Always Be Recording...with Brad Madix

You’re revolutionizing live audio in ways that seemed impossible just a few years ago. Brad Madix joins Dave Hamilton to break down how you can now mix a 186-channel concert in ATMOS from thousands of miles away with only 125ms latency, using nothing more than the public internet and cloud services. Whether you’re handling a seven-minute festival changeover with 256 live channels or capturing audience ambiance with DPA 5100 surround mics, the technology exists to stream professional-quality audio anywhere. The game-changer? REMI (Remote Integration Model) eliminates the need for massive OB trucks by letting you send a simple box that plugs into the internet and streams everything to your remote mixing suite. Your mixing philosophy matters as much as your technical setup, thought, so remember to Always Be Performing by keeping your eyes up and watching the actual show instead of staying glued to your console. When someone complains “it’s too loud,” they usually mean the vocals aren’t cutting through the mix—a psychoacoustic principle that separates amateur from professional engineers. Document everything your band does, mix the first song in your mind before showtime, and understand that live music’s ephemeral nature means some magical moments will never be captured again. As AI tools like Suno emerge for songwriting, they’ll likely serve as assistants rather than replacements, but the human touch remains essential for reading the room and adapting to those unexpected MIDI malfunctions that can threaten to derail even legendary acts like Rush. 00:00:00 Gig Gab 498 – Monday, September 8th, 2025 September 8th: National Ampersand Day Guest co-host: Brad Madix 00:02:10 Mixing FOH this for Florence and The Machine Festival NAPA Valley 00:03:18 Recorded the Ozzy / Sabbath concert in Birmingham First, rehearsals in Redditch – Fly By Nite MADI from Bands Elgato Stream Deck 00:07:23 Doing a Seven Minute Changeover Total of 256 live channels of inputs 3 sets of 64 channels of analog inputs 32 audience mics, plus presenters mics, plus a DJ, etc And then the band on stage 00:10:44 What is MADI? Most live consoles allow a MADI output (some via add-on connector) The Rival Suns at Ozzy / Sabbath in Birmingham sent pre-mixed drums, etc Using DPA 5100 Mobile Surround 5.1 microphones for audience capture Brad and team were submixing the live audience mics 00:22:29 Live Music is Ephemeral Some things don’t get recorded Robert Scovill’s Back Lounge 00:26:38 Document everything your band does 00:28:44 Rush felt like it was important to have something “in the can” 00:30:56 SPONSOR: Claude.ai – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude today and get 50% off Claude Pro, which includes access to Claude Code, when you visit Claude.ai/giggab 00:32:53 SPONSOR: Mechanical Licensing Collective – Are you a songwriter, music publisher, or administrator? Every month, The MLC collects the streaming data and royalties from Spotify and Apple Music, matches the money to the creator who has earned it, and then pays out the royalties due. Visit TheMLC.com today to sign up! 00:34:20 Time for REMI – Remote Integration Model for Live Broadcast Normal/big money broadcast would roll an OB Truck – 53 foot long trailer with a video switching system, producer calling the shots, audio mixing suite, everything. REMI uses the internet to stream signal to a remote suite IMAG for video. 00:41:42 New model: Send a box, plug it into the internet, done. Why can’t you stream a live concert the same way you stream live sports? Swatch Internet Time 00:45:18 Time for some testing A new year’s eve show as a proof of concept 186 channels of 48kHz remotely from Atlanta to Philadelphia and mixed the show in ATMOS Only 125ms of latency. 4K Video 00:48:22 Avoiding sync-based digital distortion/clicking RX 11 Voice De-Noise 00:52:53 Delay by Distance… an explanation 00:54:31 Mixing Remotely Hamilton (in New York) was mixed from Australia Clair Global Audio Done on the public internet using Amazon Web Services 01:01:06 Mixing live remotely? 01:02:52 Could AI mix a show? Suno AI for writing songs 01:09:32 AI as an assistant engineer, not a replacement? 01:11:48 As a live engineer, make sure you watch the show. Get your eyes up. Step away from the desk. It sounds different. 01:15:04 Before the show, mix the first song in your mind 01:18:56 Rush Story: Subdivisions… first song of the show. MIDI malfunctions, keyboard stops. 01:24:20 Dissecting Psychoacoustics “It’s Too Loud” often means “vocals aren’t loud enough” 01:25:29 Story time with (Brad and Dave) You’ll have to listen to hear these! 01:30:35 Gig Gab 498 Outtro Follow Brad Madix Diablo Digital Contact Gig Gab! @GigGabPodcast on Instagram [email protected] Sign Up for the Gig Gab Mailing List The post Always Be Recording…with Brad Madix — Gig Gab 498 appeared first on Gig Gab.