SAFETY HARBOR, FLORIDA: “I really like the idea of not throwing gear away!” So says Dan Roe, who, for the past fifteen years, has served as pre-production programmer, playback engineer, and keyboard tech for the massive regional and international tours of Madonna, Peter Gabriel, Depeche Mode, Rhianna, Adele and many more. Roe studied at the London college of music, and his solid work ethic and aptitude earned him an entry-level gig at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios. As the studio assistant, Roe was offered the chance to be the drum tech on a Peter Gabriel tour. He jumped at the chance and a steady diet of high-profile work on the aforementioned tours began.

“Around the time that I started doing the live work, I got a Metric Halo 2882 interface to record in-tour pre-production and for tracking in my home studio,” Roe explained. “There is a huge amount of recording to be done when preparing backing tracks on a Madonna tour, the show is built from the ground up, I love the reliability of my Metric Halo 2882; it’s a real workhorse, day in and day out… with a high-end result.”

Roe regularly uses his Metric Halo 2882’s eight preamps and converters when recording drums. Although he shifts to other favorite mic preamps for instruments, he always goes in through the 2882 converters. “With the Metric Halo 2882, I hear everything I need to hear,” he said. “I get the transients, the bottom end, detail in the upper mids and highs. It’s transparent. I’ve had zero-latency monitoring with DSP resources to help with monitor mixes for years, way before it became the norm. In fifteen years, I’ve never had to look anywhere else. MH has always been ahead of the curve”

The longevity of his Metric Halo 2882 is a direct consequence of the company’s dedication to future-proofing its products, the exact opposite of the wasteful, unsustainable “built for obsolescence” approach of most pro audio companies. “On tours, we’ve had plenty of experiences renewing converters from one tour cycle to another. Manufacturers that get used for a few years and then they’re obsolete,” he said. “I hate that we just have to throw them away. In contrast, Metric Halo supports all of its gear with a modular design that allows the units to evolve with changes in computers and connectivity.”

Roe recently upgraded his 2882 to Metric Halo’s new 3d Card with MHLink and USB connectivity. The 3d Upgrade also comes with a new version of the MIO Console interface software. “The new MIO Console’s interface is quite different from the older version that I was so familiar with,” he said. “But now I have my head wrapped around it and it’s every bit as powerful as the old version. My near-term plan is to extend my system with a Metric Halo ULN-8 interface. Metric Halo’s proprietary MHLink networking protocol allows the units to share zero-latency DSP resources and to appear as one integrated unit in MIO Console and on the computer. For integration with other manufacturers’ pro audio gear, I’ll get a Metric Halo EdgeBus expansion card for MADI or AES connectivity. I love that my trusty 2882 will live on with the system as I build it out!”

As seen in LiveDesign, and ProSoundNews | TheWire.

Article Updated March 29, 2019