Able to pack his live modular synthesiser rig into just two cases, Dutch musician, composer and producer Colin Benders regularly jets off to play venues across Europe and around the world. Recently, his live set-up has also seen the inclusion of Solid State Logic’s new BiG SiX SuperAnalogue mixing + USB interface.
‘I’d been looking for a good portable mixer that I could take with me on the road,’ he says. ‘I’ve had some experience with bringing mixers with me, but it always felt like there was a trade-off between either size or sound quality. And I just got sick of everything sounding a little bit thin or tinny. But the BiG SiX is absolutely perfect.
Although Benders creates most of his effects in his synth set-up, the BiG SiX comes in handy when he needs to interface with outboard processors. ‘Then I use the it as a bridge,’ explains. ‘It gives me a lot better gain control, especially since there’s a big level differences between the Eurorack and normal line level. So I need to boost stuff up or bring it down.’
Benders is no stranger to SSL, having installed a 9048 J Series desk into his Kytopia facility in Utrecht about ten years ago when a local studio went out of business. ‘I’d been using SSL desks before that in a couple of mixing rooms, and I fell in love with that sound,’ he says.
When SSL introduced the SiX, Benders thought it would work for his live shows, but he needed more input channels. Then SSL released the BiG SiX that proved ‘a perfect match’.
‘I have the four mono channels for my kick, snare, high-hat, and main bass line,’ he elaborates. ‘Then the four stereo channels are perfect for all the other tracks and effects that I’m sending out of my modular rig.’
He has also used the console’s inserts to put a processor across the master output bss. ‘I have a Martin Stimming Instant Mastering Chain box that I take with me every now and then, which has a very nice EQ and drive. But I’ve noticed that I’ve started taking that along with me less and less because the G-Comp Buss Compressor on the BiG SiX is more than enough most of the time. I can just crank that, and it gives me everything I need.’
Often, Benders is on a bill between other electronic music artists or DJs, which means he must be able to set up quickly. Once he’s performing – he sometimes plays hours-long sessions or even through the night – he needs to be laser-focused on the music and not worry about the technology.
‘The BiG SiX is very comfortable, just a set-and-forget part of the rig,’ he reports. ‘That’s essential for me, because if I get too distracted with what’s happening outside of the modular, then I’m not looking at the modular. If I’m not looking at the modular, I’m not changing things. There are so many modules in that rack all doing something that I have to make snap decisions. And if I have to spend 20 seconds diving into a mixing console menu for that perfect setting, that’s 20 seconds that I’m not playing anything else.’
Kytopia studio will be familiar to anyone who has seen any video of Snarky Puppy’s 2014 live performance recordings from We Like It Here. ‘That entire album was recorded in my studio,’ he says.
One of Benders’ favourite clubs to play is the Berghain in Berlin. ‘The first time I played there, I brought this small, digital box with recall functions and everything with me,’ he says. ‘The first thing the sound tech asked to me was, “you’re not bringing that in here, are you?”. He made me swap it out to whatever they had lying in the back but next time I came back with the BiG SiX and for two hours we were just geeking out over how it sounded on the system, just trying different settings. I remember his face lighting up when I came back that second time with something that he approved of. So it was a very noticeable upgrade.’
More: www.solidstatelogic.com
