Led Zeppelin Reunion Concert -- More Details
Jan 31, 2008 2:33 PM, By Sarah Benzuly
Most Popular
advertisement
Polls
TalkBack
Mix goes in-depth into the world of mastering. Tell us how mastering has helped your projects in the past. E-mail us at mixeditorial@mixonline.com.
This Month in Mix
Lars Brogaard, whose rental company Major Tom Ltd. provided a Meyer Sound system for the Led Zeppelin reunion concert at London's O2 Arena, was originally introduced to the project by Paul Owen, VP of U.S.-based rental company Thunder Audio. During the past several years, the two companies have worked closely to provide Meyer Sound systems for Metallica, Robert Plant, John Legend, Diana Ross and Rod Stewart. For this concert, FOH engineer Big Mick Hughes and Meyer Sound’s director of European technical support Luke Jenks became involved, joining Robert Plant’s FOH Roy Williams.
“At a gig like this, you have only a few hours to fly everything and make sure all the speakers are exactly where they should be,” says Brogaard. “Modern boxes like MILO are properly set up for this kind of operation and so we had no problems whatsoever. There is just no comparison with setting up for a gig in the ’70s.”
“I was in a dilemma,” says Hughes, who was concerned that diehard fans who’d paid thousands of dollars for tickets might resent any attempt to update the classic Led Zeppelin sound. In the end, Big Mick’s love of bottom end proved a decisive factor: “I listened back to some of the old bootleg albums that were made of Led Zeppelin gigs in the ’70s and, really, there is no bass on them at all—not because you couldn’t record it, but because the sound reinforcement systems at the time couldn’t reproduce it.
“I couldn’t see the point of going back to that sound," he continues. "At the risk of upsetting the purists, I decided that the gig had to sound like it was 2007. So we mixed it as if Led Zeppelin had never stopped playing in the time since their last gig, 27 years earlier."
“Working with Robert today,” Williams says, “you’re as likely to be asked to mix North African percussion as you are blues guitar. Meyer Sound systems are versatile enough to deliver that range of sounds with accuracy and clarity, which is why Robert and I use them whenever we can.”
WATCH:
Meyer Sound Video Interview From Behind the Scenes
Acceptable Use Policy blog comments powered by Disqus
Modern Recording and Mixing
This 2-DVD set will show you how the best in the music industry set up a studio to make world-class records. Regardless of what gear you are using, the information you'll find here will allow you to take advantage of decades of expert knowledge. Order now $39.95
Mastering Cubase 4
Electronic Musician magazine and Thomson Course Technology PTR have joined forces again to create the second volume in their Personal Studio Series, Mastering Steinberg's Cubase(tm). Edited and produced by the staff of Electronic Musician, this special issue is not only a must-read for users of Cubase(tm) software, but it also delivers essential information for anyone recording/producing music in a personal-studio. Order now $12.95
Delivered straight to your inbox every other week, MixLine takes you straight into the studio, with new product announcements, industry news, upcoming events, recent recording/post projects and much more. 
AES 2009: Slate Pro Audio Trigger
Upgrading Studio A at Santa Barbara Sound