Carlos Dickson Takes Feid’s Monitors to the Next Level with DMI-KLANG

Spatial accuracy, reduced ear fatigue, and cool cutting-edge technology make a winning combination for the reggaeton superstar’s 2024 tour

Feid, the Colombian musical phenomenon and to top-10 artist globally on Spotify with over 17.6 billion streams, is currently taking his hits and his band out on the road. Produced by Live Nation, the FERXXOCALIPSIS Tour 2024 kicked off in Sacramento on April 24 at the Golden 1 Center and has taken Feid across major US cities from coast to coast, offering fans a chance to experience his brand of high-energy reggaeton live. Up on stage, all six musicians’ and vocalists’ IEMs are plugged into KLANG immersive monitor mixing in the form of a DMI-KLANG card loaded into a Clair Global-supplied DiGiCo Quantum3³⁸ console for monitors, mirroring another Quantum3³⁸ at front of house. This marks the first time the KLANG setup has been used by Feid, any of his band members, or Carlos “Carlitos” Dickson, the veteran monitor engineer on the tour. But now that they’ve experienced KLANG, “This is what monitor world looks like from now on,” Dickson says.

Dickson, a Latin Grammy-winning and multi-nominated engineer who has also worked with “Chyno” Miranda of the Latin Grammy-winning duo Chino y Nacho, Tony Succar, Sheila E, and others, says he, Feid, and the band all came to KLANG together. “In the beginning, I wasn’t using it that aggressively, so we all got used to it together at the same time,” he says, noting that KLANG is utilized in its full immersive-360 mode by everyone, including crewmembers and the channel he keeps reserved for guest artists. “It’s super simple to operate and you can easily get moving on it in no time.”

The DMI-KLANG module interfaces directly with the tour’s DiGiCo Quantum3³⁸ monitor console, making a huge difference operationally during shows since KLANG runs natively on the Quantum worksurface. “The console integration with DiGiCo means that I don’t have to use a separate computer for KLANG, like I’d had to with other consoles. It’s just a single, seamless mix for me. I’ve been using KLANG for three months now, and I have it in my monitor package for the whole tour through the end of the year when we finish.”

Dickson says the band appreciates the immersive aspect of the KLANG approach to monitors, which gives them not only a custom mix but also spatial accuracy, positioning other musicians in the monitors the way they’re positioned on stage. “I love having more space to put each element in its place,” he says.

But perhaps the single biggest benefit is how KLANG reduces ear fatigue for everyone: the artist, musicians, crew, and Dickson himself. “The distinct separation of instruments and vocals allows volume levels to be kept much more under control, which is important because each show is over two hours long and we have up to four shows per week,” he explains. “Also, before KLANG, the band members would say that mixes sounded different from one day to the next. Well, the mix was exactly the same, but of course they can sound different in each different venue. KLANG changed all that. Everyone can now hear more consistently and clearly because they have their own space. KLANG helps in so many ways.”

Not surprisingly, given his robust social-media presence—over 17 million followers across Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, where his viral videos reach millions—Feid himself has become a fan of KLANG. “I can tell you he loves it,” says Dickson. “He really likes new technology and loves trying new things out. And KLANG is where he likes to be, which is at the cutting edge.”