XTA’s SiDD With Gary Moore
Thursday, 24 May 2001
An XTA Electronics SiDD (Seriously Intelligent Digital Dynamics) processor has become, in the space of one tour, a vital component in conveying Gary Moore’s vocal power on stage. Moore’s front-of-house engineer, Andy May, decided to experiment with the multi-dynamics device after trying "virtually every compressor on the planet, from all the familiar units to the most esoteric American kit." Capital Sound is providing the tour’s audio production, with a Martin Wavefront 8 system, itself controlled by XTA DP226 digital loudspeaker processors. Both the DP226 and SiDD are based on XTA’s proprietary AudioCore DSP engine. The Gary Moore band is a straight-ahead four-piece line-up. The rig includes a Midas Heritage 3000 desk, Martin LE700 wedges, and Crown Macrotech amplification. Graham Lilley is production manager and Danny Stead mixes monitors.

May explains the challenge: "Gary sings and plays with a lot of passion and adrenalin, which works the vocal audio chain to the limits. He also likes a high guitar level on stage, so when he walks away from the microphone, the guitar sound floods into the mic, which means a lot of riding the faders for me. I’ve tried every kind of compressor on his vocal and none has ever really done the job of managing the dynamics without compromising the energy of his performance or the sound quality. SiDD goes a long way to solving that problem; it’s simply a brilliant product."


Latest Issue. . .