Live sound engineer John Delf insists on the best. Why? “I want the audience to go away thinking the live show is better than the album!”
John Delf could have been an architect. It was midway through a degree that John decided on a career in the music business, thinking it a more exciting option than spending a lifetime designing factory sheds. A brief stint learning the basics at Spirit Studios in Manchester set him on the right path, and within months he began working his way through the ranks until he knew the studio and its gear inside out.“The Studio Manager would step out to lunch and ask me to take over the session. He'd come back four hours later and I’d end up finishing the session for him. After a few years of this, some of the bands I was working with asked me to come on the road with them to do their live sound. I eventually decided to give it a go and now… all I seem to do is live sound!”
That was 14 years ago, and despite this lengthy stint running front-of-house, John insists he’s still learning his trade. “Clarity and power are the most important aspects in creating a good live sound. The whole live experience should be more exciting than listening to the CD. Ultimately I want the audience to go away thinking the live show is better than the album! A live show should play on all those aspects that performing in a venue can give you… like massive dynamics and extreme mix volume. It should be a very physical experience for the listener – get the air moving around them!”
With this philosophy in mind, John’s very particular about how he creates this ‘larger than life’ soundscape. As one might expect, the gear he uses is pivotal to achieving this vision…
“It was when working with Lily Allen that I had a chance to try out the Liquid Channel for the first time. Her producers used one on her vocal for the first album, so we thought we’d use one live. And I enjoyed using it so much I ended up buying it. When I started with The Script I saw that they already owned two Liquid Channels so I decided to use all three for their live shows.”
“I’ve been using them as vocal preamps and vocal compressors for [lead singer] Danny’s vocal mics, and also for [guitarist] Mark's vocal mic. It’s always nice to have consistency in what compression and preamp you use for the vocals, especially when you’re in a different venue with different gear every night – having your own vocal channels for each gig really helps.”
“It’s great to have a preamp, compressor and EQ all in one box, but then with Liquid Channel I also have the choice of 40 compressors and 40 preamps all within that 2U rack-mountable unit… which is excellent! I also have an Amek channel strip, which of course is excellent too, but it only has one preamp, and one compressor in it so it’s a little bit limited as to what applications you can use it for.”
“For The Script I’ve been using The Distressor emulation and the valve preamp. The vocals are an extremely important element of their sound, so it’s essential that they’re processed correctly. Using the Liquid Channels really helps their three-part harmonies to cut through the mix.”
Recent success for The Script has seen demand for the live show grow around the world, so for the foreseeable John and the three Liquid Channels will be globetrotting with them. “We’ve already been in Los Angeles and New York, and now we’re in the middle of the British leg of the tour. Next up are European and American tours, and then we’re off to Japan before heading back again for UK and European Festivals.”
“The Script are an exceptionally good live band and very exciting to work for. All three of the band are record producers in their own right, so sonic quality is a very high priority for them. As a result I see it as a privilege to be working for them – and I consider it a compliment that they let me!”