Brooklyn indie duo Ray Bull took its Please Stop Laughing tour through major North American cities with John Michael Young at front of house. Young first encountered the band while working at an Atlanta venue, later mixing FOH for a show and also providing a separate monitor mix from the house console. The quality of that in-ear mix helped turn the relationship into a regular role.
Because Ray Bull did not have its own in-ear monitor rig, Young recommended an Allen & Heath SQ-Rack to help deliver the same monitoring experience every night. The SQ-Rack carries the SQ series’ 48-channel, 96 kHz core in a faderless rackmount format, with 16 local inputs onboard. Young also toured with his own SQ-5 for FOH, making integration straightforward and allowing the SQ-Rack to serve as the duo’s stagebox.
The practical value of the setup is in reducing complexity without giving up monitor control. Young wanted to avoid analog splits and keep setup and teardown simple for a small crew, while the drummer can adjust the monitor mix wirelessly through the SQ MixPad app on a tablet. Young also keeps a tablet at FOH for remote control and routes the SQ-Rack monitor mixes into his FOH console so he can solo and check individual mixes in his own ears.