FOH Engineer Acky Polichroniadis has been mixing Steve Balbi for over three years with the artist’s recent Sydney Opera House gig being a stand-out.
Acky comments that he hasn’t discussed the mix the Steve in depth. Steve hands over the reins comfortably for his interpretation of sound.
“I strongly believe there are audio operators that suit particular artists, and I feel at home with Steve and his band”, he said. “They are incredibly talented artists and they give me a great canvas to paint a picture, create a mix.”
As to the Sydney Opera House’s sound system, Acky says he liked it and that the design and configuration are very well done.
“Someone had mentioned that it’s a live room,” he added. “It does have live characteristics, but I had no trouble with it, it all sounded great.”
Acky prefers to mix on a Midas Heritage-D however the venue has an SSL L350.
“The Midas console is a very warm sounding board and has a nice analogue feel,” he noted. “The SSL is now my other favourite digital console. It was my first time on it and I found it quite accurate and responsive, much like the Midas. I look forward to the next opportunity to get on that board. Having spent some time on it now it will make the workflow a lot smoother for me. Very nice sounding console. Good choice for Sydney Opera House”.
When mixing this act, Acky tends to mix openly saying that Steve and the band’s amazing dynamics allow the sound to build organically, delivering a great performance to the audience.
“Of course, I use enhancements, dynamics, EQs and effects, though I do that in a way that won’t interfere or take anything away from their performance,” said Acky.
A standard band mic setup was used; two kick drum mics, two snare drum mics, and drumkit mics. The main thing Acky asks for is large diaphragm condenser mics for drum overheads.
“The overheads I use in the mix quite a bit with this band,” he remarked. “It brings out the finesse of the drummer’s playing. For vocals, we used standard Shure Beta58s and wireless mics for the two backing vocalists. There’s an XLR direct out of the bass head and a Sennheiser 421 on the bass cab. Sennheiser e906s on guitars plus standard active DIs on keyboards and acoustic guitars. Two shotgun microphones were used as ambience for IEMs and tracking.”
For smaller shows, Acky will often take care of monitors from the FOH console, but for the Sydney Opera House gig, they were fortunate to have Sam looking after monitor duties on the day.
“We had six sends of floor monitors/wedges,” said Acky. “One each for drums, bass, two for guitarists, keyboard, and Steve. Steve, Miranda and Robyn (backing vocalists) each had stereo in-ear or IEM mixes.”
Acky remarks that the biggest challenge at the gig was finding the cafeteria! He adds that the crew at the Sydney Opera House were fantastic and very accommodating, making for a pleasant experience.
“Probably the most challenging thing (although not difficult), was getting familiar with the SSL console,” he said. “I really enjoyed mixing on it. What a great board.
“It’s always wonderful working with Steve. It’s always a special experience but in particular that night at the Syndey Opera House. An amazing energy in that room, and the audience response was incredible. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and look forward to the next time.”
