Rockstar® Mayhem Tour Uses Crest Audio Power Amps

Crest Audio power amplifiers rocked this summer’s inaugural Rockstar® Energy Drink Mayhem Tour.

As the exclusive amplifiers of the Jägermeister® Mobile Stage—a custom-built, traveling foldout stage housed in a 44-foot trailer—Crest Audio provided the power for metal heavyweights Machine Head, Walls of Jericho, Five Finger Death Punch, Airbourne and more during the festival’s 30-date run.

Twenty-four Crest Audio Pro 9200™ amplifiers and six Pro 8200™ amps powered the stage’s main system, while a combination of six Crest Audio Pro 9200, four Pro 8200 and four Pro 7200™ amps provided power for the monitor rig.

B.B. King Museum Opens With Fanfare, Star Power & Crest Amps

INDIANOLA, Miss. The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center opened September 13 with a three-day celebration and an historic, Crest Audio-powered concert that paired the blues legend with several of the marquee artists he has inspired. 

Tracing King’s journey from the fields of the Mississippi Delta to Beale Street and beyond, the museum displays a trove of memorabilia to illustrate the artist’s life and inspiration. Even the $15 million facility itself is part of the collection, built onto the cotton gin where King worked as a young man.

The 83-year-old King, who still performs more than 100 shows a year, headlined the celebration with a defining set of hits and standards featuring guest guitarists Robert Cray, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Keb ‘Mo. The main stage, provided by Nashville-based TMG Production Services, featured twin ground-stacked Peavey Versarray™ 212 line-array arrangements, configured with four Versarray 212 line arrays and two Versarray 218 subwoofers per side and powered by sixteen Crest Audio® Pro 9200™ amplifiers.
 
For the ribbon cutting celebration, the more compact Peavey Versarray 112 line array—four per side flown on Vermette lifts—powered by six Crest Audio Pro 8200™ amplifiers projected the voice-only event with precision and clarity. A Peavey VSX™ 26 loudspeaker manager handled system processing, with mixing accomplished on a Crest Audio XRM® rack-mountable console.
 
“The Crest Audio Pro 200™ Series amplifiers are excellent companions to the Versarray enclosures because they have no natural sound of their own,” he added. “A line array will bring out anything that the amplifier is doing, and the Pro 200 Series is known for not having artifacts.”
 

Crest Audio Ships New CC™ 5500 Power Amplifier

Crest Audio is boosting the power of its successful CC™ Series amplifiers with the new flagship CC 5500. Based on powerful, proven Crest Audio Pro 200™ Series technology and utilizing a linear power supply, the CC 5500 delivers 5,500 watts of clean power for main systems, monitors and subwoofers.

Built on the solid foundation of legendary Crest Audio amplifier designs, CC Series power amps provide tremendous value in pro amplifier technology. CC Series amps deliver world-class power with exceptional sound quality and value for mobile DJs, working bands, club owners, churches and more. Utilizing advanced production techniques and Crest Audio-designed toroidal transformers for consistent, robust output, the CC Series exemplifies the Crest tradition for solid, reliable and innovative power amp designs.

All CC Series amplifiers are built with tunnel-cooled heat sinks, variable-speed DC fans and extensive protection circuitry for superior efficiency into difficult loads and power conditions. In the Crest Audio tradition, the CC 5500 also boasts more power devices (16 per channel) than any competitive amplifier, plus a switched-rail class H output stage and triple-compound design to provide low distortion and excellent thermal stability.

The CC 5500 is available now from authorized Crest Audio dealers.

  • 5,500 watts into 4 ohms in Bridged Mono mode
  • 2,750 watts per channel into 2 ohms
  • 1,800 watts per channel into 4 ohms
  • 1,150 watts per channel into 8 ohms
  • Temperature control via two back-to-front, variable-speed DC fans
  • Combination XLR and 1/4″ TRS inputs
  • Binding posts and Speakon® outputs
  • ACL, signal, active and temp LED indicators
  • 2RU
  • 47 lbs.

Crest Audio CC 5500 Wins Award in Live Sound Readers’ Choice Poll

The readers of Live Sound International magazine and the pro-audio community at ProSoundWeb.com have honored the Crest Audio CC™ 5500 power amplifier in the first annual ProSoundWeb/Live Sound International Readers’ Choice Product Awards.

The Crest Audio CC 5500 power amplifier won the Readers’ Choice Best Product Award in the New Power Amplifier Without DSP category. Based on powerful, proven Crest Audio Pro 200™ Series technology and utilizing a linear power supply, the CC 5500 delivers 5,500 watts of clean power for main systems, monitors and subwoofers.

Built on the solid foundation of legendary Crest Audio amplifier designs, CC Series power amps provide tremendous value in pro amplifier technology. CC Series amps deliver world-class power with exceptional sound quality and value for touring companies, installations, mobile DJs, nightclubs, churches and more. Utilizing advanced production techniques and Crest Audio-designed toroidal transformers for consistent, robust output, the CC Series exemplifies the Crest tradition for solid, reliable and innovative power amp designs.

All CC Series amplifiers are built with tunnel-cooled heat sinks, variable-speed DC fans and extensive protection circuitry for superior efficiency into difficult loads and power conditions. In the Crest Audio tradition, the CC 5500 also boasts more power devices (16 per channel) than any competitive amplifier, plus a switched-rail class H output stage and triple-compound design to provide low distortion and excellent thermal stability.

Wanna Play Stage at NAMM 2010 Showcases Crest Audio CV-20 Consoles

The Wanna Play? Stage at the 2010 NAMM Show in Anaheim, Calif., showcased Crest Audio® CV-20™ mixing consoles and Pro 200™ power amplifiers, providing four days of professional sound reinforcement for bands such as Jive Records artists The Dares and the finalists of the SchoolJam USA national battle of the bands competition.

Located outside the Anaheim Convention Center at the John Lennon Plaza, the Wanna Play? Stage drew crowds from the international NAMM convention’s audience of 87,000 attending music retailers, media and musicians. The stage is named after NAMM’s Wanna Play? public awareness campaign, which aims to encourage more people to play musical instruments.

Kent Morris, owner and operator of Atlanta-based Cornerstone Media Group, configured the system with six Peavey® Versarray™ 112 line-array enclosures per side, backed by four Versarray 218 subwoofers per side to handle the low frequencies. Crest Audio Pro 200 Series amplifiers provided power to the entire house system, with one Pro 9200 in bridged mode assigned to each subwoofer, and Pro 7200 amps for the mid and high frequencies of the Versarray 112 line-array enclosures.

Morris employed a 48-channel Crest Audio CV-20 mixing console with 48 mono inputs and eight stereo inputs at FOH for the festival-style gig. With full VCA control and dynamics on all outputs, the CV-20 combines the best characteristics of analog and digital consoles, allowing the FOH operator the benefit of storing mix settings and the convenience of making adjustments on the fly, anywhere in the mix.

“The CV-20 gives you the best of both worlds,” Morris said. “It operates like a digital board, without the limitations of only being able to see one channel at a time. In this live festival environment, you need the ability to move very quickly from channel to channel and have instant access of any parameter. Since the CV-20 is analog, you can see everything at once.

“The CV-20’s VCA functionality also proved invaluable. There are 128 assignable scenes in the VCA, so we could store all of the possible scenarios for later recall. With only five minutes of soundcheck for each band—not to mention some unscripted moments throughout the weekend—that ability helped us make seamless transitions, and keep the client and audience happy.”

A veteran of major concert tours such as Ozzfest, Rockstar® Mayhem, and Tim McGraw, the Peavey Versarray is a professional line array utilizing 4.75″ ribbon drivers and 12″ Black Widow® speakers with dual 4″ voice coils in a push-pull arrangement. The Versarray 218 subwoofers are designed with dual 18″ Lo Max® woofers and Peavey’s patented UniVent™ venting system, an exclusive design that pumps air through the enclosure as the woofers move, maintaining cool operating temperatures, increasing reliability and reducing power compression under heavy continuous-drive conditions.

“The Versarray system performed amazingly well all weekend, no matter what we threw at it—live music performances, spoken word and program music,” said Morris. “The Versarray gets loud but stays clear because of the ribbon drivers and dual voice coil speakers. These weren’t new speakers, either; this particular system has been on the road with us for years now.”

For monitors, Morris used a Crest Audio CV-20 console with 40 mono inputs and eight stereo inputs, with audio fed to Crest Audio Pro 5200 and Pro 8200 amplifiers to power a dozen Peavey QW® Series ML and MR wedge-style stage monitors.

The crew used Peavey VSX® 26 loudspeaker management systems for front of house and three VSX 48 units for monitor speaker processing; fourteen Peavey QF™131 31-band graphic equalizers for house and monitors; six Peavey CEL-2A™ compressors; and two Peavey Dual DeltaFex® for house processing.

Peavey microphones were used for the entire event, including the PVM™ DMS-5 drum microphone kit, which packages three PVM 328 tom mikes, one PVM 325 snare mike, one PVM 321 kick drum mike, and cables and clips in a road case. The Peavey PVM 22 and PVM 46 dynamic-style microphones with diamond-coated diaphragms were used for vocals, and the PVM 45ir and PVM 480 condenser-style models were used on overhead cymbals and hi-hat. An array of Peavey PDI™ direct interface boxes were employed for acoustic guitar and keyboard.

“NAMM was very pleased with the sound quality that this system provided for the performers at the Wanna Play? Stage,” said Kevin Johnstone, director of trade shows at NAMM. “We are very grateful for our relationships with NAMM members such as Peavey and for the quality of musical experiences we can provide on this stage for NAMM Show attendees and the general public.”

About NAMM
NAMM is the not-for-profit association that unifies, leads and strengthens the $17 billion international musical instruments and products industry. NAMM’s activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages. NAMM is comprised of approximately 9,000 Member companies. For more information about NAMM or the proven benefits of making music, interested parties can visit www.namm.org or call 800-767-NAMM (6266).

 

Marina & The Diamonds Choose Jewels From Trace Elliot

The Trace Elliot 12 Band range is fast becoming the amp of choice for today’s current crop of pop and indie artists. None more so than Marina and the Diamonds. The versatile preamp section allows for every tone imaginable from smooth low grooves to full bore distorted growls and was recently seen during Marina’s impressive appearance on the ‘Later With Jools Holland’ show. The smooth dynamics of the AH600-12 through the 1048H and 1518 cabinets have become an integral part of bassist Dan Gulino’s tone for The Diamonds and has proved invaluable for the sound of their live show.

Marina is following up her critically acclaimed debut, ‘Family Jewels’ and impressive Brit Nomination for the Critics Choice Award with a string of sold out dates across the UK, before heading into Europe and the States. The summer will also see Marina and the Diamonds’ debut at the UK’s Glastonbury Festival, with Dan taking his Trace AH600-12 and cabinets with him on every show. As Dan himself says “The Trace Elliot AH600-12 head has given me the ultimate choice of clear frequencies from mean bottom ends, to a perfect high range! It’s very easy to use and it's beautifully presented. I'll certainly be using Trace Elliot products for a long time!’
 

Peavey Commercial Audio® Scores with Prosound’s Design of World Cup Soccer Stadiums

Peavey Commercial Audio® Scores with Prosound’s Design of World Cup Soccer Stadiums

When the call of “goal!” reaches the tens of thousands of ears in the stadiums hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the audio will have been distributed and amplified by Peavey Commercial Audio® products.

Prosound, sub-Saharan Africa’s leading pro-audio and lighting design and installation firm, was tapped to outfit and update nine of the ten soccer stadiums in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup. Prosound technical director Mark Malherbe selected MediaMatrix® and Crest Audio® for the audio distribution, control and amplification system needs in the stadiums.

The nine stadiums newly outfitted with Peavey products include the jewel in the crown of South African football: the newly renovated Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, which will host the opening ceremony and final championship game of the 2010 World Cup.

Prosound has created systems for over 30 stadiums in Africa, including the 1995 Rugby World Cup and the 2003 Cricket World Cup.

2010 marks the first time in the event’s 80-year history that the FIFA World Cup has been held in Africa. Running from June 11 to July 11, the tournament takes place in 10 venues, five new and five renovated stadiums. When Prosound was selected for the audio and lighting design in nine of the venues, Mark Malherbe knew he wanted to go with MediaMatrix and Crest Audio for a common audio backbone in all the stadiums.

“We’ve been using MediaMatrix since almost day one, and it means we can adapt quickly — we can fit in with any change and don’t have to quickly learn a new product,” said Malherbe in an interview with InAVate magazine.

Prosound provided the details of each installation in the June cover story of ProAudio Middle East magazine.

Soccer City Stadium
With a capacity of 94,700, Soccer City is the largest of South Africa’s stadiums. Originally built in 1987 with a capacity of 80,000, the venue underwent a complete renovation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The stadium’s outer perimeter has been designed to resemble a giant African pot, known as the calabash, and its aesthetic appeal is heightened when the stadium is lit at night. The orange seating is punctuated by grey stripes which point to the other nine stadiums being used for the competition.

This stadium has played an iconic role in South Africa’s history, hosting Nelson Mandela’s homecoming rally in 1990. On that day 100,000 people swarmed the stadium to hear him call for a unified South Africa. It’s fitting then that in its new guise, the stadium will host both the opening ceremony and final of the 2010 World Cup.

In the redesign, speakers are driven by 147 Crest CKi series amplifiers located in 10 racks around the venue. Each one powers a corresponding pair of speaker clusters. The amplifiers are all located in the roof near the loudspeakers. Malherbe explained:

“I wasn’t allowed to put too much weight up in the roof, so we had to make some compromises. If I’d gone for longer speaker cable runs, and mounted the amplifiers more remotely, I’d have lost a huge amount of power in the cables, no matter what gauge I used. This would have just ended up in my having to put more speakers up — and more weight.

“Locating the amp racks just off the maintenance gantry meant that my runs were much shorter and the power losses were much, much smaller. I didn’t need extra amplification or speakers to compensate. The upshot of this is that the signal path is overwhelmingly digital. Runs of Cat6 and optical fiber connect the CKi’s with the parent MediaMatrix NION® n6 DSP controllers, and from there to the sources and mixer in the controller room.”

“We chose the Peavey/Crest combination for a couple of reasons,” said Malherbe. “First, there is an almost seamless integration between the amps and the DSP, secondly they complied with the life safety requirements of the spec in terms of redundancy, and finally my technical guys are more familiar with the MediaMatrix solution.

“We’ve got six NION n6 processors to control the system, which provides enough overhead capacity for redundancy.”

Loftus Versfeld
Located in the heart of Pretoria, the 50,000 seat Loftus Versfeld is one of South Africa’s oldest stadiums.

The system at the Loftus used two Peavey MediaMatrix NION n3 processors and 42 Crest Audio CKi amps.

“As in all the other stadiums, all amplification was CKi. There is a mixture of mainly 1600 and 800V’s to do all the voice evacuation,” said head systems engineer Grant Scott. “We have two NION n3’s for processing, we are just using one and the other is redundant for standby.” Prior to the NION’s being installed in 2007, it was a total analog solution. “It was very difficult; we had an amplifier room in the players’ tunnel, they were all Crest Audio CD®’s at that stage, and we had one more behind each screen. We had long speaker runs.” With the new system there is a full redundant fiber loop around the stadium, there are new amp rooms in both the west and east stands, and it is CobraNet® distribution throughout.

Green Point
Cape Town’s Green Point Stadium stands in the Green Point suburb a short distance from the Atlantic Ocean with Table Mountain as its backdrop. During the World Cup it will be a 68,000-seat stadium. The system includes two Peavey MediaMatrix NION n3 processors and 62 Crest Audio CKi amps. There are four amplifier locations within the stadium, one in each stand.

“It’s all Crest Audio CKi power amps with the nX cards in them. It’s all CobraNet distribution which is fibered to the breakouts and all processed by two NION’s in the main control room,” explained Malherbe.

Ellis Park
Located in the heart of Johannesburg, Ellis Park stadium was given a significant face-lift before the Confederations Cup finals and now seats 62,000 fans.

Prosound put in the original system in 1981, which stayed in place until the Rugby World Cup in 1995 with only maintenance performed but no changes in the fundamental design.

“Now we have done a complete upgrade, there are entirely new loudspeakers, all Crest Audio amps, and all MediaMatrix processors,” said Malherbe.

The system includes two Peavey MediaMatrix NION n3 processors and 48 Crest Audio CKi amplifiers.

Nelson Mandela Bay
The brand new 48,000-seat Nelson Mandela Bay stadium in Port Elizabeth is set on the shores of the North End Lake.

DSP for the venue comes from two Peavey MediaMatrix NION n3 processors and the power is via 34 Crest Audio CKi amps.

Peter Mokaba Stadium
Named after one of the renowned sons of the struggle and emancipation of South Africa against the apartheid regime, the Peter Mokaba Stadium is in Polokwane.

For this stadium, five Peavey MediaMatrix NION n6 processors were used and power came from 30 Crest Audio CKi amps and 16 Ci20x8 eight-channel amps.

Mbombela Stadium
Mbombela is siSwati (one of the 11 official languages in South Africa) and literally means ‘many people together in a small space.’ The 64,000-seat stadium in Nelspruit is the first football stadium built to international standards in the Mpumalanga Province.

In the Mbombela Stadium, two Peavey MediaMatrix NION n3’s were used for DSP and 26 Crest Audio CKi amps were used in the system.

Free State Stadium
The 48,000 capacity Free State Stadium in Bloemfontien takes its name from the province in which it is located. For the 2010 World Cup, a second tier was added to the main grandstand, which increased the seating by 10,000.

This system is powered by 46 Crest Audio CKi amps, and two Peavey MediaMatrix NION n3’s were used for processing.

Royal Bafokeng Stadium
Built in 1999, the Royal Bafokeng Stadium near Rustenburg required only a minor upgrade for the World Cup. The capacity of the stadium was increased to 42,000.

The audio system is powered by 29 Crest Audio CKi amps. A single Peavey MediaMatrix NION n3 was used for processing.

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Mystery Jets Prove Versatility of Trace Elliot

Kai is not the average bass player and playing with The Mystery Jets he moves between the standard electric 4-string bass and the upright acoustic double bass. This is obviously dependent on the need and mood of the song but he describes all of them as, “Sounding amazing through the Trace Elliot stack”.

The words used by Kai Fish of The Mystery Jets when asked about why he chose the Trace AH1200-12 with the 1048 and 1518 cabs were, "The first bass amp I ever had was a Trace". When a player claims that, and he can still be found using one to this day, it says a lot. Kai goes on to explain that: "The new stuff is even better. The head is so versatile – I can go from a really nice acoustic tone to something that's subby or more aggressive really easily.”

After this year’s Reading and Leeds festivals in August, the Mystery Jets; complete with Kai, his selection of instruments and his ever trusty Trace Elliot stack; can be found on the road solidly for the rest of this year.
 

Introducing Trace Acoustic Amplifiers

 

Jan. 13, 2011, ANAHEIM, Calif. (NAMM exhibit #5278, Hall B) — British amplifier designer Trace Elliot® proudly announces the availability of the full Trace Acoustic® guitar amplifier line.

Over two decades ago, Trace Elliot revolutionized the world of acoustic instrumentation with its original TA™ Series. Trace Elliot brought studio-quality acoustic reproduction to the stage through designs that incorporated very high-impedance (piezo pickup) inputs, notch filters, phantom power, DSP effects and Dynamic Correction™, unique circuitry that reproduces the sparkling top end of an acoustic instrument without relying on high-frequency horns (which can produce harsh, unwanted overtones).

While the influence of Trace Acoustic is still widely felt throughout the industry, today acoustic musicians can experience a new generation of Trace Acoustic models more evolved than their classic forebears, yet still endowed with their original engineering spirit of innovation. Lighter and more powerful than ever with a wealth of cutting-edge features, the new generation of Trace Acoustic amps again sets the standard for acoustic amplification.

Designed in the U.K. and produced in the U.S.A., the Trace Acoustic TA Series consists of three models: the TA-300™, TA-200™ and TA-100™. All models feature Trace Elliot’s signature Shape circuit and built-in auto-compressor on each channel, as well as customizable DSP effects with parameter and setting adjustment with separate reverbs that can be assigned to each channel.

These versatile new amps include two modes of switchable features for presets and performance variable controls, all of which are also conveniently footswitchable using the supplied six-function foot controller with 25-foot cable. New FET circuitry ensures switching is extremely quiet and not audible during a performance. 

In addition, the TA-100 and TA-200 include a rugged, ballistic nylon shoulder bag, so players can carry both their amp and guitar at the same time. The TA-300 includes a high-quality amp cover to protect it during transit. 

Trace Acoustic TA Series amplifiers are available now from authorized retailers.

Featured on All Models:

  • Built in auto-compressor on all channels
  • Signal level LED on all channels
  • Shape switch for instant EQ’d sound on all channels (footswitchable on Channel 1)
  • Footswitchable Phase switch on all channels
  • Effect Parameter and Setting rotary encoders
  • Allows for separate levels of Reverb to be applied to each channel
  • Tap tempo (from either front panel or footswitch)
  • FLS® Feedback Locating System on each band of EQ using LEDs to indicate where feedback is occurring
  • Master Volume and Mute switch (footswitchable) that mutes all outputs except Tuner Out
  • Tuner output, Left and Right Preamp Outputs and Power Amp Inputs (to use as effects loop)
  • Two DI outputs; can be configured as dry Channel 1 and Channel 2 out, or processed Left and Right channels out
  • Illumination switch for turning front panel lights on or off
  • Power amp featuring Dynamic Correction
  • Designed in the U.K. and made in the U.S.A.

TA-300:

  • Two preamp channels with 300 watts total power output
  • 2 x 5” specially designed neodymium Celestion® speakers and 1 x 12” G12 Century Vintage neodymium Celestion speaker
  • 1/4” jack input with piezo switch for ultra-high impedance input stage on Channel 1
  • Combination balanced XLR and 1/4” jack input with phantom power switch on Channel 2
  • Lo-Trim & Hi-Trim rotary controls on Channel 1
  • Gain & Notch filter rotary controls on both Channels
  • Channel 1 can also have either Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo, or various delays including stereo Ping Pong
  • Six-band graphic EQ
  • Custom-fitted ballistic nylonprotective cover included
  • U.S. MSRP $1,999.99

TA-200:

  • Two preamp channels with 200 watts stereo total power output
  • 4 x 5” specially designed neodymium Celestion® speakers connected in stereo
  • 1/4” jack input with piezo switch for ultra-high impedance input stage on Channel 1
  • Combination balanced XLR and 1/4” jack input with phantom power switch on Channel 2
  • Lo-Trim & Hi-Trim rotary controls on Channel 1
  • Gain & Notch filter rotary controls on both Channels
  • Channel 1 can also have either Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo, or various delays including stereo Ping Pong
  • Six-band graphic EQ
  • Custom-fitted ballistic nylon bag included
  • U.S. MSRP $1,699.99

TA-100:

  • Two preamp channels with 100 watts stereo total power output
  • 2 x 5” specially designed neodymium Celestion® speakers connected in stereo
  • 1/4” jack input with piezo switch for ultra-high impedance input stage on Channel 1
  • Combination balanced XLR and 1/4” jack input with Phantom power switch on Channel 2
  • Lo-Trim & Hi-Trim rotary controls on Channel 1
  • Gain & Notch filter rotary controls on both Channels
  • Channel 1 can also have either Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo, or various delays including stereo Ping Pong
  • Six-band graphic EQ
  • Custom-fitted ballistic nylon bag included
  • U.S. MSRP $1,449.99

Nickelback’s Mike Kroeger & His ‘Dark Horse’ Win

 

After 13 years, over 27 million albums sold worldwide, and once spending an astounding 112 consecutive weeks in the Billboard Top 30, it might seem ironic that the current album by the band Nickelback is titled Dark Horse. But according to founding bassist and Trace Elliot® artist Michael Kroeger, the band doesn’t take their success for granted. “Any artist that is even surviving right now is a dark horse because things change pretty fast,” says Kroeger. “You’re a superstar one day and wake up the next day and you’re anonymous.”

 

Kroeger says this is especially true given the huge transformation that has occurred within the music industry in recent years. “To be successful in any way is beating the odds right now,” explains Kroeger.

 

Trace Elliot sat down with Mike Kroeger backstage in Nashville to discuss Nickelback’s success, their amazing live shows, what it was like co-producing with the legendary ­­­Mutt Lange, and what he loves about his Trace Elliot rig.

 

Trace Elliot:  Nickelback has released six successful albums in 13 years. How have you changed as a band over the years?

 

Mike Kroeger:  I guess we’ve slowed down a little bit. You know, earlier on we did our records a lot closer together. If we kept at that pace we’d probably have a lot more! [laughing] But we’ve done a lot more touring as a result of things going blessedly well at the album level—getting some radio and doing a lot of touring, which is a good sign!

 

TE:  2005's All The Right Reasons sold 11 million copies worldwide. What was the pressure like to follow that up?

 

MK: All of our pressure is self-imposed, you know? You have the pressure to kind of do better than you did on the record before, regardless of what the charts say. You’re trying to just go and do your best work every album, and if it happens to chart well, that’s kind of the X factor. You can do what you can do. You can write songs that you think are hit songs, but it’s up to the people. And we got pretty lucky on that one.

 

TE:  And even luckier with Dark Horse.

 

MK:  It’s gone well. Yeah, Dark Horse has gone well.

 

TE:  Eight singles – two years from release and the album still has life. Did you know what you had when you were in the studio recording with Mutt Lange?  

 

MK:  Going into the studio with Mutt was amazing. The guy had made records that we loved and that were some of our favorite records.  So you know you’re in good hands, I guess you could say. We were happy to be able to work with the guy. We call what the producer does ‘steering the ship.’ We co-produced with him, but he’s a been-there- done-that-guy. He has literally been there and done that on everything, you know?

 

TE: How was it to work with him?

 

MK:  Awesome. He’s a bass player. I learned a great deal about how to play bass from Mutt. He was in a band, like in the ‘60s. He was a bass player and singer. So the guy’s been playing bass for a long time, and he’s played on such a wide variety of things. And he also produced and directed the play of bass players on such a wide variety of music that he brings all these ideas to the table. The first time he would tell me to try something or he would show me something on the bass I’d just be like, “Oh man, that’s like – I don’t know – that’s like a lot for me, you know.” I’m really simple, a minimalist kind of person, especially as it applies to playing the bass. He pushed me out of that comfort zone of sticking to what the drums are doing and moved me to going to more melodic things and getting a little more in touch with the vocal.  More in touch with what the vocals are doing to contribute to that melodic structure.

 

TE: Nickelback is known for having one the biggest stage spectacles on the road.  How hard is it to raise that bar for every new tour? 

 

MK:  It’s about just trying to do something different every time—coming in with a different kind of show and trying to do things that use technology that people haven’t seen yet or that nobody’s used yet. We bring different elements to the shows. I heard yesterday that our new PA amp racks officially have surpassed 1 million watts of sound. That’s pretty cool! I mean, if you’re pumping out a million of anything that’s pretty awesome. A million watts!

 

TE: That’s crazy.

 

MK: Yes. A lot of that’s bottom end too, by the way! [laughing]

 

TE: Anything new on this leg of the tour that you want to tell people about?  Or is that a secret?

 

MK:  No, I want ‘em to come and see it!  It’s a re-configured version of what we’ve been doing out there. Instead of rolling the same stage show for two years, we try to take it and sort of reconfigure it and change it around through video elements or pyro elements or lighting elements. And the set list, of course, is going to change as well.  We try to keep it fresh because a lot of the same people are coming every time, you know, especially when you go back to towns again. Those same folks are going to be there, so it’s nice to give ‘em a little something different.

 

TE:  On this tour, you are using a huge Trace Elliot rig. Can you give us a rundown on the setup?

 

MK:  Well, we usually have the Trace Elliot 1015s with two 10s and a 15 in it, and then the 1818s on the bottom. We have two AH1000-12 heads running—one of them running to the 1818s and one to the 1015s. We have it EQ’d just a little bit differently for the two types of cabinets, then we mix them together, and there you have it.

 

TE:  What are you looking for from your Trace Elliot Amps in creating your huge live sound in this tour?

 

MK:  Once we get a rig where we want it, we kinda leave it there for the most part. But, you know, we go from a really edgy-type pick sound to a really warm, smooth, woofy finger sound. We don’t change any settings except add a little of a secret weapon that we’re not gonna talk about here. But we add the secret weapon when we’re playing with the pick. We leave everything where it is and it goes off. The Trace Elliot sound is great.

 

TE:  How many different basses do you have on the road?

 

MK: Ten. I’ve just been informed. This just in… ten. Ha, Ha!  [laughs]

 

TE:  What’s next for Nickelback? More touring? New album? Time off?

 

MK:  You know, I would love to tell you that what’s coming up next is some time off. I’m getting tired of saying it because at the end of every tour we say, “Oh, we’re gonna take lots of time off and then go make a record.” But we don’t do that. You say you’re going to take time off and then, three weeks go by and everybody’s trigger finger gets itchy and you gotta get to work. I suspect that’s what’s going to happen this time. It might be a little longer, maybe into next year before we start to work. Oh, please … maybe halfway through the surf season, before we get back to work!

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