As a freelancer for T&B Events – a production company on the UK’s South Coast – James Thompson has mixed on a variety of consoles not often DiGiCo consoles. So, when T&B suggested joining them over the busy summer season and mixing on a Quantum 225, he jumped at the chance.
The company finds the summer very busy with festivals. Owned by Ben Wood and Thomas Hands, T&B has been serving large-scale live events for ten years has worked with Thompson on several occasions over the years, but this time was his first with a DiGiCo.
Thompson is autistic and, for him, this means being hyper focused and exercising acute attention to detail – qualities that suit his other role as Mechanical Designer at DiGiCo well: ‘I’m a musician first, I’ve always been involved in music,’ he says. ‘In about 2010, I went over to the dark side – I started mixing monitors and I was good at it, largely due to having played drums in the band, so I could always understand what the band needed to perform at their best. Due to my autism, I find social cues difficult, so to be with a company like T&B that is massively good putting on great shows is a real honour, they’re such a good gang of people.’
Thompson’s autism also means he is sensitive to sound. This could be thought of as a drawback when mixing for a large crowd, but it is something he really enjoys and with the DiGiCo Quantum 225 processing. The accuracy of the console is something he appreciates.
‘I love the Spice Rack, especially the multi-band compressor,’ he says. ‘It’s so exact. If you dial in a frequency to compress, it literally only changes that single frequency, nothing else. It’s a such a clean, accurate sound. I had to do a fair bit of self-training in preparation for the gig and the resources available are incredible. When you’re mixing for bands – especially ones like Dakka Skanks, who I mixed a few weeks ago – the precision of the desk is crucial. I think it’s very important to get those fundamental console features just right, and the DiGiCo is bang on.’
It is not just the products that Thompson appreciates about working with DiGiCo. In his previous employment he was bullied, something he attributes to his then, undiagnosed autism. When looking for new employment, he used a recruitment agency to help him, but it did not go as he had hoped. The agency was apprehensive about mentioning his autism and he missed opportunities. Frustrated, he contacted DiGiCo directly...
The move into the sound industry made him realise how much more understanding of neurodiversity it is, and working at DiGiCo has given him a new level of confidence.
‘The knock-on effect of me finding my happy place has been fantastic. My wife Ann has always been massively supportive, but working at DiGiCo and being understood has made life easier for me, my wife, my family. It’s been a big ripple effect.’
Thompson is keen to keep using the Quantum 225 and T&B Productions are happy to oblige. ‘James is a great member of the team and the DiGiCo Quantum 225 has been a great fit for the company,’ says Ben Wood. ‘We had a few head-scratching moments, but DiGiCo support was always on hand to suggest solutions and get us back up and running.’
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