Double BRIT Award winner Ed Sheeran's differrent style of music is winning fans around the globe. His current tour has seen him on the move since the end of 2011, with sell out dates in Australia, the United States and across Europe, confirming his popularity. For Front of House engineer Chris Marsh, who has been with him since the tour began relies on a DiGiCo SD11i digital mixing console.
"I'm a big DiGiCo fan and I've been using their flagship SD7 for a long time," says Marsh. "When I started working with Ed, I had just finished working with Diana Ross, where I was using an SD7. I wanted to continue using it because I love everything about it: the EQ; the way all the dynamics work, etc. I also really like the SD range's onboard effects, which are really useful. But it would be overkill to take a desk that big out with a solo artist such as Ed."
Marsh wanted a solution that would give him all the sonic and functional advantages of the SD7, but in a smaller package at a more appropriate cost level.
"The SD11i was the perfect solution," states Marsh. "It had just come out when I was specifying the tour and it's brilliant! Sonically It really is everything the SD7 is, but in a much smaller package. It feels the same, it sounds the same, the mic pre amps are the same, the EQ responds in the same way, but with the right level of I/O for this tour.
"I have the latest software installed, which is what makes it an 11i rather than just an SD11. This means that I get tube pre amps to play with, more effects, more multi band compressions, etc. and I'm delighted with it. It really has worked out perfectly."
