With a production background mixed with jazz sensibilities, Tom Misch’s eclectic sound has found cultural acclaim in recent years. Having worked with the singer-songwriter since 2017 prior to the release of his album Geography, Monitor Engineer, Jack Childs has had a front-row seat to the artist’s rise in popularity.
Given the artist’s propensity to draw inspiration from multiple genres, he has often toured with quite a large band to “recreate his rich soundscapes”. He continued: “Usually we tour with an eight- or nine-piece band with three guitarists, so part of the challenge is delivering monitoring with clarity and focus for each player as there’s always a lot going on musically.”
Childs’ “go-to choice” of desk for most artists is DiGiCo, and Misch is no exception. “Most recently I’ve been carrying a Q326 because of their high channel and bus count, deep programming ability and wide connectivity options whilst keeping a fairly small footprint.”
Regarding wireless options for the artist’s latest tour, Childs turned to Shure for a solution. “I’ve always looked to Shure to cover my RF devices. I like their ecosystem, and Workbench is probably one of my most valued tools. So having coordination to deploy infrastructure that just works every time is important to me.”
During its initial release, the engineer took out several Axient Digital PSM (ADPSM) units on the road. “There were some obvious teething issues,” admitted Childs. “But when Chris Parker at Patchwork [the tour’s audio supplier] told me I had the opportunity to beta test the new Single Carrier (SC) Narrowband mode, I really wanted to see how it had improved.”
Parker added: “At Patchwork we’ve invested heavily into Shure Axient systems and have had several deployments of varying scale of ADPSM. It’s been great working with Shure on the application of Single Carrier Narrowband, and it’s quickly become our go-to transmission mode for our system topologies as it ticks all the boxes in performance and reliability.”
Parker expressed his thoughts on the camp: “We were pleased as always to be working with Jack Childs, as well as FOH Engineer, Lee McMahon. Both are brilliant personalities and great communicators.”
According to Shure, SC Narrowband is designed to behave more like traditional narrowband IEM systems while retaining the benefits of a modern digital platform. It states that it offers the same low latency and efficient spectrum use as existing digital narrowband modes, with improved stability in difficult conditions. The company believes this will be particularly beneficial when artists are near reflective metal surfaces, such as cymbals, or in environments with less time to set up.
“The updates feel like a massive step forward,” commented Childs. “In SCNB mode, ADPSM now has the same reliability as PSM 1000s. I had total confidence in what I was deploying and what the players were receiving, which is important when there’s nothing but air between you and them.”
He was also complimentary of the time it took to get the system up and running each day. “I have a lot of jobs to do on top of coordinating RF, so having ShowLink to wirelessly deploy my frequencies to all ADPSM devices at once is a game changer. Being able to monitor battery and volume levels from my world is also handy.”
Childs revealed that Tom Misch and the band noticed a difference in quality. “The noise floor is so low that most people were unsure if their receivers were switched on. But what I noticed most is the huge dynamic range. Less companding and compression makes everything feel more organic and natural.”
After being involved in beta testing, TPi asked Childs what he would like to see in the future for in-ear monitor and wireless solutions. “I’d like to see the ability to have tone profiling built into IEM receivers to counteract performers using different brands of in-ear monitors,” he stated. “It’s one of the common problems you come across as a monitor engineer and having the ability to create a tonally flat response for everyone regardless of which in-ear monitors they are using will help monitor engineers deliver a much more accurate mix for everyone.”
With Misch’s latest run of shows coming to an end, Childs is now looking ahead to the rest of the year, mixing for Katie Melua and Clementine Douglas before heading out on an album campaign with FKJ in the autumn.
Words: Stew Hume
Photo: Shure
