Running Sound For Madonna
Welcome to "This Is DeLaCruz"! In this exclusive episode, we're honored to sit down with Burton Ishmael, the esteemed sound engineer behind the iconic live performances of the Queen of Pop herself, Madonna.
Burton Ishmael is a seasoned professional in the realm of live sound engineering, boasting an impressive career working alongside legendary artists like Madonna. As Madonna's sound engineer, Burton is responsible for delivering pristine audio quality and ensuring that every concert is a mesmerizing sonic experience for fans worldwide.
Join us as we delve into the captivating world of live sound engineering with Burton Ishmael. From discussing the intricacies of mixing for a pop icon like Madonna to sharing insights on stage setup, equipment preferences, and handling the demands of massive stadium tours, Burton offers invaluable knowledge for music enthusiasts and aspiring engineers alike.
This episode is brought to you by Guitar Center Professional, your go-to destination for top-of-the-line audio equipment and professional sound solutions. Whether you're a seasoned sound engineer or a budding musician, visit www.gcpro.com today to explore their extensive selection of gear, expert advice, and industry-leading services.
Пікірлер: 162
Madonna !! The best artist in the entire world , I have had the privilege to see her live in the confessions tour 2005 and Celebration tour 2023 🎉 love it
@MSman-ff8fx
15 күн бұрын
thats a stretch
I was at this show!! I’ve seen tons of bands at phillips/ state farm and the Madonna show was by far the best sound i’ve heard in that venue. The sub pressure was amazing and I never lost the vocals under the track.
I saw Madonna’s Who’s That Girl tour, I believe it was 1987 at the Houston Astrodome. I remember when the show was over and my friend and I started leaving, we couldn’t hear each other speak. The music had been so loud. It took a couple of hours to feel normal again. I still remember that today.
I’ve seen every tour she has ever done and the Celebration tour was outstanding but I miss the live musicians
I saw her at this show at State Farm Arena. The sound was absolutely the best i have ever heard in my life. I had DJ’d all across the country and i’ve heard a lot of systems but this one was absolutely incredible. The ending of “Nothing Really Matters” vibrates your insides. Now her microphone….. That’s a whole different story.
@buddytheelvisofdogs
Ай бұрын
Of course it sounded great. All you’re doing is make some playback tracks. How hard can it be?
@AudioSpaceGeek
21 күн бұрын
@@buddytheelvisofdogsI was highly disappointed when it was announced she wouldn’t have a live band. If MJ could roll with a live band she certainly could have done the same, and the energy would have been far better.
This interview was so amazing! Thank you Nick And Burton for such an amazing video!
I had no Idea that I needed to hear this interview. Thanks 🙏🏾 for the info shared
One of the best of the best out there! Thanks Nick for showcasing this opportunity
Incredible interview. Best yet. And what ana amazing human he is.
Excellent interview! I enjoyed hearing the discussions about life, faith, experiences etc even more than the tech stuff
This was so good. Watched all the way to the end.
@ Nick DeLaCruz I really appreciate your transparency brother !..Great Interview!
Wow! the thought behind it all is on another level. so good!
This is one of the most deep & meaningful interviews of the guest AND the host I have ever witnessed. It is such a breath of fresh air to hear folks in the industry be able to relate like this and share on this level. FANTASTIC! I have subscribed!
This is probably my favorite of these videos I’ve seen, what an amazing dude
Brilliant! so straight forward and down to earth.guy.congrats Ishmael.
Thank you so much Burton. Keep on doing what you do because you are great in it. And I'm not only talking about your mixing skills. You inspire a huge amount of people to be better in their life! The industry needs people like you. As a drumtech I wish I could work with you one day. All the best from Germany.
Very refreshing attitude, what a nice and humble guy! Loved this!
wow thanks for an awesome interview with a fantastic lovely guy, learned so much, more about just being a great person than anything else, respect to you both.
Such a well balanced person. I really appreciate this video. Its so much deeper that getting a sound system to make a noise.
Great interview! This gentleman is a true professional, kind and very humble. We all should strive to be this kind a human being
@thevalkyrie8
3 ай бұрын
Erm… do you know his shadow side?
Man....this is the best content ever...so much to learn from different experience er. .....
Such a blessing to hear Mr. Ishmael's heart and passion for this art. Hearing his about his church upbringing, and 2 defining moments, resonates with me as a person and engineer. I see so many of these about the tech, it is refreshing to hear about the art side of this role!
This one is amazing , thankful just to listen
As others have said, what a FANTASTIC interview! True inspiration to listen to Burton Ishmael discuss life, mixing, and Madonna! This should be REQUIRED VIEWING for all young aspiring mix engineers! GREAT JOB!
Amazing interview,what a great person this guy is.
Fascinating. I saw the tour. So great seeing how much goes into the show, and Madonna only surrounds herself and hires the very very best so this man must be amazing. Thanks for speaking a foreign language to me here! lol. But was great to try and follow along.
@LannieLord
3 ай бұрын
Karaoke . No live band.
Sincerely, these are some of the best truth bombs I've experienced, particularly from the perspective of attitude alignment for longevity in the industry. Thank you!
Great interview, what an engineer!!
Nick im a touring engineer and i watch every episode! i learn a lot from those greate engineers i aspire to one day be one of them and get interviewed 😅 I work with a reggaeton artist but currently on tour in the US! (we play for latin audience)
Every words he said is like a gold 🎉❤ thanks for great mind set Sir!
Great interview.
I learned a ton from this interview! Thanks!
NICK WTF... You killed this interview. Awesome job keep up the good work. Wepa.
What a class act! Such a humble pro
we saw Madonna live in Dec 23 at the o2 Arena London, If Ishmael was working the foh then, he had his work cut out due to the acoustics there, The bass hit you hard which was cool. With regards to this interview, i feel like i have just had a life lesson more than a sound one.........Great job. Kudos to you both.
i came here for audio/mixing advice, we get great life advice --hats of off
Loaded with Life Gems....🎉
Dude for u to address ur substance abuse is very respectable. Same happened to me. I took a break and came back even stronger. God bless 🙏
Amazing that he can be this cool in a high stress environment!
i love this video !
Damn bro, an hour and a half! Gonna have to watch half now and save the rest for tonight lol.
I am completely fascinated by this great person
Madison Square Garden show was Epic! Even with the intense crowds roaring, the sound came through Cleary especially the bass!
Wow. Such a nice person and so many good thoughts and ideas. The part with the blind person coming to a show really got me thinking. That's a very good way to think about our work. Thank you @NickDeLaCruz for that awesome interview.
Unbelievable! Wow I learned so much Thank you man
the sound at all of her concerts are like none other
@o.9428
3 ай бұрын
The sound on the Celebration Tour has generally been a disaster.
@LannieLord
3 ай бұрын
No live music; Pure Milli Vanilli ! @@o.9428
@Claypaky1
3 ай бұрын
@@o.9428problem is that if you want a great sound the stage and the audience must be apart. If you want to be close to her and get the fancy stage designs that expand in the audience you get shitty audio. Otherwise the mics screech of feedback like crazy.
To be real the first 45 min I was going this dude is really vague and did he really mix the show. But after that it is so smart and the best advice ever. I guess when you are at the top of the game you don't have to come out of the gate with everything. Thank you for this. I don't do live mixing but there is so much to learn from you Bad Asses. Thank You. my advice is watch KZread videos to the end because there is so much to learn and maybe it doesn't happen on your time line.
Great Stuff
knowledge should be the nickname of this mister. Woooow!!
this guy is SO good with analogies. He gets it.
Nice one guys ... liked and subbed from NewZealand .... chur
Variety is the spice of life, the more genres the better...
Madonna is so incredibly creative and she has that Star factor, it’s crucial to possess in the industry, and of course having a disciplined team behind her as she is! Saw her in Miami … unforgettable!
I was here for the ATL show!!!
well-done fellas
That’s it! The engineer said it: Madonna sings live 100% and Madonna has a unique voice tone, “a unique tone” he said!!! What an amazing interview!!!! This is just one part of Madonna’s experience!!
I was at the Atlanta celebration tour show🥰
Burton is the nicest guy, I love him. He is a wealth of wisdom
Enjoy listening to the interview. 🔊🔊🔊
This is why the Madonna’s show experience is overwhelming (in the best way possible) If you missed the lyrics (if you don’t speak English), if you were distracted and didn’t watch backdrops or whatever, you have the sound of her music, the beats meaning is powerful as well!!! Madonna is the best! I felt her message!!
can you creat the video where you review the venews that are suited for music events best and the worst venew as well.thank you!
This was RICH!
Really enjoyed the interview. Still trying to wrap my mind around "all that" with one musician and one singer. Asking an innocent question here, but wouldn't tracks be mixed through processing once and then played back?
Great interview. What is the device in the left rack above the Rupert Neve unit? Summing was being mentioned, but I didn’t recognize the hardware.
That’s a lot of gear for a karaoke show! Love Burton’s approach regarding attitude and listening. He seems like a top gent. Everything on track apart from one musician and her vocal live…. When it’s a good night… ouch! Why bother? It’s not a concert it’s an appearance. Of course he’s running soothe. That’s a game changer. Tame it to rebuild it definitely works as an approach. I use that one too regarding soothe on vox especially. He certainly has a lot of wisdom regarding approach to the craft and working with artists. Bravo. Hopefully he will get back to mixing some live music soon.
This awesome interview doesn't reflect my actual Celebration Tour experience in 2nd row /7th row front floor. Slight tears of frustration from Tampa. Hoping for Atmos audio
I once had a dream where I had to mix FOH (I'm predominantly a monitor engineer) on an S6L (which is my go to console); loaded my file and all the screens started showing Digico graphics. So Burtons idea has happened at least once 😄
Respectfully, I’m not a Madonna fan anymore but I would buy a ticket just to hear this man’s engineering skills because of this interview. Such inspirational words. “The Material Girl” should give this man a huge raise or a massive end of tour bonus check.
Would be nice to know the process on the decision making in choosing L-Acoustics, over let’s say Meyer Sound, d&B, VTx rig… that’s very interesting to know 😀👌
💯💯💯💯
Can anyone name all these units in the rack it would be great if camera capchers a better view
Had the pleasure of shadowing Burton at a Post Malone show a few years back. Love seeing him on here!!!
If you wanna know the difference between a good and a great engineer in terms of success in the business, it is very much down to knowing the political game just as much as how to make a great sound, in many cases the political game is even more important. I have a feeling, this guy is terrific at it.
Burton Ishmael; what a guy.
I love him saying Madonna changed his life!!!!!
Fascinating interview!!! I'm curious about his comment that there's only one live musician, because Madonna herself plays guitar (live, as evidenced by her stopping a performance of "Burning Up" when she realised straight away that her amp wasn't turned on), her son, David, plays guitar (most notably during "Mother and Father"), her daughter, Mercy, plays piano, and there's a cellist playing on the main stage. Mercy's piano teacher was very vocal online when there were rumours early on that she wasn't actually playing (he confirmed that she absolutely was). Madonna is clearly playing the guitar. That's two live instruments already....
@FOHBurton
3 ай бұрын
Sorry for the confusion.. not a typical full band.. but one musician that plays live all set.. Keys and yes all other that do their part as you clearly pointed out!! Thanks for sharing
@scottgc633
3 ай бұрын
@@FOHBurton Thank you for your response and for answering my query!! That's really clear and makes perfect sense! Congrats on your amazing work!!! The interview was fascinating and I loved the show itself - thank you for the role you played!!!
His advices are for every person who is working. 😅 M might not know every technical know how but she knows how to convey n inspire people to do/be better.
please do janet jackson's together again tour
Finally, someone who understands and appreciates the hidden reality of life and attributes rightful grateful to God, not his ego, not luck, not "the universe", etc. I think this is video 20 I have watched on this excellent channel. May God bless you Nick, Mr Ishmael and you all.
@MrMajorduck
3 ай бұрын
Yeah God sure sucks 99.9999% of the time but when hes on your side for once it's all good. Hang on why should we be worshiping something which shits on us most of the time, some people most of the time, again?
Pure GOAT
Amén I still do. 3 band man lol
Wow, what an incredible man!
I was shocked by the poor audio quality of her latest celebration tour at Kia forum. I was on the 3rd floor row and couldn’t wrap my mind around the poor quality. Beyoncé’s floor sound at Sofi blew mind off. It was perfection
pulling the ear during the question about whether or not she’s really singing 😅
Wow.. so he’s more of a studio mixing engineer because he mixes the playback.. I would lovvvveee this gig
Great interview! Not sure I understand what he is saying about “protecting the artist” around 1:02:00. Is the implication that her vocal isn’t 100% live depending on how the night’s performance is going?
@scottgc633
3 ай бұрын
He emphasised that she was singing live the whole time (i.e. she's not lipsynching). However, he might have been inferring that how high up in the mix her live vocal is might change if she's having an off night (the backing vocals are all pre-recorded, so maybe he bumps them up a bit if necessary). He made it absolutely clear, though, that she was singing live the whole time and that rumours to the contrary were completely unfair (and wrong). Fascinating stuff!
EDDIE TRUNK will enjoy hearing the part that she actually sings LIVE on the question asked at the 1:01:20 mark 😝👊
ela usa pen diver ?
So why is the floor sound so bad? 😢
The music is pre-recorded for this show - no live band. As for a Madonna's vocal, she occasionally sings along to a pre-recorded vocal and her 'live' vocal is heavily manipulated
@scottgc633
3 ай бұрын
As he said, she's singing completely live ("occasionally sings along to a pre-recorded vocal" is completely untrue and unfair). What are you trying to achieve here? Essentially, you're calling Burton Ishmael a liar and bringing Nick DeLaCruz's integrity into question.
@DigitalPictures1998
3 ай бұрын
Watch the live stream from Rio, words come out when she's not moving her lips lol
Any realtime pitch correction?
@FOHBurton
3 ай бұрын
Yes
Yes. I believe if you’re on stage doing something, you should be actually doing it. No Synth Monkeys. Also Burton is saying you should know your own ears, so get them tested first with an audiologist. See where your ear curve is first, then mix. Without knowing your own ears’ response curve, you have no idea what you’re doing.
the shows at KIA FORUM in LA was horrible btw. such a bumer
The sound for the recent concert in Copenhagen was terrible. Lots of people putting their hands over their ears as it was wayyy too loud. Base doesn’t = good music ffs.
The person is good but his talking and setup is over complicated
He honestly seems like a nice, knowledgeable guy, but the sound at Barclays in NYC was horrible, at least in the center floor. It seemed terribly muffled and almost deliberately obscured. This could have been due to poor-quality speakers, which could be outside of his responsibilities, for all I know, but still.
Dirty Loops!
bro farted at 9:41
@hudsonm2010
2 ай бұрын
Kkkkkk
So the music is recorded, only live vocals..seam less dificult to make sound
@fbryce1ify
3 ай бұрын
it’s recorded as they are using the masters
@scottgc633
3 ай бұрын
@@fbryce1ify Yes - Stuart Price oversaw the whole process. They used the original master tracks for each song.