Musings: Joe Iwan, Front of House for Lacuna Coil
The Skinny on Heavy Metal Mixing with Joe Iwan
Exploring the wild world of touring with legendary gothic metal group Lacuna Coil, FOH (Front-of-House) engineer Joe Iwan dishes the dirt on heavy metal mixing in various venues, both high-end and divey. Here's what we gleaned from our exclusive chat with him at the Harrah's Cherokee Events Center.
"Some days, you step into a glorious venue like this, and the next it's a grimy club—but I still dig those," Joe shared, alluding to the charm of less-maintained surroundings. "You'll find a 40-channel desk, but only 19 of them functioning properly."
Unfazed by line arrays, Joe admits he might've just struck gold with the technology. "Line arrays do sound fantastic, especially for Lacuna, but some bands demand a rougher edge to mask stage imperfections."
Touring with Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ, Joe found himself employing an unconventional approach. "I ended up crushing everything with sheer force to create a monstrous low-end wall of power. It was all about going hard and heavy—even the house techs seemed impressed."
Opting for bringing his own gear, Joe confessed that not doing so offers lighter workloads yet presents challenges. "I enjoy knowing what I'm working with every day. Walking into a new venue to replicate the previous night's sound can be tricky."
The better part of a touring engineer, according to Joe, comes down to adaptability. "You're only as good as your weakest link. Last year, Lacuna performed at Earthday Birthday where we barely had a chance for a line check due to unfamiliar equipment—talk about cutting it close."
Sometimes, audio differences stem from instrument quality rather than bad mixing. "Sometimes bands sound better, and I can't figure out why. It's all about what you have coming in. If you can't rely on your house crew, consider if your touring PA is up to the task."
Keep an ear out for Pro Sound News' July 2016 issue, where we delve deeper into Lacuna Coil's North American tour supporting their new iTunes Metal chart-topper, Delirium.
Pro Tips for Mixing Heavy Metal in Unpredictable Venues
- Sound Check: Always conduct a thorough sound check to address any acoustic issues in unpredictable venues.
- Adjust EQs: Use equalizers to compensate for the venue's unique acoustics.
- Compression: Utilize compression to control the dynamic range of your sound.
- Balance Levels: Ensure all instruments and vocals are balanced to stand out in the mix.
- Stay Agile: Adjust your mix on the fly to handle acoustic variations in unpredictable venues.
- Communicate: Keep the band informed about any adjustments made to the sound during the performance.
- Despite the unpredictable nature of some venues, sound checking remains crucial to address acoustic issues, as mentioned by FOH engineer Joe Iwan.
- In venues with unique acoustics, using equalizers to compensate for the sound can be beneficial, as demonstrated by Joe Iwan during his work with Lacuna Coil.
- Compression can help control the dynamic range of sound in various venues, ensuring both subtle and loud sounds are well represented, a technique Joe Iwan employed when working with Rotting Christ.
- Balancing levels of all instruments and vocals is essential for them to stand out in the mix, even in unexpected environments, a technique Joe Iwan often applies during his touring engagements.
- Agility is key for a touring engineer, as differences in acoustics between venues can require rapid adjustments to the mix, a lesson learned by Joe Iwan during Lacuna Coil's North American tour supporting their album Delirium.
- Communication between the engineer and the band is essential to keep everyone informed about adjustments made to the sound during a performance, ensuring a cohesive performance in unpredictable venues, as emphasized by Joe Iwan.
