Interview with Juan López, FOH engineer for Melendi

Juan López, Melendi FOH engineer, reveals the technical details behind Melendi´s « El Cubo de Rubik » tour with Aero-40, Aero-20 systems and UX series.

Like many tours around the world, Melendi’s “El Cubo de Rubik” has come to an unexpected halt. The dates scheduled for this summer, both international and nation-wide events, have been cancelled until further notice and the technical crew is waiting for activity to resume. We have taken this opportunity to invite Juan López, Melendi FOH engineer, to tell us how he is coping with the current situation and to talk about his experience with DAS Audio systems.

Juan has over 15 years of extensive experience in the world of sound. He « loves » his work and defines himself as « a survivor » of the industry. Certainly, he has been at the heart of the most important events throughout the country: Expo Zaragoza 2008, Vitoria Jazz Festival, 40 Principales galas, Cadena 100, Cadena Dial, « Kaos » tour in Malú, +ES+ in ASZ; festivals such as Resurrection, Extremúsica, Download, Madcool… In recent years, he has been touring with Melendi´s « Lagrimas desordenadas » and « Ahora », as an assistant to FOH, and currently as a FOH engineer in « El cubo de Rubik ».

During this last tour, Juan has used a PA system with twenty-eight Aero-40 optimized with FIR filters, eighteen UX-218 subwoofers in L/R configuration, twenty-four Aero-20 for outfill, four Aero-20.120A for downfill and four Aero-20.120A for frontfill.

Juan, we cannot wait to see you back on tour when all this is over… Do you have any gigs coming in the near future? How are you coping with the current situation?

Regarding the pandemic I feel quite lucky because I have been active and done a few gigs, which mentally helps a lot. About the future, Melendi called off the tour, although we will be in Marbella in August and, fingers crossed, in USA in October… We will overcome this as we always do, hopefully the next crisis will take a bit longer to come.

Talking about the tour with Melendi. More than 40 gigs, performances in big and smaller venues: Plaza de toros of Valencia and Alicante, the Coliseum in A Coruña… How would you describe the tour with the Aero-40 and UX systems?

I am thrilled. At first, we opted for 2 units less per side of Aero-40 and a double central stack of UX-221 as an infrasub. But once we listened to the UX-218, it became clear that the subs were not going to be a problem at all and in the second gig, we changed those UX-221 for more tops. Pressure was never an issue but the reason for the change was to have more units and improve optimization with FIR filters. I reckon this is the strength of the system, greater uniformity without compromising pressure.

Using FIR filters has also made our lives much easier, especially in challenging venues. On the other hand, I am impressed with the performance of the Aero-20 in long distances (sometimes the outfill stands are far away, e.g. athletics stadiums). And I am incredibly happy with the 120º of the Aero-20.120A, with 4 units above the stage, the frontfill provides uniform coverage.

The system has performed amazingly, especially in terms of power. When it was necessary to push, the response was clear, and when we needed a more intimate atmosphere, like in ballads, the system kept the timbre without problems.

What were the artist´s sound needs during the tour and how has the system performed to those needs?

Melendi wants you to feel the sound pressure at his concerts. He moves around the stage a lot, up and down a stage runway, so in the design we pay special attention to the coverage of the units under the array. We try to clear the stage as much as we can. To do this, we usually mount a small downfill on the subs so that we can pull the axis of the bottom unit a little further away, which helps with the voice mic. With the FIR filters, the sound becomes crystal clear, I get the pressure I need and the vocals stand out.

You have already mentioned using FIR filters to optimize the system. How has DASaim helped you optimize the coverage in the different venues you have visited?

When performing measurements to achieve uniform coverage from the front rows to the back, it saved us a great deal of time. There came a point when trust was blind and we no longer measured. I had already worked with this technology (DASaim) before and it was one of the first things I asked for when I was told that we would tour with this system. Even though outdoors, we did not need it that much, we always used it to clean up the sound and reduce muddiness at the back. In reverberant halls, being able to focus the energy has been a bonus when dealing with reverb, perhaps the hardest thing to deal with in these places. I find that FIR filters are essential in venues where it is common to find a wall opposite the stage and long stands as they clean up a lot of « the bounce » that the wall generates.

What is your workflow when setting up the system?

Whenever I can, I like to set at least 4 measurement microphones in different zones and calculate the averages, giving more importance to the one I have in the FOH.

Usually I do not have the time I would like, or the means, so I just use one mic. First, I measure on the axis of one of the PAs and get a curve that I like, paying special attention to the sum of the bass that the grouping of units generates. Then I take the mic to the FOH and compare the two PAs and I adjust whatever I need from the EQ I have done on the axis. At this point, I adjust the subs and go back to the axis but to the near field.

I do not like the system to sound aggressive and I usually remove the sharpness (in systems with FIR, we can skip this step). Then I find a point where the downfill, the PA and the frontfill coincide and I adjust the times there. As for the response, I usually try to make it as similar as possible to the one I got in FOH. Finally, the most important part for me is to match the listening zones and adjust. When everything is ready, I rarely touch the system again, I focus on the mix.

What frequency response do you need to make your mix work?

I like the system to be flat from 400 to 20K and to have 2dBs plus 80Hz at 400. For the subs, I like the fundamental sub response to be 50HZ and get about 15dBs more than in the middle zone. I clean them up quite a bit in 30 and 80. I am not a fan of 100 and 125Hz, so I put special emphasis on controlling those frequencies both in tops and subs.

For Melendi’s tour, I have a mix and I adjust the system accordingly. As I usually go over it with headphones on, it gets muddier in the 200 zone, so on tour I leave the PA flat from 80 to 20K, which gives me the extra bass in the mix. I do the same with the subs.

Have you tried different configurations with the UX?

I have a vast experience in large festivals, I would say that I have tried practically every configuration there is. Everything has its pros and cons. On tour, as time is limited and I have the handicap of the stage runway, I usually opt for an L/R configuration, even if it generates corridors. I try to optimize the mounting, dismounting and setup time.

We know perfectly well how the system behaves, if there is a fault, we know what happens immediately. In an ideal world, my choice would be a flown line. I am not a big fan of cardioids, but the truth is that it makes the work much easier for the monitor speakers.

What qualities of the system would you highlight that have been useful to you on this tour?

Ease of installation, mounting, performance and optimization. Having control over each unit with DASnet has helped us a lot to find faults and be 100% sure that the array is behaving as it should. FIR filters were also essential. Also, as I mentioned before, I am really happy with the Aero-20.120A coverage.

We thank Juan for his comments and look forward to seeing him soon back on tour and festivals.