Image of me operating on the Main Stage.

The Challenge:

• 1. Entirely new console.
• 2. Unfamiliar area.

Before this event, I'd never worked a festival in my life; I had no idea what to expect.

I was tasked with learning the Allen & Heath DLive C3500 in a matter of hours. No initial learning beforehand.

Not only that, I was in an entirely new environment that I'd never worked with before, so this event made me think entirely from scratch. I needed to think outside the box.

Luckily, Neil Patchett from Patchwork Audio was able to guide me through the console with ease. He explained step by step the fundamentals of the console, so I'd be familiar with any new control types compared to the Behringer X32. He also answered all my questions regarding their sound setup!

Mini Q&A with Neil Patchett:

• Q: For the sound system, are you using a cardioid polar pattern for your Subwoofers instead of omnidirectional to prevent noise pollution?

  [there was a farm with animals towards the back end]

• A: No. All our subs are Omnidirectional; we calculate and compensate for unwanted noise pollution/distribution beforehand, using RCF Software, which is stored and pre-set on the managing amp box, so we don't need to adjust on the fly.

• Q: I see, I see. What does your EQ/FX stack look like for your channels?

• A: We have a Dynamic EQ on the Vocals right now. When the singer starts to scream, the high-pitched tone can come off quite harsh, so we've set it to scoop around the frequency range of 1K when she hits those tones. We also have a delay/chorus FX on the vocals to give it that little boost above the mix. Additionally, we have a saturator to really bring out the "fullness/richness" on the bass.

• Q: That's so cool! Okay, last question, I promise: How is everything routed in terms of FOH -> Monitor Console, and Inputs & Playback?

• A: Everything is linked through Dante. We have a DLive MixRack at FOH that enables the A&H DLive C3500 to understand Dante. At Monitor World, we have an Allen & Heath SQ5, which also receives Dante, but sets the Gain Control for all inputs/channels. Playback is also routed through this MacBook using Dante Virtual Soundcard.

For context, this is the FOH Setup with the Allen & Heath DLive C3500.

That's it for the questions!

until...

...something caught my eye...

Star Wars Stormtroopers!

In the wild! Who would've thought these things would be roaming around a festival like this? You never know what to expect!

I caught them as I was on my leisurely long food/rest break, sitting on one of the benches, far up the hill.

It was certainly a great view from up there; I was able to observe the skatepark and most of the Radfest site.

Anywho, back to the topic at hand:

I eventually got the hang of the console and managed to mix one band on my own, of which I am very grateful! I couldn't thank Confetti, Patchwork Audio and Radfest enough for this opportunity. Considering this was my first time working at a festival, let alone an outdoor event, I still managed to have a whirlwind of a time.

Again, thanks to Neil Patchett for guiding me through the new console!

Many thanks,

• Finlay Wilson @ thesound.engineer