The Gear That Runs AMS: Kyle N. - Technical Writer

Greetings everyone! My name is Kyle Novak. Aside from being a technical writer at AMS, I’m also a trained woodwind player (clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophones, and flute), composer, and arranger who found himself leaping headlong into sound engineering and production. What started with early experiments in recording and creating in apartments, DIY studios, and pop-up live venues has led to my current professional event management work for touring bands, events, and venue projects. Add it all up, and I have been a sound engineer for over twenty years!

It's been great to see the gear pieces of choice from my colleagues here at AMS, and I’m excited to share some of my favorites as well.

When you work as a sound engineer and travel to all sorts of venues, you get used to working with a variety of different mixers, both analog and digital. If you’ve been tasked to engineer with a venue’s existing setup, it’s always a new experience when you walk through the door and their particular device is ready to greet you.

Everything from older, but still steady analog models like a Yamaha MG or Mackie ProFX in small venues up to a variety of digital racks and consoles for bigger stages. On the digital side of the spectrum, the newer Behringer WING gets a lot of love and the Behringer X32 is still widely praised, even though they are well over a decade old. The Presonus StudioLive has carved out a niche alongside its interfaces as a robust production and live sound platform, and the always reliable Yamaha and its DM-series is as feature-rich as any in its class.

The more you travel, the more you work, and the more you explore, you’ll see the feature layouts that are pretty much the same on mixers across the board, while also learning about the specific quirks and idiosyncrasies from each brand and model.

And if you’re someone who is looking for a space-saving, they recently just released the SQ-Rack, which gives you all of the power and flexibility of a SQ console in a more compact package.

Their engineering, software, and service departments are top-notch. I know the price tag for these is at the high end. But in my opinion, it’s totally worth every penny and one of these is an investment of the highest quality.

Over time, live sound equipment is going to be dropped, bumped, stepped on, accidentally up and still be expected to perform. Direct boxes (or DI boxes) are pieces that often take the brunt of punishment when performers are moving around stages and studio spaces.

Radial DIs are incredibly well-engineered, durable, and reliable. I use them constantly and know that I’m going to enjoy a consistent, steady, high-quality signal path. The J48 is an amazing active DI for guitars and basses, and the JDI Stereo is a wonderful option for keyboards, synths, and production hardware like samplers and drum machines. That being said…

The best part of this DI? The load select switch that allows you toggle between classic, piezo, and magnetic pickups. Violin, cello, acoustic upright bass, ukulele, mandolin — you’re covered with this handy box! Whether I’m running open mics, have the unexpected guest performer stepping on stage with their acoustic at a live show, or am looking to capture a separate direct signal in the studio, in addition to what’s coming from a mic’d amp or multi-effects unit, the PZ-DI is always getting plenty of use!

Talk to sound engineers in every walk of life about their recommendations, and you’ll hear a lot of repeat suggestions: the iconic Shure SM58 and its instrumental sibling the SM57 (that can also be a vocal mic as well), the popular Sennheiser e800 and e900 series get lots of love, and the sE Electronics V7 is one of the more underrated models out there!

In the middle lies the M88, a dynamic mic that possesses many of the characteristics of a very high-end condenser. These are wonderful lead vocal mics, and every time I deploy them for a show, I get to enjoy plenty of warmth, depth, and a supreme sense of clarity.

These are some of my favorite pieces of gear, but what about you!? If you’re curious about what other AMS employees use in their personal rigs, check out other editions of The Gear That Runs AMS. There are some pretty creative rigs out there…

And if you find a piece of gear that might fit your setup, you can grab it right here at American Musical Supply with our VERY fast and free shipping and 0% interest payment plans. You really can’t go wrong!