You may wonder who is "Hidefumi Usami". He is the live sound engineer of BABYMETAL since a very good time ago, he worked for the band in the BABYMETAL World Tour 2014. In this post translated by our member Thomas Malone, he shares his thoughts about the latest BABYMETAL show at Toyosu PIT, Apocrypha S for the Su-Metal Seitansai. We hope you enjoy it.
Live Sound Engineer of BABYMETAL about the Apocrypha S show
"Babymetal's Su-metal's Seitansai (Birthday celebration)-”Apocrypha-S” was held at Toyosu Pit.
Due to the make-up of my schedule my final support was supposed to be at the London performance held a little while ago with me passing on my duties to another person. However, I was fortunate enough to have calls for me to help out if only during the rehearsal period resulting in me doing a limited participation.
Since there are cases wherein the systems and software employed differ with each manipulator it often happens that it takes a great deal of time to pass on data to another manipulator taking over your work. For example, it is similar to having one person write a novel in Japanese while another may write in English. If you are both working in the same language it is possible to hand over your manuscript to be checked, but if that is not the case it takes time to make preparations such as the need to translate what is written. Thus in the majority of cases considering the situation of dealing with data a single person usually works all the way through a single live performance and so I was very happy that they asked me to work on this one.
Fortunately, the “Translation” software was Digital Performer which I have used for quite a long time, so this time I was able to pass on as it was the data following rehearsal that I had transcribed from the beginning and had reworked from zero, resulting in much less loss of time.
The preparations were quite difficult as some of the software was not the kind I am most proficient with and I had forgotten some of the details of DP which I hadn't worked with in a while. But taking responsibility right up to the end of the project, I feel I was able to leave behind the sound I was aiming for.
Further, passing on the work involves not only the data, but also it is necessary to give instructions on the understanding of each individual song, as well as concrete instructions of a more intuitive side of things such as the approach to each song and all must be done in a limited amount of time.
I hand over data after running it through a personal simulation so as not to cause a burden on the other party regarding differences in play style for data handled during live performances, so I feel that I was able to deliver a product that will retain my “Ism” of the “best performance as usual”. (Taking into consideration the feelings of the customer I took the standard version intro trigger reflected on the Unfinished Version start of the piano performance that is used often for “Akatsuki” and adjusted the start interval in units of seconds. I hope it went well)
From the beginning the actual performance unit of the Kami Band on the stage for each show is determined by the dictates of Kitsune-sama, so when you consider that the manipulator who is “in charge of instruments other than those used in live performances” is to be summoned each individual time, I feel very lucky to have been chosen so many times up to this point.
In fact some times in the past a different manipulator has been summoned. In answering when will be the next time that I can meet Babymetal I have to borrow the words of the girls, “Only the Fox God knows it!!”
From what I have heard, the stage turned out to be a very lovely one, so I feel relieved for the time being. And I would also like to express once again, “Congratulations to Su-metal's Birthday!”
She wasn't crucified this year, right? (laughs)"
