KLANG:konductor Proves To Be an Important Tool in Jason Reynolds' Toolbox

"KLANG:konductor allows me to create space in the mix and give everything its own place, binaurally. As an engineer, you have a quiver of arrows you use to hit the target – tools to deliver what the artist, the band, and the client expect."

2 February, 2024 by

Marketing

It’s been a while since we’ve spoken with Jason Reynolds, and, unsurprisingly, he’s been busy with a variety of shows, for which he’s added KLANG:konductor – the company’s most powerful and versatile processor to date – to his mixing rig.

“I used konductor for the first time in Fall 2023 for monitors on The Reunion Tour, featuring Kirk Franklin, Tye Tribbett, The Clark Sisters, David and Tamela Mann, and Israel Houghton; eight weeks of shows across America.” GerrAudio provided me with a KLANG:konductor as a demo, Reynolds adds. "I purchased it shortly after that, and it’s now a staple in my rack. Which just got shipped from Toronto to LA to start the Traffic Jam Tour with Damian and Stephen Marley.”

Reynolds has long been a power user of KLANG and DiGiCo consoles and was mixing on an SD5 with KLANG and Waves on The Reunion Tour. “My standard setup is a Quantum 338 with KLANG and Waves, but on that tour, Undivided Touring, the producer, provided two SD5s, so we used those.”

Previously, Reynolds discussed using KLANG in a house of worship setting, explaining that it dramatically improves the capabilities offered by hardware personal mixing platforms and that church users tend to embrace KLANG’s functionality and 3D surround options. That, he said in a previous article, “makes my job easier because there’s less song-to-song mixing, and I can tailor the system to any workflow.”

He adds that any technology he deploys must fit his workflow and enhance the creativity of those he’s mixing, citing several products GerrAudio represents. “My career is entwined with GerrAudio. Beyond the products, it’s the support. They always take my call. And Gerr introduced me to Phil Kamp from KLANG, who also takes my calls. He doesn’t have to, but he does." He says if there is any issue, "I know they’ll have an answer. That makes me comfortable using their products. And, in my opinion, DPA microphones are the best mics, DiGiCo are the best console, and KLANG is the only thing that does what it does.”

The fact that it’s one company (representing those specific lines), he adds, is unique to Canada. “That’s the beauty of dealing with a Canadian company that carries all these products under one roof. It’s a one-stop shop. I can’t imagine my career without Gerr involved. It would be hard for me to go back to stereo because I’m so used to listening to mixes in KLANG. And it would be hard to switch to another console because I wouldn’t have the confidence I’d have the same support. My workflow is so involved now that it wouldn’t make sense.”

The tight integration between KLANG and Reynolds’ preferred mixing platform, DiGiCo, is also a benefit for workflow. “Now, the way I’m set up, I can jump easily between consoles because I’m using MADI to feed into KLANG. So even if I end up on a desk like an SD10 that doesn’t have DMI functionality, it makes it easier to integrate into any DiGiCo environment.”

“Previously, I’d been using a DMI KLANG card. The benefit of konductor is the input count. For example, on The Reunion Tour, we had 108 inputs. DMI KLANG has 64, which would have limited what I could do inside the KLANG setup. With the switch to konductor, having the ability to have 128 inputs, I didn’t have to pick and choose what inputs to use inside KLANG.” With Reunion featuring multiple artists sharing a band, he adds: “I was using all 16 immersive mixes – 9 mixes for the principal artists, 6 for the band, and a tech mix, so everybody on 3D mixes except the background singers.”

I'm curious if going from a stereo mix to immersive mixes is something those he works with who may be unfamiliar with KLANG have reservations about. After all, musicians are often reluctant to change what they hear on stage.

For Reynolds, the best approach is to adopt the tool and provide the benefits in real time. “I don’t tell artists I’m using an immersive mixing platform. It’s not a conversation. It’s not like I’m telling the drummer, 'I’m going to put the click behind your head. I just put it there because that’s where he can hear it without having to blast it. KLANG:konductor allows me to create space in the mix and give everything its own place, binaurally. As an engineer, you have a quiver of arrows you use to hit the target – tools to deliver what the artist, the band, and the client expect. That’s why they hired you, right?”

All that said, players often notice the difference immediately. For example, Reynolds notes an organ player’s comments during the Reunion Tour. “He came over and said, ‘the WHIIISHHH on the organ is amazing. I’ve never heard it like that before.’ Or someone will walk over to the monitor desk and say, ‘I’ve never had a mix with this much space. What are you doing?’ Then I’ll show them and explain.”

Generally speaking, artists want a good mix and, if they have it, aren’t likely to dig too deep into the why and how of it because they have other things on their minds. “Absolutely, he says. “For me, KLANG is my Swiss Army Knife for delivering balanced mixes and delivering them quickly. In some cases, like rehearsal, I don’t have time to get surgical because they want to start playing. It’s a tool I use because I know what it can do.” As long as the artists are “comfortable and can hear everything they want to well,” he says, that’s really what it’s all about. KLANG’s a big part of that. Whether they know that or not is irrelevant.”

Nowadays, he adds, artists are increasingly adding elements to live shows as track rigs become more advanced and ubiquitous. “With Dante or MADI, people stem out tracks more.” The ability to do so offers virtually unlimited possibilities. “You can get very creative with how you stem out your tracks. So, doing 128 inputs on konductor is phenomenal because input lists are growing as artists add more elements.” KLANG also makes finding a place for those elements easier, so they enhance a musician’s ability to distinguish between them in a deep, complex mix.

“For me, KLANG is phenomenal because a lot of touring shows I do are up in that 128 input count, so I can have the full input list go into KLANG and still deliver the same amount of immersive mixes. Going with KLANG:konductor was an easy decision. There’s no conversation about whether or not I’m using it. I’m always using it.”