylor.
“We’re fortunate to be in New Orleans where something is going on all the time,” Taylor commented. “And, we’re growing into national act status. We have that level of talent in the band. And, the dLive is giving us an incredible sound and that sets us apart.”
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