Touring with Mike Shinoda

As both the co-founder of the rock band Linkin Park and a solo artist in his own right, guitarist / keyboard player, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and graphic designer Mike Shinoda is one very busy artist. He’s currently approaching the end of the current leg of his Post Traumatic Tour, which will resume in early 2019 when it picks up in Europe. Shinoda’s night after night tour schedule demands equipment that maintains sonic consistency and reliability throughout—and to ensure the best audio performance at monitor world, Shinoda and monitor engineer Kevin ‘Tater’ McCarthy rely on the performance of DAS Audio Event-121A powered subwoofers and Road-12A powered stage monitors.

For the setup, I use one Event-121A powered subwoofer on each side of the stage to enhance the low end and give the stage some feel and body,” McCarthy explained. “The Road-12A’s are used for cue monitors. I use one for my personal cue at monitor world and the other for sound checks and rehearsals when the band members are not wearing their in-ear monitors. I can quickly place it up on stage and just run the specific instruments that they want to hear through it.”

When asked about those attributes that make the DAS Event-121A powered sub and Road-12A powered stage monitors the ‘right tools for the job’ in this type of environment, McCarthy offered the following thoughts. “To be honest, these loudspeakers are so easy to deploy being that they’re self-powered,” he said. “This simplifies system cabling and you needn’t concern yourself with selecting a power amp to drive them. Equally important, I love the protection that the rain jackets over the rear panel connectors provide. There’s no need to remove them. They just peel back and you’re ready to go. And of course, the sound must be there too. These DAS Audio enclosures deliver more than enough power and are extremely musical sounding.”

“I also really appreciate the fact that the Road-12A’s are packaged nicely in a clam shell case, so transporting them is quick and easy” McCarthy added. “These loudspeakers are high powered, light weight, and easy to handle. I don’t even run an EQ on them. I simply turn them up and go!”

With a schedule like McCarthy’s, responsive customer and technical support services are crucial. When queried about his experience with DAS Audio, he offered the following comments, “I work with Carlos Henao, the company’s Eastern Territory Manager and his team. They’re a great group of people that understand touring and know what it takes to deliver. Carlos’ enthusiasm and love for the product shows—and rubbed off on me. I love that.”