With nearly 30 years in the business, sound designer, teacher, project manager and front of house engineer Simon Honywill has seen many technologies come and go. His work has taken him around the world and crossed his paths with the likes of Peter Gabriel, Ray Davies, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Chris Rea. He's been at the audio helm for such events as the Glastonbury Festival, Military Day in Amman, Jordan, HM Queen's Golden Wedding Anniversary Concert and Moscow 850 in Red Square. But with the advent and eventual maturing of digital consoles, a fundamental shift occurred in his approach; the live use of plug-ins. We spoke with him recently about these changes and just how they have improved his workflow.

Tell us how you got started in the music business.

It was a bit of an accident really - I was an aspiring rock star, writing and playing with a friend in the SW of England. We were into Genesis when the rest of the world was devouring the Sex Pistols and the Clash. We made the big move to London in summer of '79, and promptly had all out gear nicked, so one of us had to get a job so we could eat whilst we sweated over 12 string guitar harmonies in 9/8 time. We tossed a coin, I won (or lost?) and went to the Job Centre in Streatham, S.London. There was a job being advertised for a 'rigger/driver' for a S.London sound equipment hire company. That company was R G Jones - I got the job, and the rest is hysteria.

How did you get involved in live mixing?

By being a pain in the arse really, and demonstrating that I had commitment, a real wish to be 'the man', an ear for music and a willingness to get back up again when I had made a mistake. In 1982 (I was 23), I ran FOH for a huge event for the Pope - we had a completely unlikely situation arise and it went horribly wrong for about 10 seconds, the longest 10 seconds of my life, but I reacted really quickly and it all came good. It was frightening at the time because there was so much at stake, but I realized then that as long as nobody gets hurt, nothing is more important than just doing the best you can and believing in yourself.

When did you first start using digital consoles live?

I was always trying to use the elementary automation that was available in consoles like the Midas XL4, Heritage, the Amek Recall and Yamaha PM3500 to best advantage, and when the PM1D (Yamaha) first came along it was manna from heaven, despite the hugeness and clunkiness of it. It was actually more a need to cram large input counts into small spaces that made it happen - bizarre orchestral events with 90 inputs having to be mixed from platforms suspended over the audience or in a Loggia box in the Royal Albert Hall. I guess this was late 1990's. I had been doing bits and pieces with O2R's, but it's not a live desk.

And how did you transition to the D-Show console?

When Digidesign were developing the D-Show, they asked me to contribute to their research and input my thoughts on what facilities a live digital console should have, which I duly did under oath. At the time, I was almost bemused by the concept of Digidesign building a live console and never thought I would see it bear fruit.

Having been swept up by the introduction of PM1D, I was really into the digital live console concept, and was nurtured into it by Mike Case, then of Yamaha Commercial Audio. Mike subsequently joined Digidesign for the introduction of the Venue system, and immediately hit me with it. My initial cynicism about the concept of plug-ins for live work was quickly dispersed, and the rest is history. I can honestly say that since my first show with the desk, which was Jose Carreras at the Royal Albert Hall (I think it was also the first show in UK with the desk. Mike was more nervous than I was!), I have used virtually nothing else unless forced into doing so. I have used most of the major competitor's products and the Venue does it every time for me.

So which Oxford plug-ins do you use live?

I use the EQ and Dynamics mainly, which I have had for a couple of years now, and I'm looking forward to getting into the TransMod and Reverb, which I now finally own.

Why do you choose Sonnox over other plug brands - what's different about Oxford plug-ins?

I have always been aware of their reputation - it's one of those things that people talk about, and always fantasized about using (sad, but true!). The fact that Real World has an Oxford R-3 console in the Big Room was an inspiration. When the plug-ins became available for Venue I was determined to try them, and I haven't looked back.

Any tips and tricks directly related to using them live?

I use the Oxford EQ for my main system equalization. Graphic EQ is never sufficient for realistic system equalization, and for me, only the best parametric will do, so their EQ fits the bill perfectly. Beyond that, when I'm doing classical, the EQ does all the strings, which is absolutely critical to getting a great, full, natural sound with minimal coloration. The flexibility of the Oxford Dynamics lends itself to the most demanding situations - try effectively gating an orchestral bass drum without the envelope shaping abilities of the Oxford Plug-Ins.

How has the use of such software revolutionized your work?

It's brought the kind of subtlety only previously available to studio engineers to the live arena. I always specify the Venue system of live digital consoles and part of that is because of its plug-in capability. Excellent EQ and dynamic control is absolutely critical in high-end live work, and if that's what I do then the plug-ins come too.

So what are some of the shows you've mixed using the Oxford plug-ins?

Most significant is Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage FOH for the past two years. In conjunction with R G Jones, we have provided an entirely digital FOH system for the first time, consisting of two D-Shows and a Profile master desk. All system EQ was done with Oxford plug-ins, and several engineers, most notably Ben Findlay with Goldfrapp, specified the Oxford range. I helped introduce Ben to the Venue system and Oxford plug-ins when he was preparing for the last run of Peter Gabriel shows, for which he used Venue. The Oxfords were a major factor in his decision to go that way, as of course they are used in the studios at Real World.

Also, I've been doing Chris Rea's sound for 12 years now, and have come to rely on the Oxford EQ and Dynamics to get the excellent results for which we have been recognized. I use Oxford EQ and compressors on his vocals, gates from the Dynamics plug-in on drums and the entire PA system EQ is done with Oxfords. In 2006 we recorded a live album, 'The Road To Hell and Back', and the ability to utilize the same stuff was invaluable, as well as things like the TransMod to help us cheat a bit here and there!

With artists like Jose Carreras, the Dynamics is absolutely invaluable in helping to transparently control the dynamic range of his voice in order for it to be manageable on a large PA. The EQ also plays a vital part.

I do loads of reinforced classical music, some gentle, some really full on. The Oxford EQ is a crucial tool for shaping the strings, which form the bed on which everything else sits. It'll never sound any good unless the strings are right, and I use Oxford EQ heavily to ensure that everything slots together faithfully.

So what's next for you?

This summer I will be mixing Jeff Wayne's 'The War Of The Worlds' in arenas around the UK, which is something I am really looking forward to. The Venue system and Sonnox plug-ins will play a very central role in how I approach this show.

Interview and editorial provided by Rich Tozzoli<