Rig Tour: Post Malone Playback Engineer, Willie Linton

[@SDA-Sound]

Playback for dummies: 1.) band creates studio album, uses lots of crazy sounds, instruments and layers, which would need a tremendous amount of extra players/singers/microphones on a stage. Those sounds now come out of the playback computers. 2.) band wants to play in time together and not lose tempo while playing along to the various sounds from the recording. The musicians also want to be notified of arrangement changes or cues and counts which conduct them, information like pyro when fire is blasting around them or lasers, and it’s done professionally as a safety precaution. these cues are only heard by the artists/musicians and their crews. this information also comes out of the playback computers. 3.)The shows include highly complex video and lighting equipment/designs which enhance the experience and need to be connected in sync with the show on many levels. This all gets seamlessly tied into computers from every department. 4.) innovation in instruments has allowed a vast network of midi to play apart of performances, where drums can play keyboard sounds or control the gate or compression of tracks coming out of computers etc every instrument can potentially play other instruments all connected. Sound pre sets that change on a multitude of keyboards/amps/pedals allowing musicians to focus on the performance and not the technology inside each instrument. This is all controlled by the software on the playback computers. 5.) autotune… woof, where to begin.. autotune isn’t there to make shitty singers sound good. Vocalists are just as talented now (and just as pitchy) as they were back in the day, you may have walked away from either Woodstock thinking the singers were pitch perfect, but they weren’t, listen to any live album from the 60s -2000s.. and that’s completely ok! however now they aren’t just singing for you live at the concert, they are being recorded by 20,000 phones posting 40,000 online videos. Videos that don’t translate the audio correctly over tiny speakers. Singers in fact have to be more perfect now then they ever did, a pitchy show can be cemented forever into the internet abyss and it could be based off the mix you’re hearing over your tiny phone speakers in fact and not even off their actual vocal performance. A side effect of this pitch correcting software is the interesting effect it makes. Some artists like the character that sound makes the same way folks like reverb or delay on vocals. It’s all a preference and in no way makes them better or worse at their craft. 5.) redundancy! Just means when, and yes we mean when! the software or hardware ultimately fails that there is a system in place to take over seamlessly keeping the show going so you get all the feels and none of the squeals 🤣 The equipment referred to in this video is just part of an ever growing array of innovation in live music. 👍🏻 hope this helps clear some of this up!

[@a8fine1youngSchapT]

Great explanation, hope a lot of the people being critical in this comments section take time out to read this

[@DigDugger-hg1xb]

Amazing breakdown. Thanks.

[@FishJackson]

You saint

[@feartheocean]

Nailed it.

[@chrisjeaaalbertos3802]

Love that just to be sure in case 5.) autotune was going to fail you added a redundant 5.) to the list

[@velocityacoustics]

To all the people hating on this guy for all the tech. If that what he decides to use to create his show, that his creative choice. This is the progression of technology. You don't drive around in old cars from the 70's with a carbureted engine right? No you essentiually drive a laptop on wheels, so let's please get off our high horses.

[@shadcovert1160]

So these guys are actual stars of the show.

[@toshaymusicgroup5589]

My Guy Willie "One Track" Linton! Genius!

[@sweetwater]

Playback engineer Willie Linton took us on a behind-the-scenes tour of Post Malone’s live performance rig! Learn more about Post Malone’s live rig here 👉 sweetwater.sjv.io/c/3163935/789347/11319?u=www.sweetwater.com/insync/rig-tour-post-malones-foh-engineer-burton-ishmael/&subID1=W11JKqBHDUU-Rig-Tour-Post-Malone-Playback-Engineer-Willie-Linton

[@snapascrew]

I’ve worked with a lot of playback engineers in my day, and Willie is easily the best I’ve had the pleasure of sharing stage left with. Also some of these comments are pretty funny. I guess some folks expected post malone to not be using tracks or autotune? Lol what the …. 😂😂😂😂

[@TheSteveKinney]

Most intensely well thought out rig I’ve seen in a minute.

[@kjplaysdrums2]

My goal is to learn enough about audio engineering to figure out what these guys are talking about. This is fascinating

[@apersonontheinternet8034]

It's a guy doing vocals over a CD. They just spent a shitload more money.

[@billweir1745]

@@apersonontheinternet8034 It's literally way more than that. Envious much?

[@onekeiway]

My guy Willie! Good times on the road with him in the Ne-Yo touring days.

[@ronaldcoleman9370]

ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS CONTENT!!!

[@iConnectivitySupport]

Nice Setup! Willie Linton crushing it, as always.

[@qcole8946]

lord all the back-in-my-day comments. It's Post Malone, not Willie Nelson yall. What do you expect! Despite how you feel about the artist it's about the Rig and it's a cool rig get over yourselves!

[@mark6302]

i hear they both smell similar

[@LA7Rose]

I’m sure these little things are a must for a big artist, my friend said Posty sounded amazing when he saw him 🔥

[@alexeybelyasin6827]

Probably that is only way to make him sound good.

[@henrixrahe]

@@alexeybelyasin6827 why you hating man lmao There’re videos of him singing with nothing but an acoustic guitar and no auto tune, sounds pretty good

[@bollywoodbeed]

so many people bitching about live this and live that. if it makes people feel good then why complain? he is not here to impress anyone with his musical ability. he is here to create emotions through his live performances

[@M0M...]

More videos like this please!

[@michaelbowling4726]

Would love to see a breakdown of the programming of all of this.

[@heerogoon730]

Could anyone tell me what is the name that midi controller which have “play” “stop” bottom on it? 6:47

[@jacobfair1244]

Oaktone controller

[@rabadash_smabadash]

Love these BTS.

[@joseph_lacy]

i absolutely have no idea what they’re talking about but this fascinates me

[@ChrisP3000x]

It's really expensive karaoke/lighting with pitch correction.

[@kevinvelasco9740]

@@ChrisP3000xbro you clearly know nothing so why even respond to a comment

[@musiqsoundsproductions]

I wonder how save an Apollo rack is for touring. I had faillure issues with the PlayAudio 12 but not with the X8P at the home studio though. But they mentioned a faillure with Apollo just before hitting the road, which makes me wonder. Love the rig. It uses more screens than I used to see, even Cole Gion doesn’t have that many 😂

[@MegaUltimateHD]

Hey man, what were the failure issues you had with the playaudio12? I'm looking at getting one and this is the first time I've heard any issues with em

[@musiqsoundsproductions]

@@MegaUltimateHD it failed on me in prep time, and setting it up was tedious at best. This was on the FB group a lot too. This was pre covid. Maybe they made it more stable now.

[@bourgoismateo6186]

The Retune Speed is 15ms or 10ms ?

[@cowboytonydee]

I don't understand why they stick to Apollo X16's analog when they could use X6's ADAT, especially since they have a Prodigy... Rig doesn't seem streamlined, has a big footprint, cost and weight.

[@AaronWolfMusic]

Get it willie

[@IvanCU]

Giving the audience what they want. It's not easy to pull off a live show based on an album that was created with virtual instruments. I've been involved in the pro audio industry for over four decades and it is great to see the new technology helping people present their studio vision live in a meaningful and impactful way.

[@jgooch99]

Nice

[@mark6302]

his jacket says moose knuckles lol

[@Snapahh]

All these old heads in the comments so mad 😂

[@HIGHHOPES]

not mad, just embarrassed

[@BobSchoepenjr]

Don’t push it buddy 😂

[@kevinvelasco9740]

@@HIGHHOPESembarrassed that a dude who uses auto tune will write better songs than you ever will

[@ninjasfury631]

I came here to get some tips for my 2u rack setup.. fml hahahaha

[@michaellafond9555]

Bahaha...I usually don't read comments but this is great...This explains how covid got to America! Right? What... 😂 lol.

[@gregmize01]

I OPENED FOR AFROMAN...HE HAD AN IPOD.

[@rahulmathew4106]

So many boomers in this comment section

[@daleplatino]

Every night I run sound I apologize to the audience for not having an autotune.

[@alexeybelyasin6827]

Playback Engineer.... Where is master fader engineer!?

[@TinoSchulz1990]

That comment made my day 😀 Yet, it's so true 😀

[@mojito6629]

My rant/complain (although perhaps has no reason haha) is how the super rich Post Malone doesn't use any musician on stage except himself alone,.. while actually he could utilize their service if he wants, perhaps lot of them and we know many musicians are starving and need job badly haha... Again I know perhaps I have no reason/right to say this but.. well... it is.

[@kevinvelasco9740]

I get what you’re saying and while I don’t think it’s his job to support other musicians just for the sake of him being successful, he now has a full band and a few string players of that makes you feel any better.

[@DrMackSplackem]

LOL...

[@skylermann]

Not sure who these videos are for

[@maximovvladimir]

clearly visible autotune opened on both laptops. thats posty's vocals effects

[@lazlomattachine8334]

So seeing Post Malone “live” consists of watching him “sing” through Autotune to multiple backing tracks running simultaneously? Sounds riveting.

[@eluno949]

Lol boomer you have no idea what you’re talking about 😂

[@Xirrious]

Yup. Or you could goto a jamband festival and see real musicians play an improvised set that has never been heard before and will never be played the same again. I'll stick to jam bands for live show s

[@ChrisP3000x]

As long idiots exist that pay top dollar to see that garbage, he'll keep taking their money.

[@henrixrahe]

If u pay to see post Malone live ur likely a fan, with that in mind the experience itself is still pretty cool.

[@ChrisP3000x]

@@henrixrahe I've seen 100s of BAD shows from artists I am a "fan" of, and so have millions of others. And NO, it wasn't "pretty cool".

[@sr60030]

we are losing focus. we know how modern pop stars are more stars that artist and still we clicked on this. we have an oportunity here we can watch a multi millon dollar rig for free and no begging required, so we people that care about the human an "live" side of thing can make use of this tools in some way or another. it does not mean we are obligated to do that to be up there in the billboard but if your goal is that (money and fame) then i think you chose the wrong reason to do music or anything in reality

[@tonepilot]

Whoa, what ever happened to getting up on a stage with an acoustic guitar and a mic? So much production and processing. And artists are worried about AI?

[@wargo6263]

Dude. It’s Post Malone.

[@tonepilot]

@@wargo6263 Yeah, my wife loves him. I prefer the Pre Malone

[@mundainmonstre2372]

woot I was the 666th like!

[@HIGHHOPES]

"playback engineer" jesus.. how far music has fallen

[@SDA-Sound]

The term engineer just applies to the engineering of the hardware and software. There’s enough to it to make it a necessity. Music hasn’t fallen far, it’s just climbed a lot higher in technology. The tech isn’t there to make shitty artists better, it’s there to help create anything someone can dream up.

[@YouVWatcher]

@@SDA-Sound amazing response. thank you

[@JasonCastellanos]

BRAVO!!! WELL SAID@@SDA-Sound

[@DojoOfCool]

The word Live has lost it's meaning. I was a roadie back in the day and the most complex setup from a tour I worked was Yes and they took their studio mixing console on the road and had about four or five tape machines to playback strings and backgrounds from records, but all the tape machines and mixing was done by humans. All the lights run by humans. Which at the time was new to me onstage behind the keys was the keyboard tech with a small home studio mixing console and he mixed all the keyboards live and sent the mix to FOH. This new world of everything computer controlled has become insane back in the day you have the albums and the record sound of groups, then groups had a live sound because instrumentation would be simpler but there was a different energy to the live sound that fans appreciated and understood live sound vs recorded sound. Now it basically one sound and even the vocals live are over processed. No wonder ticket prices are crazy these days and for what it basically a music video live. That why to me the best way to hear music is in small clubs and groups are for the most part actually playing live.

[@cowboytonydee]

You might not understand the role of speed of sound in using timecode and many other things... What we're aiming for is to have the whole audience experience the same show, things that back in the days of Yes weren't as technically possible as it is today

[@DojoOfCool]

​@@cowboytonydee Even back then for large outdoor concerts where multiple speaker towers going back from the stage so all audience member got full clear sound. So signals had to be delayed compensated in the towers so the sound "traveled" at same speed moving away from the stage. FWIW I later worked on large nationwide computer systems where the speed of light was latency issue for realtime database updates.

[@cowboytonydee]

@DojoOfCool Then you get why it's important, with FOH sitting at different distance everyday, to have everything timecoded. Also fans enjoyed the album which is usually even more processed than the live, so I guess they're in for the ride, if it wasn't true to the album it may or may not be well received, depending on artistry.

[@je-freenorman7787]

who the F is Post Malone? Is he Phoney Maloney?

[@paulparker8298]

Glorified karaoke system

[@isaacbarragan2903]

You saw the video? Cuz you literally know nothing about what the system does. Dear god, these boomers are something else