Clem Bennett - Audio Engineer

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Hi folks. My name is Adam "Clem" Bennett. I have been providing Front Of House (FOH) live mixes for touring artists since 1997, and I can be found in North London, England.

Recent happy clients include Arch Enemy (my main employer), The Jim Jones Revue, Spiritual Beggars and The Treatment. Please visit my CV page for contact details, a complete list of current and previous clients, and a short history of my experience on the road. I won't bore you with grandstanding and flagrant self-promotion. My live mixes speak for themselves.

PHILOSOPHY:
Everyone's approach to mixing a band differs slightly, and that's great. It's taste, not pure science. Personally, I have a few rules I like to follow.

The sound of rock is the guitar. So I like to use a lot of midrange tone in the mix, and I choose PA speakers that have a warm crunchy midrange, like L-Acoustics or Alpha.
It all starts at the source, so quality instruments, well tuned drums, blazing amps, mic choice and placement are crucial to me. If you get that right, you don't have to do that much on the desk.
Make the vocals sit above the mix, and turn all the solos up. People want to hear the vocals and the solos.
Use analog desks if possible. There is a lot of copper wire and hard electronics in a desk and in the outboard gear, and it all adds colour, distortion and intangible variants to the sounds that the "perfect" digital consoles have eliminated.
Compress the hell out of Kick, Snare, Bass, Vocals. Audiences have been listening to the sound of compressed drum and vocal tracks for decades, and this is the sound they identify with rock music.
Turn it up loud! Screw the noise police, 100dB ain't making your trousers flap. More = more.

Confirmed shows from my current itinerary appear on the Shows page.

Please take the time to visit the Tour Pics page. I've had some great gigs and visited many places I never dreamed I'd travel to, and I have attempted to document these good times photographically.

Please do check out Shitty Metal Movies on my YouTube channel.