Having performed one-offs and festival shows since the launch of her most recent studio album, 2017’s Meaning of Life, Kelly Clarkson recently hit the road for two months in North America. For Chris Michaelessi who has served as Clarkson’s FOH engineer since 2011, the availability of the new Quantum engine for DiGiCo’s flagship touring console couldn’t have come at a better time.

‘I was really looking forward to having the new, faster and more powerful engine for Kelly’s tour,’ he says. ‘Once I started the using SD7 Quantum, paired with the new 32-bit Stadius Pre-Amp cards for input, I was immediately struck by how much headroom the console has gained with the new engine,’

Quantum’s major increase in processing power has also made his overall setup simpler. ‘The new preamps definitely have a more musical sound; I found myself using less channel EQ than ever before,’ he notes.

When not booked with Clarkson, Michaelessi juggles single shows and tours with other high-profile rock and country acts, including Miranda Lambert and Third Day. In addition, he tours as a system engineer for pop acts including Sara Bareilles and worship artists Mercy Me. As such, he’s more than just a console jockey, and understands the intricacies of designing input/output schemes, including the fibre loop capability that became standard with the Quantum upgrade.

‘On this tour, we’re not sharing input racks,’ he says. ‘Bob Lewis, who has been at the monitor end of the snake with Kelly since 2017, is also on a SD7 Quantum and we’re each running a separate loop for these shows.’

‘The lows, mids and highs are very natural and warm with the 32-bit cards and Quantum processing, and that amazing sound quality was immediately noticeable,’ Lewis enthuses. ‘Plus, with 13 band members and multiple guests each night, Quantum’s Nodal Processing has been a great advantage. EQ and compression can often vary significantly from one in-ear mix to the next, and this new feature has made mixing monitors so much easier.’

Stylistically, Clarkson may be diverse, but when it comes to audio, her early-2019 tour demonstrated the kind of input needs that have become de rigueur for top artists. Both FOH and monitor world each had a pair of SD-Racks fitted with the new-for-Quantum 32-bit I/O cards.

‘We had all 112 inputs full in the two SD-Racks we had for FOH,’ Michaelessi explains. ‘That number includes all of the standard stuff for the band, plus talkbacks, guest mics, guest inputs and a few of what I call ‘once every third show’ inputs.’

He also made use of another DiGiCo feature on some of his more crucial channels: ‘I used DigiTube on about ten inputs. I really like it for its ability to add warmth and a bit a growl.’

The SD7 Quantum console was provided by Clair Global, Clarkson’s long-time touring reinforcement provider, as part of the tour package.